DSH Perfumes 1997 EDP

U Acquired

Cafe Noir

by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

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DSH Perfumes Cafe Noir is an Eau de Parfum launched in 1997, created by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Cafe Noir opens with Bergamot, Pepper, Cinnamon, and Allspice, settles into a heart of Jasmine, Labdanum, Benzoin, and Bulgarian Rose Otto, and dries down to a base of Vanilla Absolute, Coffee, and Tolu Balsam. DSH Perfumes's Cafe Noir carries an Acquired verdict, a musk-led wear.

Coffee is the point here, and it is dark, spiced and resinous, with cinnamon heat up front and vanilla balsam underneath. Strong and unapologetic, a cold-night gourmand DSH has made since 1997.
What our verdicts mean →
  • Spicy
  • Floral
  • Resinous
  • Gourmand
  • Coffee
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Cafe Noir Eau de Parfum bottle

Cafe Noir Eau de Parfum is an Acquired: a specialist choice whose character or wearing demands reward knowing your taste.

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Scent Profile

Composition

Timeline

Showing: Overall Blend

Top, heart and base are the pyramid as published, not a timing claim. Each note's timing follows its listed tier, where it usually sits across many published pyramids (from ScentPrism) and its vapour pressure. A note comes through as the notes usually listed before it fade, judged from how other pyramids order the same pair. The thickness of a ribbon shows the note's share of what is left on the skin, which tracks how strongly it smells, because odour thresholds rise with vapour pressure. The shares come from how prominent wearers vote each note. It is a simple model, not a measurement.

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Performance & Mood

Performance

Longevity
Long (6-10h)
Projection
Strong
Intensity
Strong

Mood

Mood Energising
Calming
Character Playful
Serious
Sentiment Uplifting
Brooding

When To Wear

Best Seasons

Best For:
Autumn Winter

Dark coffee, spice and balsam suit winter best, and autumn is its natural home. It is too heavy for high summer.

Best Occasions

Best For:
Date
Also Works:
Casual Formal

Rich and strong, it suits evenings, dates and dressed occasions. It is overpowering for sport or a close-quarters office.

Ingredients and allergens

We don't have this fragrance's ingredient list yet.

About

Cafe Noir has been pleasing coffee lovers since 1997. DSH Perfumes calls it an ambery gourmand built round black coffee, and the Eau de Parfum is 96% botanical. It opens warm and spicy, with cinnamon, allspice, pepper and bergamot, before Bulgarian rose otto and jasmine give the heart a floral lift over labdanum and benzoin. The base is the star: coffee, Tolu balsam and vanilla absolute, resinous and sweet. This is an expressive coffee that leaves no doubt about what it is, though how sweet or prominent the coffee smells varies with the wearer. Staying power and projection are both strong, so one or two sprays go a long way. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz is the perfumer.

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Where to buy

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