Davidoff Davidoff 1984 Eau de Toilette

Memories of childhood are often very clear, as if it were yesterday. Even very elderly people know this. Sometimes, however, the memories are blurred, as if one were looking through a frosted glass pane and could no longer recognize the details. This is especially true for memories that are very far back. Often, however, there are also events that seemed important to us at the time, but which have been pushed to the lower end of the significance scale over the years. It is remarkable, though, that we like to remember small everyday experiences, like drinking Sunday coffee in the morning, a walk through stubble fields (do children today still know the feeling of walking through stubble fields?), or flying a kite in the autumn.

At some point, I realized that even these seemingly everyday, insignificant memories are often associated with scents. I associate Sunday with the smell of fresh coffee, the stubble fields smell of earth and straw in my memory, and flying a kite brings to mind the fresh air, the wind carrying the scent of rain.

In everyday life, my father often used only an aftershave. That was not unusual in his generation. Most men would probably have considered it inappropriate to use an expensive fragrance all the time. During my childhood, however, "Russian Leather" by Farina was in use. The scent is as old as I am (born in '67) and thus accompanied me through the early years of my childhood.

After a few years, my father preferred to use a more expensive fragrance on certain occasions, which included Sundays or dining out at a restaurant. After some testing and frequent changes, he discovered the classic Davidoff in 1984 - and this accompanied him throughout his life.

So I think, when I think of Sundays, vacations, family outings with my father, I inevitably always think of this scent. The beauty of it, however, is that this scent is not only associated with everyday memories but also with beautiful shared experiences, and therefore evokes less melancholic feelings in me than Russian Leather.

With Davidoff's first and best fragrance, I am convinced not only by the charm of the memory. Ultimately, it is the scent itself that speaks for itself and is able to convince. Unfortunately, I only possess an old bottle, as the fragrance has not been produced for a long time. It came into my possession after my father's death and has been rarely used, as it contains only a small residue of the scent. It is a bit like what remains of a person when they have passed away. Much has gone, and yet something remains that one wants to keep and not let go of.

The opening is lightly citrusy, but from the very beginning also contains components of herbs. It is admirable how the perfumers have managed to maintain the balance between citrus and herbal components. Most men's fragrances tend to lean strongly in one direction or the other. Davidoff, however, remains balanced, harmonious, and yet strong.

The same applies to the heart note. Here, cumin is quite dominant, easily discernible, but it does not come across as sharp or harsh, as it is balanced and cushioned by the floral components. Here too, the impression of great harmony remains, a balance between stricter and softer components - as a scented idea of masculinity.

The base contains the fragrance ingredient that, for me, almost goes without saying in a good men's scent, yet due to its allergenic properties, now only appears in the form of synthetic substitutes in fragrances: oakmoss. This could also be the reason why this extraordinary, incomparable scent is no longer produced. Perhaps it will still be possible to present an adequate successor, similar to Jil Sanders Man Pure from the '80s. It deserves it.

The only men's fragrance on the market that reminds me a bit of Davidoff's first is Geo F. Trump's Astor. Even older than Davidoff, perhaps the founder of the fragrance family of colognes with the scent profile of lemon - herbs - cumin - moss, it has unfortunately always remained a somewhat overlooked exotic.

Until the very end, a soft leather note remains, with which the fragrance then slowly, very slowly, bids farewell.

The memories fade and blur.