Fragrance comparison

Essence of Patchouli vs Cafe Citadel

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

Updated 30 Oct 2026 32 ratings analysed

3 wins

Essence of Patchouli

The Dua Brand

4.673 votes

Rank #38,264 WoodyAromatic

Full profile Similar & dupes

43%scent match

Some overlap

Cafe Citadel

Aurora Scents

4.0929 votes

Rank #11,227 WoodyAmber

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Essence of Patchouli takes 3 of 4 categories.

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 Citadel
Choose it for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.

Essence of Patchouli3/4

Cafe Citadel1/4

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

Essence of PatchouliThe Dua Brand

Cafe CitadelAurora Scents

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.67/ 5 · 3 votes

Have 44%Had 0%Want 56%

4.09/ 5 · 29 votes

Have 27%Had 4%Want 69%

Category winnerNot enough dataRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

67%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

3 votes · too few to score

53%Love

32%Like

16%Ok

0%Dislike

0%Hate

19 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity90

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate92

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage74

♥ Love / hate82

Category winners

LongevityEssence of Patchouli

SillageEssence of Patchouli

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value88

¤ Price value72

Category winnerEssence of PatchouliBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

woody100%

aromatic88%

leather77%

patchouli65%

fresh spicy53%

animalic42%

woody100%

amber92%

soft spicy84%

patchouli77%

oud69%

aromatic61%

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

Notes

PatchouliClearwoodRosemaryLeather

No top / heart / base split published

Top

Pink PepperBergamotDavana

Heart

AmberOudRosemaryelemiGeranium

Base

PatchouliLeatherCedarwoodVetiverMusk

InformationalShared notesPatchouli, Rosemary 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

Summer50

Fall100

Winter100

Day100

Night100

Spring100

Summer57

Fall93

Winter93

Day77

Night100

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men100

Unisex0

Women0

Men58

Unisex32

Women11

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#38,264

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews1

Overall rank#11,227

PerfumerHamid Merati-Kashani

Launched—

Reviews11

Category winnerCafe CitadelHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

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 →

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 →

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, Essence of Patchouli or Cafe Citadel?

Essence of Patchouli takes 3 of 4 categories. Essence of Patchouli is rated 4.67/5 from 3 votes; Cafe Citadel is rated 4.09/5 from 29 votes. 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. Choose Cafe Citadel for a woody and amber character. Wins on fragranxe ranking. Best in spring, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Essence of Patchouli or Cafe Citadel?

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

Which projects more, Essence of Patchouli or Cafe Citadel?

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

Do Essence of Patchouli and Cafe Citadel smell similar?

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

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

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

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

Essence of Patchouli features Patchouli, Clearwood, Rosemary and Leather. 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.