Honey Cigarillo

A Forest Mystery Review Dua’s take on Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles As you might have read in my A Cozy Tale of Winter review, I like coniferous scents. I like a wide variety of themes, and I typically don’t stick to one style for terribly long. I am always working on testing my own olfactory limits and what I can learn to perceive through scent. Fille en Aiguilles is a legendary scent from the house of Serge Lutens. Originally being one of the brand’s standard offerings, it eventually was inserted into a more expensive line for the niche purveyor, citing ingredient difficulties and limited resources. It was pulled from the US market, reintroduced, and now the famed release seems to only be available in France. In other words, it’s no longer easy to get this fragrance. I do have a decant of the more modern formulation of Fille en Aiguilles, which I will be comparing A Forest Mystery. I loved the scent, but not for the simply asinine price that they go for now. It's simply not worth it, plus the lasting power is abysmal. Two things that Dua seeks to remedy with A Forest Mystery. Let’s wander into these sacred woods and see what stories the ancient growth whispers to us. Upon receiving the scent, I am like a kid in a candy store, as most of us are. I just had to spray it, and my initial impression was dismay. The pine, which in the Serge is dark, sappy, balsamic, and dark, was strangely fresh, soapy, and lemony. I honestly drew parallels to Pino Silvestre, with its Pine Sol-soaked abomination of “pine crystals”. This is not what I signed up for, but the story is not over yet. As with most Duas, patience is key. I was a good and somewhat responsible adult while I let it rest for over a month, and man, this scent transformed big time. Gone was the Pine Sol opening. It was replaced with a realistic pine needle aroma, a bit dry, like needles on the forest floor that crunch underfoot, with a balsamic lift that feels almost cooling. The sappy fir darkened it up, but I must say that the Serge is darker, whereas the Dua is a bit fresher and snappier, leading to a more versatile scent. The most discernible difference between the Serge and Dua is the plummy jam that imparts an interesting sweetness in Fille. The Dua version is toned down, and if you weren’t looking for it, then you may not find it. This doesn’t mean the Dua is lacking, only that the style is slightly different, but it has its own strengths. The smoked wood, akin to a charred campfire log, radiates throughout the layers of the scent. It gives the fragrance a sublime and intricate feeling of the ruggedness of the untamed wilds. The Serge and Dua are equal in this regard. Fille en Aiguilles has subpar performance, lasting around 3-4 hours on my skin. It’s quite lackluster for a darker scent. The Dua improves this greatly, boasting around 9-10 hours on skin and days on clothes. The projection is also much more potent. Despite the lack of fruitiness, A Forest Mystery is a fantastic conifer scent. If you are someone that wants to smell like a forest without forcing people to think of Christmas trees, then this might be the scent for you. The pine and fir do carry into the heart, where you can feel the almost camphoric aroma they give off, but it’s not going to directly make you think of trees adorned with ornaments as it gets more woody and keeps the sappy needles in the background. While I would not say it’s 1:1, it’s a great attempt at what I imagine is a difficult scent to capture. Even if it’s not identical, it’s still a fantastic woodland scent for the price that isn’t too literal. It’s not a true forest scent due to staying perfume-y enough to be mass-appealing and versatile. You really can’t go wrong if you want a smoked incense and conifer fragrance, but you must be patient and let it macerate. It works quite well with a flannel or if you are roleplaying as Elmer Fudd at a Looney Tunes cosplay convention (not that I have ever done that). If you want to bring the wilds home and smell them without the risk of bear attacks, lakeside baths, and Bigfoot sightings, then this is your scent. Sorry gents, it doesn’t come with a beard, and anyone can rock this as well.

John H. 5/5 May 13, 2025

Honey Cigarillo

Honey Cigarillo Review A DUA Original I have always loved honey when it’s done correctly. The overly dense, sticky forms never really appealed much to me. I much prefer smoother, more floral variations of the note, or even the ones that are slightly animalic. Honey Cigarillo isn’t quite what I expected, in a good way. I was anticipating a sweet tobacco laced concoction full of cherried tobacco leaves or perhaps an earthy, smoky version. Given the cigarillo name, I was expecting something a bit less nuanced than what I found. The initial spritz yields a smooth, sweetened, and only slightly dense honey. Lacking any indolic florals, the accord does retain some nectar-like nuances, touching on the more delicate side of the bee’s golden syrup. Oftentimes, honey is drowned out by sugary sweetness, and many fragrances fail to execute a truly realistic impression of the note. Honey Cigarillo doesn’t falter, it shows its cards at the start. This honey is accented with a rich, vanillic tonka bean. It gives the honey a creamy, smooth, and silky feeling that feels so satisfying, in a seductive way. I must say that it doesn’t feel milky, despite the influence of tonka, vanilla, and sandalwood. It’s refined, borderline gourmand, and tantalizing. A slightly warm cinnamon is present, but it’s not the hot spicy type that you may be used to. It serves as a buffer for the tobacco accord, which feels like a spiced cigar, without any earthy depth or cherry syrup. It’s surprisingly not so dominant on my skin, but it is noticeable in the background. Rich resins sit at the base, giving it a luxurious, elegant feeling. Balsamic benzoin with spicy amber highlights the base notes in a warm, woody embrace with clean, darkened patchouli that doesn’t feel damp or earthy. The surprising part is that Honey Cigarillo is decidedly unisex. It may lean slightly masculine, but the softness of the tobacco keeps it from feeling overtly geared towards men. It’s a great evening scent for winter, as it shows a warm, cozy aroma that is sweet, yet it doesn’t feel cloying or forceful. I guess you could call it sauve. The smoothness of the scent is one of the highlights of Honey Cigarillo, and it makes it feel like a high-end niche offering due to the superb blending. It’s an elegantly prepared scent, without being too sticky. I’d only call it a semi-gourmand because it doesn’t smell edible to me, but it does lure me in with a bewitching blend of rich resins, soft woods, and delectable honey. It’s too bad that it’s too hot to wear it right now, but I imagine letting it rest until autumn will make it even better. Sadly, it’s sold out right now, but I’d keep an eye out if you want a honey fragrance for fall. Letting it age until then will reap rewards.

