La Tacita De Cafe Extrait de Parfum Notes and Awards
This article is about La Tacita de Cafe by Day Three Fragrances extrait de parfum, an award-winning fragrance, crowned with the 2023 Art & Olfaction Aftel Award and ScentXplore’s 2024 Best Debut Fragrance Award.
La Tacita de Cafe is a warm, gourmand perfume that blends spiced wild orange with rich coffee, rum, caramel, that settles into a cozy base of brown sugar, amber, vanilla, tonka, amyris, and sandalwood.
Top: Sweet Orange, Spice
Heart: Dominican Coffee, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Rum
Base: Chocolate, Tonka Bean, Amyris
Michael Paul’s Inspiration behind “La Tacita de Cafe”
I remember watching an interview with Michael Paul regarding the inspiration for this perfume, highlighting the relationship between his mother, mother-in-law, and “La Tacita de Cafe” serving as a reminder for both. Similarly, this fragrance reminds me of my complex relationship with my mother: one that is bodied and warm and another that is skin-deep and distant. As I wear “La Tacita de Cafe”, I think of the things I love the most about my culture. The warm steam coming off a spouting greca, the sweetness from a touch of brown sugar and cream, and the love I experience from my mother.
La Tacita de Cafe: My Reflections and Review
My mother’s love is both near and fleeting, similar to wearing “La tacita de Cafe”. The fragrance starts off with an initial burst of spices and citrus, sparking interest and attention to itself, like my mother’s attitude and positivity for life, remaining bright and cheerful despite hardships.
Once it settles, coffee, brown sugar, and vanilla swirl with the top notes, creating a warm and sweet olfactory experience that is similar to the feeling I get when I hug my mother.
As “La tacita de cafe” wears, the fragrance loses intensity, yet the feeling remains the same: tender and sentimental. Similarly, I feel the same warmth from my mother. But now, more-so dimmed, as each note of myself is revealed as time passes on. The base notes of chocolate, tonka, and amyris ground the nostalgic experience of this fragrance into the present. I reflect on the bittersweet journey of this fragrance, weaving together cultural experiences of café y dulces, pleasant memories of my mother, and how now, our incompatibility is pushing us further apart.
Like the ritual of café in Dominican culture, I drink my coffee in the morning, afternoon, and sometimes evening, like how I spray this fragrance for an emotional, physical, and spiritual pick-me-up. While wearing “La Tacita de Cafe” it is close to my skin, intimate, yet fleeting with a wear-time (4-5 hours) that makes me want it to last forever. In the same vein, hoping that who my mother once was would come back: accepting and supportive of my being regardless of the circumstances and the things I cannot change. But much like fragrance, eventually our relationship faded into a distant memory to where I can only enjoy what once was.
La Tacita de Cafe and my Dominican Culture
As a Dominican, I am loud, unapologetic, and proud of culture. I thought about returning this fragrance, conflicted by the wear and intimate projection since I want everyone to smell it! But now, as I reflect on what “La Tacita de Cafe” means to me and the memories it evokes for me when I wear it, I accept the fragrance for what it is, and my mother for who she was, and is, in my life.
What I feel from this fragrance reminds me of the love that I’ve experienced in my lifetime, the warmth and sweetness. Once from my mother who used to remind me of the spice and orange opening. But now the warmth I feel comes from myself, the confident and bold spice, and mí media naranja*, the sparkling citrus that blends with me harmoniously.
“La Tacita de Cafe” has me appreciating things for what they are and people, for who they are despite it all. I still think of my mother from time to time, reminded who she used to be, but no longer hoping for a different person, or outcome.
Closing Thoughts: La Tacita de Cafe and Day Three Fragrances
Thank you, Day Three Fragrances and Michael Paul, for your artistry in perfumery. I never thought a fragrance could make me feel so human and so powerful as a Dominican and coffee lover. Thank you for sharing your stories and fragrances, and I’m excited to smell more soon.
Overall Ranking: La Tacita de Cafe Extrait de Parfum
Perfume Rating System (0-10 Scale): ⭐9.97/10
(0 = very poor, 10 = exceptional)
1. Longevity / Wear Time
How long the fragrance lasts on skin or clothes.
- Poor; Fades within 1-3 hours
- Moderate (4-6 hours) → La Tacita de Cafe lasts longer on my clothes
- Long-lasting (7-10 hours)
- All-day performance (10+ hours)
2. Sillage
How far the scent trails behind you as you move.
- Intimate: Very close to the skin
- Medium trail; noticeable within arm’s length → La Tacita de Cafe leaves a medium trail in the first couple hours, but settles to intimate after 4-5 hours
- Strong; noticeable in a small room
- Beast Mode; Powerful and room-filling
3. Projection
How far the scent pushes outward from your body
- Soft; only noticeable very close → La Tacita de Cafe is moderate for the first 1-2 hours, but settles closer to the skin with longer wear
- Moderate; a few feet of lift
- Strong; easily noticed by others
- Very strong; commanding presence
4. Opening
First impression right after spraying.
- 0-3: Harsh, synthetic, or unbalanced
- 4-6: Pleasant but not memorable
- 7-8: Smooth, engaging, high-quality
- 9-10: Exceptional; immediately captivating → La Tacita de Cafe opens with a burst of spiced orange
5. Dry-Down
How the fragrance smells after settling on the skin.
- 0-3: Flat or unpleasant
- 4-6: Nice but simple
- 7-8: Well-blended and appealing
- 9-10: Beautiful, addictive, and nuanced → La Tacita de Cafe settles into a cozy base of brown sugar, amber, vanilla, tonka, amyris, and sandalwood.
6. Uniqueness
How different it smells compared to other fragrances.
- Truly original → La Tacita de Cafe is an original Dominican coffee fragrance, capturing the nuance and essence of our coffee culture
7. Versatility
How wearable it is across seasons, settings, and occasions.
- La Tacita de Cafe is best for day/night, and fall, winter, and early spring seasons
8. Value
How well the quality matches the price.
- 0-3: Overpriced
- 4-6: Fair value
- 7-8: Good value for quality
- 9-10: Excellent or niche-level value → La Tacita de Cafe is an excellent value for the artistry and originality of the fragrance.
Where to Purchase La Tacita de Cafe
You can purchase La Tacita de Cafe extrait de parfum directly on the Day Three website: Art and Olfaction Award Winner, La Tacita De Cafe – Day Three Fragrances
The above is not an affiliated link, and I do not earn commission.