Review (4/5): Above-Average Coffee Man Release From O Boticario
O Boticario is a prodigious South American house not especially popular elsewhere. Paradiso, a fairly new launch in their Coffee Man series, is pretty darn good. The others have left me wanting more, well, coffee. Interestingly this one doesn't. Maybe my expectations are lower as I understand this isn't intended to be a monolithic "coffee-scent" but the note seems surprisingly prominent. Fragrantica proclaims it an Oriental Vanilla whilst O Boticario themselves state it's a Gourmand Woody ("Deodorizing Cologne" -- a South American thing). So what IS it!?
Cop out: all the above. I think Coffee Man Paradiso is a pretty well blended chocolate coffee with a tablespoon of sweet vanilla syrup and a pinch of spice and woods, the latter of which become subservient to the edible notes in the heart but add depth throughout the life of the fragrance. A quite wearable and versatile decent quality masculine semi-casual/semi-formal fragrance. Performance is professional: the above-average longevity exceeds the projection/sillage.
I am compelled to liken Coffee Man Paradiso to "tiramisu" scent Ferragamo Uomo, which I just didn't get (figuratively nor literally except for a decant after doubting my own nose). I can say Paradiso is nicer and less synthetic to me once the alcohol has fully evaporated and the echoes of the distant hype-train's whistle have subsided.
Final note: buy this ONLY through reputable distribution channels as there is a huge cottage industry in Latin America of selling fakes to touristas, especially gringos.