Boccanera by Orto Parisi

Strong and weird opening, but it only lasts 5 minutes. After that, it becomes a rich and elegant perfume perfect for night out or very formal events. I really detect pepper, chili, and leather with a tiny animalic touch, especially in the opening. Projection is moderate but constant for 3 hours. It lasts about 5 hours before it becomes a skin scent you only notice by pressing your nose against your skin. In some applications, it lasted up to 7 hours (though always with short projection).

Okay, I have to disagree with the other reviews regarding the longevity. Undeniably, this is a high-quality perfume with a lot of personality. It’s dark and gourmand within the perfumer’s nose spectrum, but unlike some of its siblings like Terroni or Bergamask, this is an aroma that becomes more intimate once it settles. It projects decently, but in my experience, after 5-6 hours, only a tiny trace remains. And that’s perfect! Because it’s not a daily wear; it’s an aroma to stand out at a social event in cold weather, ideally at night, very gothic and dark; that’s why you need to dress it up. To me, it’s completely unisex. If you’re a man, you’ll smell refined and mysterious; if you’re a woman, you’ll smell like a determined femme fatale (very similar to what Baraonda achieves, but this is much sexier and intoxicating). It would be beautiful if the chocolate note lasted a bit longer, since what lasts the longest (like in other Guerlain musks) is that clean, slightly floral animalic note, very neat and striking. Quality is top-notch, every note is a total delight to the nose. Longevity could be better because, who doesn’t want more of something this good? But if you know how to use it, it’s perfect. Be careful not to overapply; I put on more than 4 sprays for personal enjoyment and a stronger trail in the first hours. Standard recommendation: ALWAYS TEST FIRST ON SKIN WITH ONE OR A FEW SPRAYS, as it lasts longer for some people. To wrap up, if you’ve heard of Black Afgano, this is its sweet and coquettish cousin.

I bought this fragrance blind taking advantage of a Notino deal. I’d been eyeing the Orto Parisi house for months and had read every review available, so I took the plunge. The first time I smelled it, it was from the cap itself; the combination of the cap’s materials and the fragrance gave me a sensation of a closed, aggressive, potent, and slightly oxidized smell. But when I tested it on my skin, everything changed completely. All I can say is that I felt like volcanic lava, ash, and the burgundy color had a smell, and that’s about it. After hearing Terroni, I don’t evoke those sensations as much because Terroni feels much more realistic, though they are quite similar. After reading the notes about chocolate or cocoa, that smell came to me fully. What I smell most in this composition is dark bitter chocolate, animalic notes, a touch of chili, black pepper, and ginger because it’s spicy but not abusive, it’s just right, and a bit of leather but very subtle. Forget the compliments entirely; it’s not a friendly aroma to me. However, I was surprised that it was liked more than I thought (I used it in September at night with some heat, and from October until January of this new year, always at dusk and at night). Every time I told friends, family, and even my girlfriend that I liked the scent, I got good responses. As of today, I can say it’s one of my favorite fragrances. It’s incredibly original and pleasant to smell, especially in an elegant setting with a suit and tie; it gives you that elegant and sensual image but also a bit of a rogue. For winter or autumn climates, and from afternoon onwards, it’s not a beast mode and doesn’t aim to be, since elegant aromas shouldn’t be loud or crazy, but should smell in close proximity. The first and second hour project 1.5 meters, and then it recedes, but believe me, anyone will smell it within 0.5/1 meter, whether they are a smoker or have a runny nose. Longevity on my skin is eternal +12h, and on clothes it lasts weeks, and I’d even dare to say up to a month if you don’t wash it. A masterpiece.

Boccanera was the fifth addition to my collection, following Bergamask, Brutus, Terroni, and Megamare. After reading many reviews, I bought it blind. It’s true that it retains Gualtieri’s DNA in its dry down, well-marked. I think of the five, this is the worst or the one I like the least. I can’t detect chocolate of any color or the sugary part, only the raspiness of patchouli but with other very green herbs, maybe cannabis. Fortunately, it’s not beastly; I just lose it, unlike Terroni, Megamare, or Bergamask (Brutus also presents a bearable and harmless character). The green and animalic part of Boccanera leaves me with a strange tint, like sweat, which isn’t pleasant. I have to turn the screw many times to detect the cocoa-chocolate that must be somewhere. For now, I don’t like it enough; I don’t find it original as it highlights the base of several fragrances I already have in the line, and it doesn’t give versatility, making it hard to find a moment to wear it. We’ll wait a bit longer and keep testing; for now, it’s not what I expected.

