Gourmand familyBase note
Tonka bean
Tonka bean is a base note from the gourmand family: warm, nutty, almond-and-hay sweetness that rounds out the base and reads as soft amber.
- 01Family
- Gourmand
- 02Pyramid
- Base
- 03Best seasons
- Autumn, Winter
- 04Type
- Note
What does tonka bean smell like?
Tonka bean: warm, nutty, almond-and-hay sweetness that rounds out the base and reads as soft amber.
From our page: Gourmand fragrance familyVanilla, tonka, caramel and coffee, worn close and warm.
Tonka bean is also named among the defining notes of the aromatic family.
Is tonka bean a top, heart or base note?
Tonka bean is a base note.
- Top15 minutes to 2 hours
- HeartHour 1 to hour 5
- Base4 to 12+ hours
Tonka bean is one of the gourmand materials the notes pyramid places in the base, with vanilla and cocoa.
From our page: Top, Middle, Base: How the Notes Pyramid Actually WorksBase notes are the memory: they are what lingers on a coat hours after you took it off.
From our page: Top, Middle, Base: How the Notes Pyramid Actually WorksWhat does tonka bean pair with?
In the aromatic family, tonka bean is the warm, soft, vanillic counterpoint to the cool herbs.
Named partners
Also in the gourmand family
The gourmand family bridges to
Read more about tonka bean
ScienceTop, Middle, Base: How the Notes Pyramid Actually WorksThe fragrance notes pyramid explained: what top, middle and base notes are, why perfume opens bright and dries down warm, and how to read a pyramid.
DiscoveryBest Winter Cologne for Men: 20 Picks (2026)The best winter perfume for men: 20 woody, leather, spicy and gourmand picks, from Spicebomb Extreme and Tuscan Leather to Jazz Club and La Nuit de L'Homme.
Find the perfumes built around tonka bean.
Fragnatique reads every perfume down to its notes and scores it against your own taste, with the reason behind each match written out. Start from a note you love and let the app do the narrowing.