Fragrance comparison

Tales from Zanzibar vs Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba

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

Updated 26 Oct 2026 912 ratings analysed

4 wins

Tales from Zanzibar

Memoirs Of A Perfume Collector

4.36900 votes

Rank #92 FruityCitrus

Full profile Similar & dupes

46%scent match

Some overlap

Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba

Ulric de Varens

4.4212 votes

Rank #33,541 CitrusGreen

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Tales from Zanzibar takes 4 of 5 categories.

Tales from Zanzibar
Choose it for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring.
Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba
Choose it for a citrus and green character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Tales from Zanzibar4/5

Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba1/5

Ratings & consensus: Tales from Zanzibar
Community sentiment: Not scored
Longevity: Tales from Zanzibar
Sillage & projection: Tales from Zanzibar
Value for money: Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba
Versatility: Not scored
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Tales from Zanzibar

Head-to-head breakdown

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

Fragrance

Tales from ZanzibarMemoirs Of A Perfume Collector

Varens Romance Oh ! CubaUlric de Varens

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.36/ 5 · 900 votes

Have 80%Had 20%Want 0%

4.42/ 5 · 12 votes

Have 26%Had 5%Want 70%

Category winnerTales from ZanzibarRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

64%Love

24%Like

9%Ok

3%Dislike

1%Hate

558 votes

58%Love

33%Like

0%Ok

8%Dislike

0%Hate

12 votes · too few to score

Category winnerNot enough dataMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity82

〰 Sillage72

♥ Love / hate87

⏱ Longevity49

〰 Sillage56

♥ Love / hate85

Category winners

LongevityTales from Zanzibar

SillageTales from Zanzibar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value55

¤ Price value81

Category winnerVarens Romance Oh ! CubaBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

fruity100%

citrus92%

green84%

sweet77%

aromatic69%

tropical61%

citrus100%

green88%

sweet77%

woody65%

floral53%

fresh42%

Scent match46%Some overlap · both citrus, green and sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

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

Top

LimeMintBlood MandarinPink Pepper

Heart

GuavaCassisCoconut

Base

Candied FruitsMuskAmbergrisMossAgarwood (Oud)

Top15-30 mins

Lemon ZestLimeLitsea CubebaSugar

Heart2-3 hrs

Transparent FlowersMintCitronCoconut

Base4-6 hrs

MuskWhite WoodSugar Syrup

InformationalShared notesLime, Mint, Coconut and Musk. Durations are only published for Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring100

Summer0

Fall0

Winter9

Day–

Night–

Spring86

Summer100

Fall29

Winter14

Day100

Night24

Category winnerNot enough dataMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men16

Unisex69

Women15

Men0

Unisex40

Women60

Casual 42%Work 25%Date 18%Party 14%

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#92

PerfumerHarry Sherwood

Launched—

Reviews208

Overall rank#33,541

PerfumerNot listed

Launched—

Reviews3

Category winnerTales from ZanzibarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Tales from Zanzibar by Memoirs Of A Perfume Collector opens with a sharp burst of lime, mint, and blood mandarin that hits like a cold beverage on a hot afternoon. Within minutes, fleshy green guava and creamy coconut dominate the skin, pairing bright tropical fruitiness with a dense coconut background. As it settles,…

Reviews →

Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba opens with a bright blast of sparkling lemon zest, tart lime, and sugary litsea cubeba. It smells remarkably like an iced mojito poured over a slice of warm lemon pound cake. Sweetness leads the charge here. Within twenty minutes, the sharp citrus edges soften into creamy coconut and sheer tra…

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, Tales from Zanzibar or Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba?

Tales from Zanzibar takes 4 of 5 categories. Tales from Zanzibar is rated 4.36/5 from 900 votes; Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba is rated 4.42/5 from 12 votes. Choose Tales from Zanzibar for a fruity and citrus character. Wins on ratings & consensus, longevity and sillage & projection. Best in spring. Choose Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba for a citrus and green character. Wins on value for money. Best in summer, daytime wear.

Which lasts longer, Tales from Zanzibar or Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba?

Tales from Zanzibar lasts longest (Tales from Zanzibar 82/100, Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba 49/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Tales from Zanzibar or Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba?

Tales from Zanzibar projects furthest (Tales from Zanzibar 72/100, Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba 56/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Tales from Zanzibar and Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba smell similar?

Some overlap: a 46% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share citrus, green and sweet accords. Common notes include Lime, Mint, Coconut and Musk.

Is Tales from Zanzibar or Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba better for summer or winter?

Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba suits daytime wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Tales from Zanzibar and Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba?

Tales from Zanzibar has top notes of Lime, Mint, Blood Mandarin and Pink Pepper, heart notes of Guava, Cassis and Coconut, a base of Candied Fruits, Musk, Ambergris and Moss. Varens Romance Oh ! Cuba has top notes of Lemon Zest, Lime, Litsea Cubeba and Sugar, heart notes of Transparent Flowers, Mint, Citron and Coconut, a base of Musk, White Wood and Sugar Syrup.