When I unsealed this fragrance, I hadn’t even opened the box yet, but I was already smelling it. I was with my partner, who has a finer sense of smell than mine, but accustomed to ‘more mundane’ scents, she told me, ‘No, I don’t smell anything.’ I already had a smile on my face because I was imagining this was the prelude to what was coming. I took off the cap and smelled it, telling her, ‘It’s here; this is clearly it,’ and she kept saying, ‘No, I don’t smell it.’ But of course, how was she to imagine that that smell of old metal, like the iron in old chandeliers, which seemed to be the smell of the cap itself (it’s built that way), was precisely the head of Boccanera peeking out. And all this without even touching the spray! I put it on a shelf, and every time I pass by, I smell Boccanera. It’s incredible the potency it has. Is it a gourmand? Well, it’s Gualtieri’s gourmand. And I love it. Pure chocolate, unrefined, with spicy bursts, and in the background, the DNA present in several of the collection, that smoky, iron-like leather. Oh, and the usual with Orto Parisi. 1 spray for night out, 2 for daytime. Never cross that line because it goes from attraction to horror in one flush. Aroma_________Uniqueness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ◍ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Longevity_____Sillage ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ◍ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Versatility_____Presentation ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ◍ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Compliments_____Quality/Price ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ◍ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ideal Spray 𖥞 Age Range 🧑🏻 ◯ 🧔🏻 ⬤ 👴🏻 ◯ Unisex Level 👠 ◯ 🦄 ⬤ 🦍 ◯ Formality 🕹️ ◯ 💼 ⬤ 🪩 ⬤ 💍 ⬤ Usage 🧊 ⬤ 🪭 ◯ ☀️ ⬤ 🌙 ⬤ In a few words • ‘The Aztec cocoa grinding stone scraped with a bundle’ Ideal Occasion • Semi-casual date with a leather jacket. Alternative • Pardon. Blind buy? 👎 Total ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Better than bitter chocolate with an earthy base that sweetens just a little; one of the most original and refined gourmands I’ve tried, even though I’m not usually into that genre. It’s masculine, almost elegant, serious, and for people who demand perfumes that make you stop and think, beyond the ‘good’ scents everyone likes. It’s not easy, but special, making it interesting and exclusive, worth smelling even if you don’t keep it in your collection. Performance and projection are decent. It works for whatever you want, except hot daytime wear. It has a nighttime vibe without being a typical sweet gourmand. Gualtieri always has something to offer and surprise.

The best part of this fragrance is its opening: dry, bitter chocolate that, if it lasted forever, would be more original, but it fades in a few minutes, a bit of clickbait as the Americans say. Also, it smells strongly of mint at first, creating a rare imbalance, something I’ve noticed in Jovoy perfumes before. In the mid-phase, there seems to be coconut, and as it dries down, it becomes spicy and soft, similar to Stercus or Black Maahir by Lattafa. I feel it doesn’t live up to its name, which is very good and commercial.

Nothing… This isn’t their style; it shows what they can do. Here, the spice is tamed by the musk, so it doesn’t seem like an Orto scent. Maybe they’ll surprise us later with something warm and fiery super-concentrated, but with this, they don’t succeed and it ends up as a mediocre product in their collection. Maybe if they had used some dry rose absolutes with dry coumarin, they would have had the powerful touch they seek to surprise… But nothing… This scent is almost the most usable 😁😁😁😉

Excellent fragrance; only for noses that like heavy scents, it’s nocturnal/winter, woody, with chocolate and a bit of used pipe hashish smell… All of this resulting in a heavy, charming scent; my wife likes it a lot, especially in the dry-down. Very sexy aroma on female skin too. Recommended for a test if you like heavier scents or want to start using/learning them. It requires personality to wear, or she can wear you…

Didn’t expect this. It came with a 1ml sample, lucky me. I tested it twice, just a couple of sprays. Right out of the bottle, it smells like chocolate, which is nice but not much else. Once it dries, the chocolate mixes with something weird, like plastic, then slowly shifts into wood, kind of like a sharpened pencil. Up to that point, it’s fine, but nothing special. The problem starts around the half-hour mark. As Jerry Drake says, a nasty component kicks in—decaying organic matter, like wilted flowers in a vase. I’m not sure if it’s oud, but I definitely smelled it. In my case, that dissonant note lasted an hour. After that, it faded, leaving pencil wood, chocolate, and an unrecognizable spicy note. Much more bearable. As they say, it persists even after washing. Thanks to only two sprays, it didn’t overwhelm me. I tried it again the next day just in case, same result. Agreed: test before buying blind. There are better options out there.

Boccanera is not what I expected. It’s a strange fragrance that knows no taboos, walking on the edge of the tolerable, offering gourmand moments to others that are disgusting, moldy, and penetrating. Do I notice a very persistent fecal oud? It’s a disagreeable sensation, like going to the bathroom after necessary cleaning, with the addition that Boccanera sticks around like bad luck and has an inundating vapor expansion. To be fair, 5 sprays and everything was contaminated: t-shirt, cap, sweater, or the taxi with the poor driver who looked at me with a ugly face in the rearview mirror. This despite the warm sweet spices, herbal notes, and a quite pronounced roasted coffee aroma. The closeness to Black Afgano is undeniable, but it’s a different caliber, and I definitely prefer Nasomatto’s. Personally, it hasn’t been to my liking; I recommend trying before deciding on a purchase.

If you want, it’s a less potent and cheaper Black Afgano. Sure, there are differences, but it smells very similar. In short, owning both is olfactorily redundant. Lower performance, with an opening of very dark, almost black chocolate—not too sweet—that eventually fades and leaves that ‘Black Afgano Light’ vibe.

Another great Orto Parisi perfume: different, seductive, and elegant. That chocolate without cloying sweetness, combined with dry but very moderate and high-quality oud, gives a perfect result for going out at night. I can’t help comparing it to Black Phantom regarding the chocolate notes, but for me, it wins hands down because it’s not as gourmand or sweet as Kilian’s, which overwhelms me. 100% for nighttime, perfect for autumn and winter, to seduce and last long, even if the projection is moderate. The perfect choice for those who want to stand out and know exactly what they’re looking for. I’d put it on my list for cold Saturdays.