Fragrance comparison

Hermessence Ambre Narguile vs Il Capriccio del Maestro

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

Updated 20 Oct 2026 5,189 ratings analysed

5 wins

Hermessence Ambre Narguile

Hermès · 2004

4.314,953 votes

Rank #182 SweetWarm Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

82%scent match

Very similar

Il Capriccio del Maestro

Nobile 1942

4.33236 votes

Rank #8,186 Warm SpicySweet

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Hermessence Ambre Narguile takes 5 of 7 categories.

Hermessence Ambre Narguile
Choose it for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter.
Il Capriccio del Maestro
Choose it for a warm spicy and sweet character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Hermessence Ambre Narguile5/7

Il Capriccio del Maestro2/7

Ratings & consensus: Hermessence Ambre Narguile
Community sentiment: Hermessence Ambre Narguile
Longevity: Hermessence Ambre Narguile
Sillage & projection: Il Capriccio del Maestro
Value for money: Il Capriccio del Maestro
Versatility: Hermessence Ambre Narguile
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Hermessence Ambre Narguile

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Hermessence Ambre NarguileHermès

Il Capriccio del MaestroNobile 1942

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.31/ 5 · 4,953 votes

Have 76%Had 24%Want 0%

4.33/ 5 · 236 votes

Have 29%Had 8%Want 63%

Category winnerHermessence Ambre NarguileRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

58%Love

32%Like

4%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

3,973 votes

51%Love

37%Like

7%Ok

5%Dislike

0%Hate

236 votes

Category winnerHermessence Ambre NarguileMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity75

〰 Sillage65

♥ Love / hate86

⏱ Longevity73

〰 Sillage66

♥ Love / hate83

Category winners

LongevityHermessence Ambre Narguile

SillageIl Capriccio del Maestro

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value39

¤ Price value46

Category winnerIl Capriccio del MaestroBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

sweet100%

warm spicy92%

vanilla84%

cinnamon77%

amber69%

honey61%

warm spicy100%

sweet92%

vanilla84%

honey77%

cinnamon69%

amber61%

Scent match82%Very similar · both sweet, warm spicy and vanilla

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Notes

CinnamonHoneyRumCaramelTonka BeanVanillaBenzoinTobaccoLabdanumCoumarinSesameMusk

No top / heart / base split published

Top

RumCinnamonSpicesOrchid

Heart

HoneyTobaccoTonka BeanBenzoin

Base

VanillaPatchouliCoumarinLabdanumWhite Musk

InformationalShared notesCinnamon, Honey, Rum and Tonka Bean. Note durations are not published for these fragrances, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring25

Summer14

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Spring26

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day–

Night–

Category winnerHermessence Ambre NarguileMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men14

Unisex59

Women27

Men24

Unisex59

Women18

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#182

PerfumerJean-Claude Ellena

Launched2004

Reviews459

Overall rank#8,186

PerfumerMichelle Moellhausen

Launched—

Reviews7

Category winnerHermessence Ambre NarguileHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Hermessence Ambre Narguile by Hermès smells like a warm, freshly baked apple tart pulled straight from the oven on a frosty evening. The scent opens with a lively splash of dark rum, sweet cinnamon spice, and golden honeycomb, creating a cozy aroma that instantly makes your mouth water. As it rests on your skin, the i…

Reviews →

Nobile 1942 Il Capriccio del Maestro pours out a thick wave of dark rum, sharp cinnamon, and bitter clove right from the sprayer. As the initial booze settles, sticky raw honey fuses with sweet pipe tobacco and warm tonka bean. The base thickens on skin with dark vanilla pod, resinous benzoin, and dry patchouli. It fe…

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, Hermessence Ambre Narguile or Il Capriccio del Maestro?

Hermessence Ambre Narguile takes 5 of 7 categories. Hermessence Ambre Narguile is rated 4.31/5 from 4,953 votes; Il Capriccio del Maestro is rated 4.33/5 from 236 votes. Choose Hermessence Ambre Narguile for a sweet and warm spicy character. Wins on ratings & consensus, community sentiment and longevity. Best in winter. Choose Il Capriccio del Maestro for a warm spicy and sweet character. Wins on sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter.

Which lasts longer, Hermessence Ambre Narguile or Il Capriccio del Maestro?

They last about the same: Hermessence Ambre Narguile 75/100, Il Capriccio del Maestro 73/100 for longevity in community votes.

Which projects more, Hermessence Ambre Narguile or Il Capriccio del Maestro?

Projection is very close: Il Capriccio del Maestro 66/100, Hermessence Ambre Narguile 65/100 for sillage.

Do Hermessence Ambre Narguile and Il Capriccio del Maestro smell similar?

Very similar: a 82% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet, warm spicy and vanilla accords. Common notes include Cinnamon, Honey, Rum and Tonka Bean.

Is Hermessence Ambre Narguile or Il Capriccio del Maestro better for summer or winter?

For summer, Hermessence Ambre Narguile is the stronger pick. For winter, Hermessence Ambre Narguile is the stronger pick. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Hermessence Ambre Narguile and Il Capriccio del Maestro?

Hermessence Ambre Narguile features Cinnamon, Honey, Rum, Caramel and Tonka Bean. Il Capriccio del Maestro has top notes of Rum, Cinnamon, Spices and Orchid, heart notes of Honey, Tobacco, Tonka Bean and Benzoin, a base of Vanilla, Patchouli, Coumarin and Labdanum.