Quick Sniffs: Odori Tabacco; Ginestet Le Boise; Isotta Fraschini Uomo; Voluspa Pagoda

ODORI TABACCO: the sweetness of pipe tobacco rather than the dry, bitter glory of the unadorned tobacco leaf. If you've ever visited a high-end tobacco store and spent time in one of their walk-in, temperature and humidity controlled display rooms, this is kind of what Odori Tabacco smells like, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Odori Cuoio was a bone dry leather, almost stark in its appeal, and I half expected (half hoped) the same thing from their Tabacco, yet Odori added some gentle curves and rounded edges this time around -- vanilla, eucalyptus, jasmine. There's still dust in the corners and a hint of single-malt scotch (perhaps that's the oak moss?), but the sweetness of the vanilla makes Odori Tabacco, first and foremost, a fragrance for the consumer who craves the smell of refined pipe tobacco.

The vanilla does tone itself down quite a bit near the end, though it never fully excuses itself from the premises. If you're looking for something that smells more like a dusty tobacco leaf minus the drawing room folderol, Social Creatures Rebel Ambush might be more up your alley.

GINESTET LE BOISE: Ginestet is a French wine distribution company that has recently entered the perfume realm with the release of three wine-inspired fragrances. Le Boise is one of them. Intended to be their homage to red wine, Le Boise evokes the smell of oak barrels and the balsamic undertones to a good Bourdeaux while tossing in a slightly smoky sandalwood base for good measure.

I would say that Le Boise pitches its tent in the unisex camp, even though it's listed as a masculine -- it's medium-bodied rather than heavy, and there's little about the dry, balsamic woods and warm smoke character that would be off-putting on a female. That said, there's nothing particularly feminine about it, either, as it lacks the ambers and florals that many feminine and/or unisex fragrances employ (though vanilla does rear its head in the drydown).

An attractive option for people who like unsweetened woodsy perfumes, and the wine-country packaging is a clever conceit.

ISOTTA FRASCHINI UOMO: Uomo has a split personality -- it starts off like your average tangy, men's sport cologne, but does a complete 180 about thirty minutes in and spends the rest of its time barreling down the incense highway to a warm and woodsy finish. It's a bit like starting a conversation with "that frat boy" sitting in the bar stool next to yours only to discover that he's actually a PhD candidate in aeronautical engineering.

If you can't judge a book by its cover, then you shouldn't judge a fragrance by its opening.

Listed notes read like a manual for how to make your favorite incense (once you get past the lemon and vermouth, that is): Lemon, bergamot, tarragon, vermouth, cypress, Patchouly, Tonka bean, Galbanum, cedar, Storax, Benzoin, sandalwood, musk, vanilla.

Definitely nice, but certainly not groundbreaking and nothing that makes me scramble for my charge card -- though mostly because I already own several woodsy, smoky fragrances and I don't need another. I do admit, however, that it would work as an excellent introductory scent into the world of niche incense fragrances for men who are more accustomed to the likes of Armani Code. Its fresh cologne opening will put them at ease right before it hits them over the head with a big cedar log.

VOLUSPA PAGODA: Pagoda smells like an Asian mountain temple surrounded by fir trees and still ponds, boasting a light, airy presence with a definite watery-floral subtext. It's pretty, feminine and fresh, and it doesn't smell at all synthetic or cheap, even though it's both (a 3.5 ounce bottle runs only $60.00, which is chump change in the world of niche perfumes).

There's a touch of that Jean Claude Ellena minimalism about it, and it would be a terrific choice for consumers in a hemisphere that's heading into warmer weather, not to mention the year 'round tropical climates. I'm a little surprised by it, as I'd expected much less and it wound up, instead, being a well-constructed piece of aquatic floral femininity on a limited budget.

If you've got the bucks to break out on a non-stop Jean Claude Ellena spree, then by all means do so, but if you're looking for a bottle of fragrance that approaches Ellena-nice but at only half the price, Voluspa Pagoda is worth checking out.