The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Havana Blues arrived in 2016, named for the city that gave the world hand-rolled cigars, rum that burns going down, and a blues that sounds like the sea. Perfumer Jérôme Epinette built this from the ground up around tobacco, not as accent, but as architecture. The fruit and citrus open the door. The tobacco is what you stay for. It's a fragrance that earns its name: melancholy, warm, built for somewhere you want to be but maybe haven't been yet.
What makes the structure work is the hand-off. Black pomegranate and lemon arrive bright and cool, that initial hit that makes you lean in. But fig is waiting underneath, green and slightly animal, adding texture before the citrus fades. The jasmine-tobacco pairing is where most fragrances in this family stumble; jasmine can turn soapy, tobacco can turn acrid. Here, Epinette lets them share space. The tobacco sweetens the jasmine's edges. The jasmine keeps the tobacco from going too dark. Neither dominates. Both stay.
The evolution
The opening announces itself with pomegranate and lemon, tart and clean. Then the fig emerges, rounder, almost creamy, and the citrus begins its slow retreat. The tobacco phase brings warmth and presence to the room. Jasmine softens it, makes it breathe, layering white florals over the smoke. This stage extends longest, warm and intimate without being intrusive. Cedar and patchouli arrive last, quieter, grounding everything that came before. On fabric, you catch traces the next morning. On skin, a faint warmth where you sprayed. The drydown doesn't shout. It lingers.
Cultural impact
And Other Stories, rooted in Scandinavian minimalism, made an unexpected choice by embracing tobacco-forward warmth. The fruity-sweet opening, pomegranate and citrus brightened by fig, set it apart from austere tobacco absolutes more commonly associated with masculine heritage houses. Beneath the fruit, cedar and patchouli build depth and extend wear, while jasmine adds white florals that keep the whole composition from becoming heavy. The tobacco itself is the room-filling presence, not a subtle background player. It commands attention without aggression, emerging gradually rather than announcing itself upfront.
