Rasasi Hawas for Him is the Dubai house’s eau de parfum for men, launched in 2015 in the grey bottle with a python wrapped around the cap. This is the original men’s version, not one of the newer flankers.

Bergamot, apple, lemon and cinnamon open it. The heart is orange blossom, cardamom and plum. Patchouli, grey amber, drift-wood and musk sit in the base.

Two things stand out. First, the family. Hawas is sold as fruity aquatic, yet no water or marine note is named anywhere in the pyramid. The aquatic feel has to come from the combination around it, the bright citrus and apple up top and the drift-wood and grey amber at the bottom, which together read clean and slightly salty. Second, the spice. Cinnamon in a top note is unusual for a fresh scent, and cardamom follows it straight into the heart, so there are two warm spices sitting inside what most people think of as a cool, blue fragrance. That is the trick. The spice keeps it from smelling like a shower gel, and the plum and patchouli give it more body than a typical summer scent. No oud, no leather and no vanilla are listed, so do not expect a heavy Arabic perfume for men. It is fresh first, warm second.