Fragrance comparison

Cafe Citadel vs Essence of Patchouli

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 32 ratings analysed

Cafe Citadel

Aurora Scents

4.0929 votes

Rank #11,227 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

3 wins

Essence of Patchouli

The Dua Brand

4.673 votes

Rank #38,264 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essence of Patchouli takes 3 of 4 categories.

Cafe Citadel
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.
Essence of Patchouli
Choose it for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Cafe Citadel1/4

Essence of Patchouli3/4

Ratings & consensus: Not scored
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Essence of Patchouli
Sillage & projection: Essence of Patchouli
Value for money: Essence of Patchouli
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Cafe Citadel

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Cafe CitadelAurora Scents

Essence of PatchouliThe Dua Brand

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.09/ 5 · 29 votes

Have 27%Had 4%Want 69%

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 44%Had 0%Want 56%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

53%Love

32%Like

16%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

19 votes · too few to score

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage74

♥ Love / hate82

⏱ Longevity90

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate92

Category winners

LongevityEssence of Patchouli

SillageEssence of Patchouli

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value72

¤ Price value88

Category winnerEssence of PatchouliBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

amber92%

soft spicy84%

patchouli77%

oud69%

aromatic61%

woody100%

aromatic88%

leather77%

patchouli65%

fresh spicy53%

animalic42%

Scent match43%Some overlap · both woody, aromatic and patchouli

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

Pink PepperBergamotDavana

Heart

AmberOudRosemaryelemiGeranium

Base

PatchouliLeatherCedarwoodVetiverMusk

Notes

PatchouliClearwoodRosemaryLeather

No top / heart / base split published

InformationalShared notesRosemary, Patchouli and Leather. Durations are only published for Essence of Patchouli, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer57

Fall93

Winter93

Day77

Night100

Spring100

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men58

Unisex32

Women11

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#11,227

PerfumerHamid Merati-Kashani

Launched—

Reviews11

Overall rank#38,264

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Category winnerCafe CitadelHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Cafe Citadel is a modern woody spicy scent with a bright pepper and bergamot opening, then a warmer amber, oud, leather and patchouli body. Reviewers describe it as balanced, masculine leaning and easy to wear, with some fruity sweetness and even pineapple or tea impressions despite those notes not being listed. It su…

Reviews →

Essence of Patchouli by The Dua Brand is an earthy Extrait de Parfum centered on raw patchouli and smooth leather. Released in 2020, this fragrance strips away sugary distractions to focus on herbal clarity and dark woodiness. The opening brings an invigorating herbal bite of rosemary oil alongside clean, modern clear…

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, Cafe Citadel or Essence of Patchouli?

Essence of Patchouli takes 3 of 4 categories. Cafe Citadel is rated 4.09/5 from 29 votes; Essence of Patchouli is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes. Choose Cafe Citadel for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear. Choose Essence of Patchouli for a woody and aromatic character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in spring, day or night wear.

Which lasts longer, Cafe Citadel or Essence of Patchouli?

Essence of Patchouli lasts longest (Essence of Patchouli 90/100, Cafe Citadel 82/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cafe Citadel or Essence of Patchouli?

Projection is very close: Essence of Patchouli 75/100, Cafe Citadel 74/100 for sillage.

Do Cafe Citadel and Essence of Patchouli smell similar?

Some overlap: a 43% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share woody, aromatic and patchouli accords. Common notes include Rosemary, Patchouli and Leather.

Is Cafe Citadel or Essence of Patchouli better for summer or winter?

Cafe Citadel suits evening wear; Essence of Patchouli suits day or night wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cafe Citadel and Essence of Patchouli?

Cafe Citadel has top notes of Pink Pepper, Bergamot and Davana, heart notes of Amber, Oud, Rosemary and elemi, a base of Patchouli, Leather, Cedarwood and Vetiver. Essence of Patchouli features Patchouli, Clearwood, Rosemary and Leather.