# Robert Piguet — Casbah > Casbah (2012) is Robert Piguet's incense fragrance, composed by Aurelien Guichard as part of the house's five-piece Nouvelle Collection - a deliberate push beyond Piguet's floral heritage into more mo ## Essence Casbah (2012) is Robert Piguet's incense fragrance, composed by Aurelien Guichard as part of the house's five-piece Nouvelle Collection - a deliberate push beyond Piguet's floral heritage into more modern, often masculine-trending territory. Themed around a magic-carpet ride to Morocco and the souks of Marrakech, Casbah pairs ecclesiastical incense with green, spicy, and woody facets. It is often regarded as a modest classic: natural-smelling, versatile, and inventively green rather than merely extreme incense. ## Scent Profile Casbah is, at heart, a green-spicy incense. The opening is built on the musky, earthy, herbaceous greenness of angelica root - often described as the standout opening note - sparked by black pepper and nutmeg, sometimes reading to wearers as effervescent or even ginger-like. This spice-and-green prelude sits over and around a strong, prominent church-incense (frankincense) accord. The incense is genuinely powerful and ecclesiastical ("house of worship strength"), but the consensus is that the angelica, nutmeg, pepper, and herbal facets keep it from becoming a one-note censer cloud - the incense "works in an orchestra rather than as a soloist." The heart adds orris (iris) and tobacco leaves; Cafleurebon's reviewer specifically singled out the iris-and-tobacco pairing as what made the fragrance special to him. Many wearers also perceive a smooth, semi-sweet leather facet emerging from the blend. The base is cedar and a "salty" vetiver that lend gritty, earthy, woody texture. A frequently cited evolution is a shift from an early "food-y," well-spiced stage (likened to an exotic dish cooking on a hearth) toward a drier, more "churchy" incense in the later development. Reviewers note Casbah is greener, brighter, leathery, and more complex than the typical liturgical incense, with one detecting a subtle, almost antiseptic/medicinal thread (attributed to the angelica and herbs, not to any oud). Notably for the genre, it is essentially un-sweet - "not a sweet bone in its body." ## Performance Performance is generally regarded as a strength, though with some skin-dependent variance. The performance profile is strong: expect roughly 7-10 hours on skin, forceful projection early, and a medium-distance presence after the first couple of hours. On clothing it can last much longer. Several call it one of their longest-lasting fragrances. A dissenting minority reports the opposite - the scent dying within 30 minutes - though other members attribute such reports to olfactory fatigue, given the fragrance's widely acknowledged strength. ## Wearing Context Casbah is framed as an unusually versatile incense, including for people who normally find church incense too literal or somber. The dark, smoky character suits fall, winter, and statement wear, while its airy dry-desert quality also supports daytime and outdoor use. It is firmly unisex, though the incense strength can read intense. It can feel meditative and spiritual or mysterious and sensual depending on the wearer. ## Comparisons & DNA The inescapable comparison is Comme des Garcons Avignon, the benchmark church incense. Casbah is greener, brighter, spicier, more leathery, and more complex, while Avignon is somber and dusty. Heeley Cardinal and Montale Full Incense provide useful contrasts, and within Piguet it connects to the woodier Nouvelle Collection direction of Bois Noir and Oud. ## Reception Reception is strongly positive among incense lovers and Casbah is frequently cited as a genre reference. Now Smell This called it a fine, well-blended incense fragrance, with leather standing out most forcefully, while also questioning its value against other incense options. The iris-tobacco heart is widely praised. Dissent focuses on dustiness, tobacco, spice, a lack of spirituality, or simply relentless incense. ## Versions & Reformulation Casbah is a single Aurelien Guichard composition from the 2012 Nouvelle Collection. There is no documented reformulation of the juice, but the fragrance went out of stock for a period and was later reissued; owners reference both older "white label" and later "black label / red box" bottles. At least one careful owner who compared a late-2023 retail bottle (black label) against older decants reported they smelled the same, suggesting formula consistency across the reissue - though a minority who bought a black-label bottle felt it leaned woodier/drier and less churchy than expected. The brand confirmed to inquiring customers that reissues are driven by quantity/availability rather than a formula change. ## Acquisition Notes Casbah is comparatively accessible for a niche incense: it launched at $150 for 100ml, and current and secondary pricing commonly runs in the roughly $148-$215 range across authorized and discount sellers, sometimes lower on discounters. Because it went out of stock and was reissued, availability has fluctuated; buyers wanting it should grab it when in stock at the brand site or authorized retailers. Given the polarizing incense strength and skin-dependent performance reports, sampling first is sensible - decants and samples are widely available. The Now Smell This value critique still applies: shoppers who already own multiple church-incense fragrances should consider whether Casbah's greener, spicier angle adds something distinct (most incense fans say it does). ## Notable Facts & Lore - Casbah was one of five Guichard fragrances in the 2012 Nouvelle Collection. - Its brief was a Moroccan market imagined through incense and tobacco. - The word kasbah originally denoted a citadel or fortress.