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Cuban Cigar

Q: Is Cuban Cigar natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Tobacco absolute by solvent extraction of cured leaves. The full accord requires layering with separate wood, leather, and cocoa components..

NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD / rich · woody · smoky

Cuban Cigar

Category	NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategory	rich · woody · smoky
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco)
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Cuba
Pyramid	Base

Dry, fermented tobacco with cedar, leather, and a faint cocoa sweetness. The smell of an unlit Habano: aged leaf, Spanish cedar box, and the slight ammonia of fermentation.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Dark, dry, fermented. Aged tobacco leaf with leather-suede quality. Spanish cedar box adds aromatic wood. Faint cocoa sweetness with a wisp of ammonia. Richer than cigarette smoke. This is the unlit cigar: all leaf and wood, no ash.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Dry cedar-box opening with fermented tobacco

After a few hours

Leather and cocoa warmth, tobacco deepens

After a few days

Persistent dry tobacco-leather base, faintly sweet

The Full Story

Cuban cigar is an accord referencing premium hand-rolled tobacco from Vuelta Abajo. The smell is fermented Nicotiana tabacum leaves with dark, leathery aromas from months-long curing. Ammonia, coumarin, and Maillard products contribute.

The cedar element comes from Spanish cedar (Cedrela odorata) boxes used for aging. The cocoa undertone comes from theobromine developing during fermentation.

The accord is built from tobacco absolute, cedryl acetate or Virginia cedarwood oil, leather notes (birch tar, isobutyl quinoline), and cocoa/vanillin touches.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Akigalawood · Ambrocenide · Asphalt · Burnt Match · Charred Wood · Cigarette · Coal · Dry Wood

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Cuban cigar tobacco undergoes two fermentation stages totaling up to 90 days at temperatures reaching 50C. This microbial process reduces nicotine by up to 90% while developing complex aromatic compounds.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Tobacco absolute by solvent extraction of cured leaves. The full accord requires layering with separate wood, leather, and cocoa components.

Molecular Formula	N/A — olfactory accord (tobacco + woody + leather qualities)
CAS Number	N/A — olfactory accord
Botanical Name	Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	TOBACCO · CIGAR · CIGAR LEAF
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid

In Perfumery

Base note and masculine anchor. Built from tobacco absolute, cedryl acetate, leather notes (birch tar, isobutyl quinoline), and cocoa/vanillin. Adds dry warmth. Pairs with rum, honey, dried fruit, and dark spices.