06/11/2019
FvSpee
249 Reviews
Translated
Show original
FvSpee
Top Review
21
Konvalinka u Nguyenu
In the Czech Republic there is in every small town, almost in every village larger than a hamlet, inevitably and as a permanent institution at least one general store run by a diligent Vietnamese couple. This is usually the only shop that is still open late in the evening, where you can find fruit and vegetables, biscuits and waffles, water and juice, beer and wine, sometimes bread and rohlíky (straight croissants that taste so good for breakfast), and sometimes cheap clothes and household goods
And almost always a basic assortment of drugstore and cosmetic articles. Depending on the personal inclination of the operators and the demand of the local clientele, the fragrances are more or less numerous: There you will find representatives of the dupe manufacturers (La Rive & Co), also known from German drugstores and mail-order companies, as well as the most incredible cheap waters of Asian provenance (but of course with Western presentation), which no perfume catalogue will ever cover.
And with a bit of luck, at least parts of the assortment of the traditional Czech brands Astrid and above all Alpa can be found in between; not only the Franzbrannt wines, but also the Kölnischwässer (kolinská voda) and Rasierwässer (voda po holení). Perhaps also because Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen have become Czech patriots in the meantime, at least the acculturation goes so far that I recently read the company sign "U Nguyenu" (Bei Nguyen) above such a shop, that sounds almost like "U Kalicha" (Zum Kelch), the regular pub of the good soldier Svejk. Anyway, because of that, I was able to get enough new test material during a recent foray to continue my unofficial little "Bohemian series".
The lily of the valley cologne "Konvalinka" is sold (without cardboard packaging) in the simple, functional, very practical and space-saving 50 ml bottles with a small splash opening, which are particularly suitable for travel and which I also find beautiful. The "Alpa" is also used for the excellent "378" aftershave lotion (already commented on by me) and for two sister products, also flower colognes. One of these two sisters, "Fiálka", the violet, I could test on the spot and found her for purchase and comment on fresh sweet-trivial, but for "Konvalinka" I was more than willing to pay the outrageously low price of 25 crowns (no less than 95 Euro-Cnt)
"Konvalinka", who would blame her for this, can offer neither a shelf life of days nor an incredibly complex fragrance development. Even if you are looking for notes of mouldy porcini mushrooms, crumbly toothpaste or tin candlesticks with verdigris, you should rather go to other regions, such as Orange Free State. "Konvalinka" is simply a beautiful, almost beautiful, lily of the valley scent, with a slight twist into the tulipige perhaps. But this lily of the valley, and this is the first surprise, is extremely unsweet, almost bitter, which makes "Konvalinka" almost fall into the category "flowers for guys" (actually my wife likes the scent as much as I do). I can't feel any citric aspects, that's probably not what the term "Kölnischwasser" means, but the fragrance has a refreshing effect. The second surprise, by the way, is the durability, which is quite close to two hours, which I find remarkable for a Cologne of this price class.
In the house of Spee we have recently become real Maiglocken lauterers, from the classic Diorissimo over the niche "Sleeping on the Roof" to the Lehmann-Maiglöckchen "St. Tropez" (there is also another one called only "Maiglöckchen"), and this Konvalinka enriches the small collection very much. And that for now really practically for free.
May all the Nguyens between Litomysl and Litomerice continue to sell vegetables and black beer for a long time and may these original Bohemian scent houses continue to produce unique specimens like these "Konvalinka"! And now that I have written "Konvalika" eight times, you will never forget what "lily of the valley" means in Czech.
And almost always a basic assortment of drugstore and cosmetic articles. Depending on the personal inclination of the operators and the demand of the local clientele, the fragrances are more or less numerous: There you will find representatives of the dupe manufacturers (La Rive & Co), also known from German drugstores and mail-order companies, as well as the most incredible cheap waters of Asian provenance (but of course with Western presentation), which no perfume catalogue will ever cover.
And with a bit of luck, at least parts of the assortment of the traditional Czech brands Astrid and above all Alpa can be found in between; not only the Franzbrannt wines, but also the Kölnischwässer (kolinská voda) and Rasierwässer (voda po holení). Perhaps also because Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen have become Czech patriots in the meantime, at least the acculturation goes so far that I recently read the company sign "U Nguyenu" (Bei Nguyen) above such a shop, that sounds almost like "U Kalicha" (Zum Kelch), the regular pub of the good soldier Svejk. Anyway, because of that, I was able to get enough new test material during a recent foray to continue my unofficial little "Bohemian series".
The lily of the valley cologne "Konvalinka" is sold (without cardboard packaging) in the simple, functional, very practical and space-saving 50 ml bottles with a small splash opening, which are particularly suitable for travel and which I also find beautiful. The "Alpa" is also used for the excellent "378" aftershave lotion (already commented on by me) and for two sister products, also flower colognes. One of these two sisters, "Fiálka", the violet, I could test on the spot and found her for purchase and comment on fresh sweet-trivial, but for "Konvalinka" I was more than willing to pay the outrageously low price of 25 crowns (no less than 95 Euro-Cnt)
"Konvalinka", who would blame her for this, can offer neither a shelf life of days nor an incredibly complex fragrance development. Even if you are looking for notes of mouldy porcini mushrooms, crumbly toothpaste or tin candlesticks with verdigris, you should rather go to other regions, such as Orange Free State. "Konvalinka" is simply a beautiful, almost beautiful, lily of the valley scent, with a slight twist into the tulipige perhaps. But this lily of the valley, and this is the first surprise, is extremely unsweet, almost bitter, which makes "Konvalinka" almost fall into the category "flowers for guys" (actually my wife likes the scent as much as I do). I can't feel any citric aspects, that's probably not what the term "Kölnischwasser" means, but the fragrance has a refreshing effect. The second surprise, by the way, is the durability, which is quite close to two hours, which I find remarkable for a Cologne of this price class.
In the house of Spee we have recently become real Maiglocken lauterers, from the classic Diorissimo over the niche "Sleeping on the Roof" to the Lehmann-Maiglöckchen "St. Tropez" (there is also another one called only "Maiglöckchen"), and this Konvalinka enriches the small collection very much. And that for now really practically for free.
May all the Nguyens between Litomysl and Litomerice continue to sell vegetables and black beer for a long time and may these original Bohemian scent houses continue to produce unique specimens like these "Konvalinka"! And now that I have written "Konvalika" eight times, you will never forget what "lily of the valley" means in Czech.
10 Comments
