Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco courtesy of the brand

“I wanted to explore the multiple facets of tobacco to achieve a richness and complexity in an honest, interesting and surprising new rendition… Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco is both Royal and Regal in equal measure.”  –Perfumer Cécile Zarokian, at the Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco Live Launch September 15th, 2022.

Renaud Salmon, Chief Experience Officer selfie with Perfumer Cecile Zarokian in Sur, Oman, 2021

Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco is the newest fragrance from the reshaped Library Collection. It explores tobacco in the context of Oman and Cuba via their connection along the Tropic of Cancer. Opus XIV Royal Tobacco represents the importance of knowledge and interestingly links this to the theme of Cuban cigars.

“My role involves decoding and understanding the background of cultures and their histories… connecting the dots to bring across stories in a synesthetic way by fusing perfumery to art through a different lens.”

Image of a lector in a Cuban factory courtesy of Amouage

Chief Experience Officer Renaud Salmon enlisted Cécile Zarokian to tell the story of Opus XIV Royal Tobacco as a homage to Lectors. Lectors were essential to the enhanced production of cigars and the overall harmony of employees’ experience working within these factories circa the late 1800s – early 1900s.  Their important role was to read aloud from selected classical texts during shift time and educate the workers with an understanding of and instill a love of literature.  This is why Cuban cigars have been named after Montecristo and Romeo and Juliet. This form of education created excitement and positivity within factories but ultimately led to uprising and strikes ironically as the working class rose against the elite citing quotations from these texts as evidence for better working conditions and pay. As a result, employers did away with Lectors until it was obvious that production levels had dwindled along with motivation within the workhouses. Thus, the role of the Lector was recreated.  However, rich and valued texts were now replaced with propaganda.

Mood board for the creation of Opus XIV Royal Tobacco courtesy of Amouage

The creative process of Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco involved exploring tobacco in the context of Amouage. Mme Zarokian was given an antique cigar box from Renaud Salmon and asked to explore it in olfactive terms. Her brief was to align both cultures to create a ‘Real’ tobacco through a contrast of hot and cold accords; to search for the best quality of tobacco absolute bringing across the fusion of cigars and woods.  Her personal goal was not to follow the status quo by creating an overly sweet and honeyed scent similar to the synthetic laden and mass-produced ones flooding the marketplace.  In Opus XIV Royal Tobacco she wanted to express the complexity of not just one material and express the sensorial experience of cigar smoke from top to base – to evoke a contrast from light to dark.  In order to create this balance a liquorice root note was central to the composition.  This not only adds depth, but it also creates a suggestion of subtle sweetness and addiction.  In conversation Mme Zarokian told the story of her own childhood memories – of chewing liquorice sticks in order to avoid biting her nails.  In Opus XIV Royal Tobacco we also sense an endearing quality to it to balance out the frankincense and tobacco.

Mood board  of ingredients courtesy of Amouage

The slightly spiky and peppery opening created with anise, elemi and cardamom blends beautifully with fenugreek and lavender for an aromatic and coldness, whilst the birch tar, guaiac wood and oud add the contrasting heat.  Intermingling with these is a unique prunol accord in the heart which gives both the sense of dried fruits and a slight nutty nuance akin to walnuts.  The base contains a multitude of resins, frankincense resinoid, Peru Balsam, benzoin and labdanum and these enhance the darker aspects to the fragrance. The presentation of a beige flacon with contrasting black khanjar cap reflects the nod to Omani tradition and aesthetics.  The concentration of Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco is 25% oil with a maturation of 6 weeks.  It is a rich and very decadent experience and just as Cécile Zarokian’s previous  2021 Opus XIII Silver Oud it plays on contrasts and complexity.

Notes: Frankincense Oil, Elemi, Cardamom, Anise, Bergamot, Tobacco Absolute, Liquorice Root, Lavender, Prunol, Fenugreek, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus, Rose, Frankincense Resinoid, Peru Balsam, Benzoin, Labdanum, Myrrh, Birch Tar, Tonka Bean, Vanilla Madagascar, Vetiver, Guaiac Wood, Oud Assam, Musks.

Disclaimer: Travel size atomizer of Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco generously provided by Amouage. My opinions are my own.

Karl Topham, UK Brand Ambassador & Senior Editor

Library Collection Travel Set by Karl

Thanks to the generosity of Amouage we have a 10 ml travel size of Opus XIV Royal Tobacco ONLY TO A registered CaFleureBon readers in all countries EXCLUDING Canada, Russia, China, Italy, Spain, New Zealand and Latin America (if you are not sure if you are registered click here.)  o be eligible please leave a comment about what strikes you about Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco and where you live.  What is your favorite Amouage perfume? Draw closes 9/18/22

At the time of this writing Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco is only available at Amouage.com

Steven’s Video of The Amouage Opus Library Collection

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