Fragrance comparison

Black Widow vs Varens For Men Café Vanille

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 72 ratings analysed

5 wins

Black Widow

The Dua Brand

3.7726 votes

Rank #22,470 WoodyRum

Full profile Similar & dupes

53%scent match

Some overlap

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 Widow takes 5 of 8 categories.

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

Black Widow5/8

Varens For Men Café Vanille3/8

Ratings & consensus: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Community sentiment: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Longevity: Black Widow
Sillage & projection: Black Widow
Value for money: Varens For Men Café Vanille
Versatility: Black Widow
Note pyramid (duration): Black Widow
Fragranxe ranking: Black Widow

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Black WidowThe Dua Brand

Varens For Men Café VanilleUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

3.77/ 5 · 26 votes

Have 65%Had 8%Want 27%

4.07/ 5 · 46 votes

Have 42%Had 6%Want 51%

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

46%Love

23%Like

8%Ok

8%Dislike

15%Hate

26 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

⏱ Longevity84

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate69

⏱ Longevity61

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate77

Category winners

LongevityBlack Widow

SillageBlack Widow

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value74

¤ Price value87

Category winnerVarens For Men Café VanilleBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

rum92%

warm spicy84%

powdery77%

sweet69%

almond61%

warm spicy100%

coffee92%

woody84%

vanilla77%

rum69%

sweet61%

Scent match53%Some overlap · both woody, warm spicy and rum

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

RumDark ChocolateHeliotropeCaramelSandalwoodVetiverAlmondCoffeeSugar Cane

No top / heart / base split published

Top15-30 mins

CoffeeRumBergamot

Heart2-3 hrs

SandalwoodLavender

Base5-7 hrs

TonkaVanillaVetiverMusk

Category winnerBlack WidowLongest dry-down: 8-12+ hrs

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring17

Summer0

Fall94

Winter100

Day19

Night100

Spring32

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day53

Night100

Category winnerBlack WidowMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men67

Unisex22

Women11

Date 41%Party 32%Casual 16%Work 12%

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#22,470

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews6

Overall rank#26,434

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews2

Category winnerBlack WidowHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

The Dua Brand Black Widow is an unapologetic, decadent gourmand that wraps dark rum, bitter black coffee, and melted dark chocolate around a spine of smoky vetiver. Released in 2017 as an Extrait de Parfum, it announces itself with an oily, boozy punch that instantly commands attention. The sweetness is thick and rich…

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 Widow or Varens For Men Café Vanille?

Black Widow takes 5 of 8 categories. Black Widow is rated 3.77/5 from 26 votes; Varens For Men Café Vanille is rated 4.07/5 from 46 votes. Choose Black Widow for a woody and rum character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and versatility. Best in winter, evening wear. Choose Varens For Men Café Vanille for a warm spicy and coffee character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

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

Black Widow lasts longest (Black Widow 84/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 61/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Black Widow projects furthest (Black Widow 72/100, Varens For Men Café Vanille 56/100), based on community performance votes.

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

Some overlap: a 53% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, warm spicy and rum accords. Common notes include Rum, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Coffee.

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

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

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

Black Widow features Rum, Dark Chocolate, Heliotrope, Caramel and Sandalwood. 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.