John H. 5/5 May 13, 2025

Honey Cigarillo

I’ve been on a hunt for a good honey forward scent and this one nailed it. It’s so worth the higher price because you can smell the quality. This is gorgeous, smooth, sweet, and smells very high end and regal. Some honey scents can be challenging and have sort of an animalic/urine like quality, or too cloying, this one doesn’t have that whatsoever. It’s just beautiful, not sure if it’s the mix of honeycomb and beeswax, but it’s amazing. I’m definitely considering a second bottle since the ingredients are pretty rare. And how gorgeous is this bottle!? I think it’s my favorite metal plaque bottle so far. Just beautiful all around!

Nikki S. 5/5 January 31, 2025

Honey Cigarillo

Nature's Hustle: The Hay and Honey Alchemy in 'Honey Cigarillo' Diving into "Honey Cigarillo" one is immediately enveloped in a rich development of scents that speak to the ambitious and the audacious. This fragrance, a bold blend of honeycomb, tobacco leaves, and a hint of cinnamon, strikes a perfect balance between the sweetness of victory and the smokiness of challenges overcome. It's a unisex scent that refuses to be boxed in, much like the entrepreneurs who understand that real success comes from blending tradition with innovation. I'm at a loss for words on how truly indulgent it is. I'm wearing it to a film mixer today.

Mista 5/5 February 10, 2024

Honey Cigarillo

Golden Fields and Gourmet Delights Imagine this: You're walking through a hayfield on a sunny afternoon, the scent of honey in the air. That's the vibe Honey Cigarillo gives off. It's like a cozy chat with an old friend, where the conversation flows as smoothly as the honey it's inspired by. The sweetness of the honeycomb and beeswax is balanced with a hint of cinnamon spice, making it feel like a warm, lazy day in the countryside. This fragrance? It's not just a scent; it's a whole mood, bringing together luxury and nature in the most delightful way. It's perfect for those days when you want to feel both grounded and indulgent.

Mista 5/5 January 17, 2024

Honey Cigarillo

A superb and elegant gourmand tobacco Lucked out and was able to pick this up for a song in the resell group. Based on my experience with multiple Dua frags that celebrate honey, when Dua chooses to focus on honey it is typically not syrupy sweet. I am pleased to find a richer, deeper, and true honey scent in the notes--typically suited for a more mature or niche oriented nose, and that's the way I like it. The beeswax, clover, amber, and patchouli all play their part extremely well. I can enjoy this masterpiece solo, and I look forward to layering it as well with chocolate, cherry / plum / apple / peach, and a bit more booze. Love this.

David G. 5/5 December 31, 2023

Honey Cigarillo

Cigarillo Beast Been an avid buyer from Dua for over a year now and I've acquired well over 100 bottles to date and today visiting for my newest acquisition after fulfilling a request from Dua about my last purchase of this magnificent master piece Honey Cigarillo. I let this sit after a quick spray it filled the room for hours, no maserate so it has sat for 3 weeks on my shelf, and today I sprayed it on only 3 half pump sprays at 3am and it's 8pm and this bad to the Bone Beast is still in full effect!! This one kicks out and out and out it's intoxicating and a compliment getter as I found out today out and about what are you wearing smells fantastic is all I heard. That's why I initially purchased 3 bottles after watching it sell out fast I initially saw 60 bottles go down to 15 bottles in a matter of minutes so glad i bought stock in this one, To bad it's not available anymore for purchase it's sold out. If it comes back do yourself a favor grab one or two or even 3 like I did no regrets smells fantastic every drop of this juice is worth the squeeze. So glad I could be first to review this gem of gems. Thank you Dua for all the sales and hard work you do for all of us that want to smell great day after day! Sincerely a Dua Fan for life. And now to my newest acquisition purchase thanks Cuba!

Robert 5/5 December 16, 2023

Honey Cigarillo

This is good! This is a nice fragrance! The honey has layers to it. I can pick up the honeycomb and beeswax. The honey whiskey is great here. it adds a warm booziness, especially in the opening. The spices add to the warmth, while the smoke from the tobacco leaves and resins hold it all together. I'm happy that I was able to add this to my collection.

Sanyika 5/5 December 7, 2023

Honey Cigarillo