Meanwhile I'm getting used to intensity of Intense cafe, so I have to get a FB of that one before fall. I wanted a strong coffee/floral scent (think MMM Coffee Break but with that coffee note more prominent) and I heard that this was stronger in its coffee intensity compared to Intense Cafe. From the French house's vanilla-based collection, Intense Café eau de parfum is a concoction of stunning floral notes that reveals a rose and coffee heart. Evokes feelings of walking through an artisan coffee aisle of a local market, or relaxing in a high end corner cafe with friends or a good book.

I love wearing coffee fragrances as cozy and relaxing bed scents so the less beastly EDT aspect of Vanilla Café doesn't bother me.I think a lot of guys struggle with certain aspects of the original IC, especially the top and earlier parts of the dry down. The coffee note is prominent, the roses create a slight tilt to the feminine side, yet the fragrance presents itself as unisex. A strong and at the same time soft gourmand fragrance that unfolds in a multitude of different facets: Sensual and spicy coffee rises from a bed of dew-covered roses. All the other notes are so blended that it just becomes a sticky mess where nothing can move around and then there’s the coffee that doesn’t even try to blend in.

After a few hours though , the rosy coffee scent became softer, sweeter, smoother, caramely, vanilly and delightful. I was debating between purchasing ristretto or intense cafe, and seeing how people say intense cafe doesn’t smell much of coffee , I’m glad with my decision. It is VERY syrupy to me; I found it a bit too sweet, although I did like the rich and creamy aspect. Boozy and intense but not extremely pleasant to start with - that boozyness is a tad too much initially, though it subsides one hour into wearing.At first the coffee and Rose are both very strong, it’s a bit like they don’t go together and are fighting to see who will win.

I like the original Intense Cafe, but I feel like the coffee got overshadowed by the super intense rose and vanilla from opening to dry-down. Yes, Ristretto has more coffee but don't set your expectations too high because coffee is definitely not the main character. It's a unique accord that I haven't picked up in any other brand, seems one part of the Montale DNA that has never been duplicated (tho there could be companies using the same, I'm unaware of them). It doesn’t really help that out doesn’t really have any discernible notes, it’s just something sweet and syrupy that makes me go: I’ve smelled this before.While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, we cannot guarantee the complete accuracy or reliability of the AI-generated pros and cons. I love the scent profile though and will revisit when I have used up my RV, as RIC might have better projection/longevity than RV.