Tabac Original Aftershave and Eau De Cologne Review (Maurer & Wirtz)

Updated 27th of September 2020

Tabac Original was first available in 1959. Year after year, highly marketed aftershaves and colognes come and go, but Tabac remains. It doesn’t cost the earth - and truly puts many expensive fragrances to shame. But read user reviews of Tabac, and they can be polarizing. People love it or hate it. And that’s not surprising. Tabac is not your typical modern day fragrance. Buying Tabac without understanding its style is sure to surprise many!

In this article, you will find a review of the Tabac product range, a guide to the fragrance, and recommendations for use. Understanding scents can tough through written language. We use everyday language to describe. But hell – if it’s still not clear afterwards, just do yourself a favour and try out the aftershave! You can’t go wrong with this one. It’s delightfully comforting and creamy presence sure makes my day. And who doesn’t want that cool retro bottle too…

Quick product guide

	Tabac Original Aftershave • Alcohol based splash with subtle tabac scent • Retro glass bottle
	Tabac Original Shaving Soap in Bowl • Tallow based shaving soap with Tabac scent • Reusable ceramic bowl
	Tabac Original Eau de Cologne Splash • Classic ‘original’ scent • Long lasting
	Tabac Original Eau De Toilette Splash • Scent variation from classic ‘original’ • Stronger than EDC
	Tabac Original Shaving Soap Stick • Convenient shave stick • Long lasting
	Tabac Original Shaving puck refill • Replacement puck for ceramic bowl • Same great shaving soap
	Tabac Original Aftershave Balm • For sensitive skin • Lightly fragranced

The Tabac fragrance

Tabac is not your typical modern day fragrance. It is an unmistakable fragrance with a discreet presence. Tabac gives you a fresh, soapy, well-groomed feeling throughout the day, and has a delightfully warm and creamy vanilla like note that lingers. But make no mistake, Tabac is very floral. Think floral boquet – lavender ,geranium, carnation. In this respect, it’s actually quite feminine. But the earthy, musky and woody side of the scent balances this, making it a firmly a masculine scent. There is a citrus burst in the early stages of the wearing – but this doesn’t define the broad experience. And while the name ‘tabac’ may make you think it will have a strong tobacco note, that’s not the case.

Tabac isn’t something that is going to get you heaps of compliments. It has great longevity, but doesn’t linger in the air around you (unless you are putting on way too much!). It’s more a personal experience, and for those intimately close to you. But it’s also not romantic. It’s mellow. It’s for comfort. It’s casual, but sophisticated. Aged under say 30, Tabac would be out of place (and result reviews talking about how “this stuff smells seriously dated!”) But for a gentleman this is a relaxing day time fragrance. It is more suited to colder months. Wear it in summer and it can be stuffy to say the least.

The Tabac range

Tabac ‘Original’ encompasses a range of products from shaving soap to aftershave, a cologne, and EDT. Maurer & Wirtz know how to create a product line around a scent. They even have deodorant and bath soap in the range. The scent is broadly consistent across these products. But EDT is the odd one out, and generally not considered representative of the rest of the Tabac range

If you are new to the range, the aftershave is a great starting point. It will demonstrate the scent with no chance of over-application. The cologne nicely compliments the aftershave, and takes the experience to the next level. While the tallow based shaving soap is stunning (and never seems to deplete!), personally I prefer an unscented option for everyday use that doesn’t lock me into a particular scent.

The aftershave comes as a splash. The EDT, and EDC typically come as a splash, but sometimes a spray-on. I find the EDC and EDT splash distributes in a controllable manner with a quick jolt of the hand – and prefer it to the spray.

Closing thoughts

Tabac is different than most of your typical options – and that’s a good thing. Its is great value for money, and hard to find such a unique and quality product at this price range. Make sure you give this one a go - it makes you feel like Pharrell! And here’s a tip – when you try Tabac for the first time, forget about its age and price. Imagine this is a brand new product line in a hip brand, and appreciate it for what it is. Enjoy!