After the tuberose fueled kick of Sands of Aqaba, I'd prepared myself for another Aqaba roundhouse to the nose, yet Aqaba by Aqaba is a softer, more fluid creation . . . a kinder, gentler Aqaba.
Aqaba is the name of a coastal city in the country of Jordan, signaling that the house of Aqaba has its sensibilities firmly planted in the culture and history of the Middle East. In an interview with Fragrantica, Miriam Mirani (founder of Aqaba) states: "The oils and notes of Aqaba are based on actual research I did into the caravan incense route of the Queen of Sheba. On her trading routes she would buy and sell cinnamon, frankincense, cardamom, and many other spices . . . Aqaba (Classic) is the tribute to the legendary love of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon."
The Queen of Sheba/King Solomon tribute angle is cheesy, yes, but everyone and everything needs some kind of marketing hook these days, so I'll just roll with it and move on.
Fragrance notes for Aqaba by Aqaba are: jasmine, rose, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, damask rose, frankincense, peach, tea leaves, white cedarwood and oak moss. The rose is a main focus, as it would be in any respectable Middle Eastern tribute fragrance, but it's blended with the dusky cinnamon, clove and cardamom trio for a warm, smooth ride on the flying carpet, followed by a lengthy drydown that's a pleasure of dried, exotic spices, incense and polished cedar wood (punctuated with a hit of strong black tea).
I expected Aqaba to be a heady brew, but it wears with surprising subtlety. I'm not saying Aqaba is an overall subtle fragrance -- it's far too dramatic to hang shyly in the wings -- but with all its spices, the jasmine and rose, I expected it to be more extreme. I'm happy to report that the composition is finely-tuned and carefully balanced so that it doesn't tilt too far into the rose patch or crash headlong into the spice rack.
If you're a fan of incense fragrances or deep rose scents (such as Andy Tauer's Incense Rose), then Aqaba by Aqaba could very well be your next happy purchase. The marketing imagery and prose is aimed squarely at the female consumer, but Aqaba Classic has a hot desert wind quality (probably the clove and cinnamon) that would smell great on men, too. Longevity is excellent, at 8+ hours.
Aqaba by Aqaba (or Aqaba Classic) is available in both EDP and extrait (parfum) formulations. This review was of the EDP. I imagine the extrait version is even smoother.
Video clip below of a tour through the city of Aqaba:
***Note: I was originally intending on reviewing Serge Lutens Cedre along with the Aqaba Classic, but after a few hours, I was, like, "Cedre who? Lutens what?" The spicy woodsy drydown of Aqaba kicks Cedre's a**.
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