Fragrance comparison

Black Phantom vs Varens For Men Café Vanille

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 10,922 ratings analysed

4 wins

Black Phantom

By Kilian · 2017

4.0210,876 votes

Rank #864 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

58%scent match

Closely related

Varens For Men Café Vanille

Ulric de Varens

4.0746 votes

Rank #26,434 Warm SpicyCoffee

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Black Phantom takes 4 of 7 categories.

Black Phantom
Choose it for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter.
Varens For Men Café Vanille
Choose it for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.

Black Phantom4/7

Varens For Men Café Vanille3/7

Ratings & consensus: Black Phantom
Community sentiment: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Longevity: Black Phantom
Sillage & projection: Black Phantom
Value for money: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Versatility: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Black Phantom

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Black PhantomBy Kilian

Varens For Men Café VanilleUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.02/ 5 · 10,876 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.07/ 5 · 46 votes

Have 42%Had 6%Want 51%

Category winnerBlack PhantomRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

50%Love

26%Like

10%Ok

10%Dislike

4%Hate

9,308 votes

39%Love

37%Like

20%Ok

0%Dislike

4%Hate

46 votes

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity78

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate78

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityBlack Phantom

SillageBlack Phantom

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value35

¤ Price value87

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

warm spicy91%

caramel69%

coffee67%

chocolate66%

rum64%

warm spicy100%

coffee92%

woody84%

vanilla77%

rum69%

sweet61%

Scent match58%Closely related · both warm spicy, sweet and coffee

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Rum

Heart

Dark ChocolateCoffeeAlmondHeliotrope

Base

CaramelSugar CaneSandalwoodVanillaTonkaVetiver

Top15-30 mins

CoffeeRumBergamot

Heart2-3 hrs

SandalwoodLavender

Base5-7 hrs

TonkaVanillaVetiverMusk

InformationalShared notesRum, Coffee, Sandalwood and Vanilla. Durations are only published for Varens For Men Café Vanille, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring21

Summer10

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring32

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day53

Night100

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men40

Unisex50

Women10

Men41

Unisex47

Women12

Date 35%Casual 32%Work 19%Party 15%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#864

PerfumerSidonie Lancesseur

Launched2017

Reviews682

Overall rank#26,434

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerBlack PhantomHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Black Phantom is a dark, boozy gourmand that centers on a rich combination of rum, dark chocolate, and roasted coffee. Launched in 2017, this unisex scent leans into a deep, resinous sweetness that performs best in colder weather. It offers a sophisticated alternative for those seeking a bold, long-lasting profile tha…

Reviews →

Varens For Men Café Vanille by Ulric de Varens brings dark roast coffee and spiced rum straight to the counter. The opening skips airy citrus almost immediately. A rich swirl of dark roasted coffee beans mingles with boozy rum and creamy sandalwood across the first hour of wear. It never feels thin. Sweet tonka bean a…

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, Black Phantom or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

Black Phantom takes 4 of 7 categories. Black Phantom is rated 4.02/5 from 10,876 votes; Varens For Men Café Vanille is rated 4.07/5 from 46 votes. Choose Black Phantom for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in winter. Choose Varens For Men Café Vanille for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on community sentiment, value for money and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Black Phantom or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

Black Phantom lasts longest (Black Phantom 78/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 61/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Black Phantom or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

Black Phantom projects furthest (Black Phantom 66/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Black Phantom and Varens For Men Café Vanille smell similar?

Closely related: a 58% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share warm spicy, sweet and coffee accords. Common notes include Rum, Coffee, Sandalwood and Vanilla.

Is Black Phantom or Varens For Men Café Vanille better for summer or winter?

For summer, Black Phantom is the stronger pick. For winter, Black Phantom is the stronger pick. Varens For Men Café Vanille suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Black Phantom and Varens For Men Café Vanille?

Black Phantom has top notes of Rum, heart notes of Dark Chocolate, Coffee, Almond and Heliotrope, a base of Caramel, Sugar Cane, Sandalwood and Vanilla. Varens For Men Café Vanille has top notes of Coffee, Rum and Bergamot, heart notes of Sandalwood and Lavender, a base of Tonka, Vanilla, Vetiver and Musk.