One fragrance house that is particularly close to my heart is Cherigan. With Fiesta Habana, the latest creation of the French niche fragrance brand recently joined the assortment of Aus Liebe zum Duft and I think the name alone sounds like a good mood, a proper fragrance party that will get anyone dancing to the sounds of Cuban music.
Tradition and modernity combined – Cherigan
Last fall, I presented you some of the brand’s creations and also had the pleasure of interviewing Luc Gabriel, who, together with his wife Sophie, revived the 1920s fragrance house a few years ago. I’ll link you to my articles on Cherigan below, which will give you a good overview of the label and its olfactory portfolio:
- Interview with Cherigan’s founder Luc Gabriel – The scent of the golden twenties
- Fleurs de Tabac and Lovers in Pink by Cherigan – of tobacco flowers and lovers.
- Edo Park and Or des Iles by Cherigan – Japan’s Gardens and the Gold of the Islands
- The Purple Bar, Iris Coffee and Adhara Oud by Cherigan – The grand finale
Cherigan’s fragrances are partly based on old recipes, which have of course been adapted to modern requirements. In addition, they have been given a certain modern touch without distorting the nostalgic character of the original fragrance. Other creations, on the other hand, have been completely newly developed and are based on actual locations and events from the brand’s history. Our fragrance candidate today takes us to Havana, for example, as Cherigan opened a perfume boutique there in the 1930s.
Fiesta Habana – Dance in Cuba
The legendary Caribbean island looks back on an eventful history. After the Spanish took power in the 16th century, Cuba first became a Spanish colony, later independent, but under the strong influence of the USA. Then the revolution at the end of the 1950s, which turned Cuba into the socialist and authoritarian island state it remains today.
Crises, sanctions and economic isolation have characterized the island for almost 70 years now. Dilapidated houses still bear witness to the former splendour of the Cuban capital. Cuba’s trademarks are also the numerous classic cars, elegant road cruisers left behind by the Americans residing in Cuba in the course of the revolution, which today have cult status.
One of the most famous Americans on the Caribbean island was certainly the writer Ernest Hemingway, who lived there from the mid-1930s to 1960 with minor interruptions on a finca, until his failing health forced him to move back to the United States. In his favourite Havana bar, El Floridita, there is still a bronze statue of the writer leaning casually against the counter.
In the 1920s, during the time of Prohibition in the United States, Havana was the hip place to be with its party nights and smoky casinos. There, big bands played through the night while the youth of the United States continued to gamble at the gaming tables.
At that time, French designers exerted a great influence on the North American market. (…) A true paradise for architecture lovers and fans of Cuban music, cigars and rum, it is no wonder that Ernest Hemingway made Cuba his second home.
The fragrance Fiesta Habana picks up precisely this exuberant and quite excessive mood of the Roaring Twenties on the Caribbean island and implements it with opulent notes. Rum, davana, elemi resin, clove, tolu balsam, iris, immortelle (Italian strawflower), sandalwood, tobacco, bourbon vanilla, tonka bean, patchouli and musk are the ingredients of this fragrant tribute to the island in the golden twenties.
In the glow of the night
The tipsy, liqueur-like notes of rum and the dried fruit accents of davana open Fiesta Habana and evoke a thoroughly exuberant mood right from the start, into which the delicate, earthy and creamy nuances of iris gradually slip, accompanied by lovely tolu balsam.
Is the prelude to my liking? Definitely! This is the way to go! Immortelle provides greenish spicy nuances, while the warm notes of honeyed, deep golden tobacco and velvety sandalwood underline the still clearly sniffable, liqueur-like rum.
The tonka bean also gets its big appearance. Very present is the visually rather inconspicuous black shriveled bean with its green facets reminiscent of hay, which beautifully suits the creation. Somewhere I also smell dark red cherries flashing in the background of the composition, sometimes more, sometimes less clearly. Soft and powdery-amber, the fragrance gradually fades out in a beautiful way.
Fiesta Habana by Cherigan is a quiet, liqueur-like mix of delicious rum, pickled dried fruits, spices, warm woods and tobacco, carried by a gourmand sweetness. Not a loud party crasher, but rather a quiet, but good-humoured fragrance that is very coherent and finely balanced. Atmospheric, elegant, modern and – despite its restrained nature – expressive, Fiesta Habana has a medium presence and good longevity. This makes the Extrait de Parfum a perfect fragrance companion for every season and also for every occasion. A wonderful fiesta that Cherigan presents us with this creation and which once again makes my heart beat faster for the brand. ❤
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