Cinnamon fiends delight! With over 53 albums to his credit spanning more than 3 decades, I suppose Mr. Santana has earned the right to have a creative go at anything he likes. Why he should decide to have a go at fragrance is completely beyond me, but I’m glad he did. If this is how Carlos likes to smell, I’d gladly sit next to him any day! Carlos Santana for Men, the first men’s fragrance from the legendary musician, contains notes of bergamot, mandarin, lavender, cinnamon bark, apple, Maja soap accord, sandalwood, cypress wood, cedar, patchouli, musk, leather, benzoin, vanilla, amber, and tonka bean.

The scent opens with a surprisingly tangy citrus accord not unlike a fruit daiquiri, but even as it settles into a warm cinnamon and amber melange, the zesty top notes remain. The base notes are pretty seamlessly blended, so all I can really smell are those top notes set against something sweet and warm. Not a heck of a lot of development…

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