Fragrance comparison

An Affair vs Café Cabanel

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 12 Oct 2026 742 ratings analysed

4 wins

An Affair

QOT - Question of Time

4.4522 votes

Rank #32,369 Warm SpicySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

51%scent match

Some overlap

Café Cabanel

Teo Cabanel

3.97720 votes

Rank #3,119 Warm SpicyVanilla

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

An Affair takes 4 of 5 categories.

An Affair
Choose it for a warm spicy and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear.
Café Cabanel
Choose it for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

An Affair4/5

Café Cabanel1/5

Ratings & consensus: An Affair
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: An Affair
Sillage & projection: An Affair
Value for money: An Affair
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Café Cabanel

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

An AffairQOT - Question of Time

Café CabanelTeo Cabanel

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.45/ 5 · 22 votes

Have 37%Had 3%Want 60%

3.97/ 5 · 720 votes

Have 26%Had 9%Want 65%

Category winnerAn AffairRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

73%Love

9%Like

9%Ok

9%Dislike

0%Hate

22 votes · too few to score

40%Love

32%Like

16%Ok

11%Dislike

2%Hate

720 votes

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage60

♥ Love / hate86

⏱ Longevity67

〰 Sillage58

♥ Love / hate74

Category winners

LongevityAn Affair

SillageAn Affair

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value73

¤ Price value47

Category winnerAn AffairBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

warm spicy100%

sweet90%

vanilla80%

aromatic70%

rum60%

caramel50%

warm spicy100%

vanilla91%

lactonic83%

cinnamon74%

sweet65%

powdery56%

Scent match51%Some overlap · both warm spicy, vanilla and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Top20-30 mins

CardamomRumCoffee

Heart3-4 hrs

PanettoneCaramelSyrupButterMaple

Base6-8+ hrs

VanillaTonka BeanCedarwoodMusk

Top

CinnamonCoffeeMandarin Orange

Heart

ButterMilkHeliotropeRose

Base

CaramelVanillaTonka BeanSandalwoodMusk

InformationalShared notesCoffee, Caramel, Butter and Vanilla. Durations are only published for An Affair, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring45

Summer18

Fall100

Winter100

Day45

Night100

Spring28

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men17

Unisex67

Women17

Date 37%Casual 26%Party 24%Work 12%

Men7

Unisex57

Women36

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#32,369

PerfumerMark Buxton

Launched—

Reviews2

Overall rank#3,119

PerfumerCécile Zarokian

Launched—

Reviews105

Category winnerCafé CabanelHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

An Affair by QOT smells like warm Italian panettone soaked in spiced rum and freshly pulled espresso. You get an immediate hit of green cardamom that cuts through dense maple syrup and golden caramel. It is sweet without feeling sticky. Melted butter notes give the bakery heart a velvety texture, while cedarwood and d…

Reviews →

Café Cabanel by Teo Cabanel is a gourmand fragrance that skips the typical sugar rush. Created by perfumer Cécile Zarokian, it centers on a buttery, lactonic heart poured over dry cinnamon and orange. It is designed for fall and winter wear, offering a cozy option for cool weather.

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, An Affair or Café Cabanel?

An Affair takes 4 of 5 categories. An Affair is rated 4.45/5 from 22 votes; Café Cabanel is rated 3.97/5 from 720 votes. Choose An Affair for a warm spicy and sweet character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in fall, evening wear. Choose Café Cabanel for a warm spicy and vanilla character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, An Affair or Café Cabanel?

An Affair lasts longest (An Affair 75/100, Café Cabanel 67/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, An Affair or Café Cabanel?

Projection is very close: An Affair 60/100, Café Cabanel 58/100 for sillage.

Do An Affair and Café Cabanel smell similar?

Some overlap: a 51% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, vanilla and sweet accords. Common notes include Coffee, Caramel, Butter and Vanilla.

Is An Affair or Café Cabanel better for summer or winter?

An Affair suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in An Affair and Café Cabanel?

An Affair has top notes of Cardamom, Rum and Coffee, heart notes of Panettone, Caramel, Syrup and Butter, a base of Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Cedarwood and Musk. Café Cabanel has top notes of Cinnamon, Coffee and Mandarin Orange, heart notes of Butter, Milk, Heliotrope and Rose, a base of Caramel, Vanilla, Tonka Bean and Sandalwood.