Cherry Smoke by Tom Ford

Cherry Smoke is one of the latest offerings from Tom Ford, along with, Electric Cherry. Both of which are piggy backing off of the massive success of Lost Cherry. I bought two samples of Smoke only, since I couldn’t yet find Electric, and have been testing this perfume out. How does it smell? When should it be worn? Is it worth a try?

What does Cherry Smoke Smell Like?

Notes include: dark cherry, osmanthus, cyproil India, saffron

Click here to try: Cherry Smoke from Sephora

My Full Review

Here’s how Tom Ford describes it: AN EXPERIENCED HEDONIST, CHERRY SMOKE PLAYS WITH FIRE, BURSTING WITH THE SCENT OF DARK CHERRY, IGNITED BY SEDUCTIVE OSMANTHUS AND SMOLDERING, SMOKED WOODS. 

Cherry Smoke kicks off with one of the familiar cherry notes, found in Lost Cherry. The black cherry without the booziness. That cherry is matched with the osmanthus accord and saffron.

The osmanthus, according to the TF website, has facets of: leather, olive, and apricot aromas. The apricot aspect is noticeable upon the initial spray, but will fade along with the cherry note.

Yes, the cherry in Cherry Smoke, is not actually the main attraction. It is up top and sticks around, but it will lurk more in the background.

The saffron and osmanthus accord do give off a combined leathery aroma, with a warmth and slight smokiness from the base. Cyproil India and more of a generic woodiness provide that part for us. It sort of comes across like an oud note, but I don’t think it actually is.

Honestly, this one isn’t a super cherry nor super smoky scent. It has some of each, especially early, but not to the extent you’d expect based on the name.

Once the cherry has stepped back, that olive and cyproil become noticeable, and Cherry Smoke has a somewhat bitter aspect to it. Still a leathery freshness, but woodsy, dark, and a touch bitter. Again, that cherry sweetness is still a part of the show.

The final dry down is less leathery and geared more toward the woody notes. Kind of a suede-like finish, but a full expression of that osmanthus accord and remaining cherry.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

This is a perfume that doesn’t really project all that far nor does it seem heavy. It’s warmth and the smokiness that it does have, makes it feel like it has more ‘weight’ to it than it actually does.

Early the sprays are noticeable probably up to 7-ish feet or so. After that, it’s going to come into the 1-3 foot range. That’s kind of how it was for me with Lost Chery too, but this one to a greater extent.

On my skin, this will go 6.5-7 hours. Again, those last few hours are very weak, but still somewhat detectable. It is definitely there, though.

Seasonally, I’ve obviously been testing this out in winter. But, it’s not too cold right now, which has given me a few chances in the chilly to moderate temperatures. That’s probably the right zone for this one.

Autumn through mid-spring, depending on where you live. Summer it’s a hard pass.

I think that Cherry Smoke leans more masculine, but is still very unisex overall. The versatility, is probably its greatest strength. Pretty much anyone can wear it, in most situations, and it can even extend into the nightlife.

Overall Impressions of Cherry Smoke

Overall, do I like this fragrance? I certainly like aspects of it, but during these first tests, I was never completely blown away by Cherry Smoke. It’s still good.

As of now, I’m not really sold on it being better than Lost Cherry. That could change and I’ll update, if that’s the case. I do still give an edge to the original, in totality.

The opening cherry with the saffron and apricot aroma of the osmanthus is very nice. I enjoyed that a lot. That olive aroma and cyproil are also interesting in their own way.

On the whole, it never hits an elite level for me. I was excited to give this a try, but it’s a mild disappointment, that could have been classic.

The performance is mediocre for what you’re paying. It doesn’t need to be an absolute bomb, but it also doesn’t really give me enough in terms of power or length of time.

Obviously, the price is a limiting factor for who is going to buy this scent. I don’t think this is worth the reach for most people. Some fraction are going to love this one, but most will probably just like it.

There’s not a lot of value here, at end of the price range that Tom Ford perfumes occupy. It’s worth trying to see, where you fall on this one, before shelling out hundreds of dollars.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.