REVIEW: cuba gold - cuba paris
Resembles le male by jean paul gaultier
It's time for a real budget pick: Cuba Gold by Cuba Paris. This is a knockoff of Le Male, and you can usually find Cuba Gold in stores for under 10 euros. It’s an oriental scent with floral notes and is inspired by Cuban cigars, which you can also see in its cigar-like packaging.
Scent of Cuba Gold
Cuba Gold kicks off with a strong hit of lavender and mint, mixed with vanilla and a hint of cigar soaked in a sugary whisky. Sounds pretty good, right?
Top Notes: pink pepper, grapefruit
Heart Notes: lavender, vetiver
Base Notes: vanilla, amber, tonka bean
The Price
Cuba Gold comes in two sizes: 35 ml and 100 ml. Below are the prices for the 100 ml version. Just remember to check the delivery time and shipping costs, as these can vary depending on the seller.
Opinions online
Cuba Gold has been around for a while, and we expect it to stick around for a bit longer. A lot of people are pretty happy with this budget-friendly knockoff. Not only do they like the price, but they’re also impressed with how closely it resembles Le Male.
Of course, it’s not exactly the same (which would be quite impressive for this price), but many people are positive about it. On YouTube, the channel Stop And Smell shares their thoughts on Cuba Gold in a 6-minute review. They’re pleasantly surprised by the quality of this knockoff and think it’s a great budget-friendly alternative!
YouTuber Scenteno also gives a thumbs up to this budget alternative in a brief review.
On Reddit, users are also happy with Cuba Gold. The longevity might be a bit short, but most people don’t mind that for such a bargain knockoff.
On Parfumo, Cuba Gold scores lower compared to the perfumes we usually review. Specifically, it gets lower marks for longevity, sillage, and the presentation of the bottle. However, it does score excellently in terms of price-quality ratio.
Fragrantica users mostly agree with the above rating. Cuba Gold has an average score of 3.88 out of 5 based on 2,480 votes. On Amazon, the average rating is a bit higher at 4.1.
Our take
Honestly, we bought Cuba Gold just to reach a certain purchase amount and avoid shipping costs. While it’s not exactly a standout for us, it’s a decent knockoff of Le Male. We probably wouldn’t wear it often, mainly because we’re not fans of the lavender-mint combo with vanilla and tobacco. However, it does become a bit more balanced during the dry-down phase, making it somewhat more pleasant.
The longevity isn’t great compared to other perfumes on our site. Cuba Gold starts off strong and projects well, but that fades pretty quickly after an hour. But honestly, it’s not a big deal—just spray a few extra times, and it won’t hurt your wallet.
We also don’t agree with the Parfumo ratings for the bottle design. We bought the 1.2 oz version and actually appreciate the quirky cigar tube packaging.
Is Cuba Gold a good alternative?
Cuba Paris has put out a solid fragrance with Cuba Gold, which bears a lot of resemblance to JPG’s Le Male. Of course, this knockoff is a bit less refined and doesn’t last as long as the pricier original, but for the price difference, it’s a pretty good alternative.
If you don’t mind a more synthetic opening compared to Le Male, and if you like lavender, mint, vanilla, and a hint of tobacco, then Cuba Gold could be a great choice for you. As long as the price stays around or under 10 dollar, it’s definitely worth a try!