Hot Water Night Davidoff 2012

Currently, I am quite sick. What could be worse for a fragrance lover? The samples I’ve swapped are piling up to the ceiling, and I am suffering terribly. At the same time, I had also ordered a bottle (with a size of over 100 ml, one must rather speak of a flask) of Hat Water Night after it was exuberantly celebrated here on Parfumo and shot up from 0 to 3 in the TOP 100, only to crash back down just as quickly. At a price still under 20 euros, you really can’t go wrong with a blind purchase.

My experiences with Davidoff fragrances mostly date back a long time. It all started with the gray original Davidoff, which was my father's signature scent and therefore holds a very special significance for me to this day.

Then there was Zino, which my father-in-law preferred and which I also liked for a long time, until the scent note became too common because it was used in every second deodorant and room spray.

For a while, I was indeed also enthusiastic about Cool Water after I realized that it is a scent twin of Green Irish Tweed by Creed. Anyone who claims to be able to smell the differences distinctly should try a detailed blind test. I conducted one among acquaintances, and only those who know both scents extremely well can really distinguish them at first sniff.

And then the series ended... After these three controversial yet expertly composed, groundbreaking scents, only mediocre offerings followed.

Like many other fashion and lifestyle brands, Davidoff has increasingly relied on quickly mixed mass-produced fragrances since the 90s, designed for one season and ending up on the bargain tables of large perfumeries and department stores the following year. Apparently, this concept is more or less successful, as it is about quick impulse buys in men's perfumery, targeting not a discerning but rather an indifferent clientele that, with little experience in fragrances, opts for coarser olfactory stimuli. I suspect something similar applies to the manufacturer’s latest creation, The Game.

I still believe that people who have engaged more deeply with quality fragrances from houses like Caron, Guerlain, Trumper, or Chanel can only moderately appreciate the aforementioned mass-produced items from Davidoff, Boss, Bogner, etc. This does not detract from one or another scent from such a range, but rather from the fundamental concept of the seasonal fragrance, which is quickly composed, quickly bought, and quickly forgotten. I prefer to stick to tried-and-true classics like Habit Rouge, the various legendary vetivers, Molinard Madrigal, Eau Sauvage, Pour and Homme by Caron, or Chanel's pour Monsieur.

So I was all the more curious about Hot Water Night after the good reviews and mentions of affordable offers piled up.

Back to the beginning: A few days ago, I could hardly smell anything due to my illness. My nose was so congested that any attempt to perceive a scent in detail was doomed to fail. Indifferent yet curious, I sprayed Hot Water Night on my skin, expecting not to be able to distinguish much. However, that was a grave mistake. I could still perceive the scent even after stepping into the shower: the longevity is simply breathtaking - and that should be taken literally. More than one or two sprays are, in my opinion, not advisable. The sillage is not quite overwhelming, but still strong enough that sensitive individuals or partners may be driven out of the same room.

Nevertheless: The scent is not bad. Now that my nose is relatively clear again and I have tested reference scents to confirm that I can smell normally again, I ventured to try Hot Water Night once more.

The scent is indeed quite artificial-synthetic; individual components listed in the fragrance pyramid are difficult to distinguish. If other components were mentioned: One could believe it or not.

For me, distinguishable is the juniper berry (or whatever smells like this in the fragrance), which also appears in The Game, thus creating a certain kinship between these two scents. The rose is also well recognizable and provides a certain fruity-floral undertone that is not unpleasant but should be more subtle to truly convince.

The question of whether this fragrance actually contains something like oud, cedarwood, or pepper does not really arise. Ultimately, the components are indistinguishable, a synthetic mixture similar to that found in deodorant sprays and room fragrances, where no one really questions what is contained individually; it simply aims to create a somewhat harmonious blend that is distinctive enough to mask other odors.

In this sense, Hot Water Night may be the ideal fragrance for pubescent boys who can handle a stronger base scent, but for more mature gentlemen (and I count myself among them), it is probably less suitable.

What do I do now with this fragrance?

Spontaneously, I was reminded of the famous line from medicine advertisements:
On risks and side effects, read the package insert and ask your doctor or pharmacist. Hot Water Night is not a placebo. It works, and quite powerfully. And it is definitely worth the money. On the other hand, the side effects are a bit too intense for me.

So what does the doctor (or the pharmacist) recommend?

Take the bottle and place it in the bathroom of your 14- and 17-year-old sons. They have an affordable means to impress the girls in their class, and that does not go against the taste of (male or female) teenagers. Because with Hot Water Night, they have certainly chosen one of the best fragrances from the discounted goods shelf.

At least for those over 30, a warning before overly intense use applies:
On risks and side effects, read the package insert and ask your doctor or pharmacist.

When a Davidoff fragrance storms into the Top 5 of the Parfumo men's ranking, it naturally creates a stir and indicates surprise, suggesting that there must finally be quality again. I have enjoyed every additional comment over the past few days, even though my expectations have been somewhat tempered. After reformulations of their classics (I still love Cool Water and Zino!) and extremely weak new releases like The Game or Champion, good quality was not necessarily to be expected, but I am all the more pleased. My assessment is not as euphoric as the bottom comments, but better than the recent ratings.

I like Hot Water Night, but it is not on the classic level; however, it is better than the regular Hot Water. The Night version is much rounder, silkier, gentler, and rockier at the same time. It is smoky, a gray leather jacket after a concert or a stylish bar tour fits quite well. It has modern elements and also something of classics like L'Instants by Guerlain and occasionally even a hint of Habit Rouge. A very nice, intense, dark, mysterious blend with a warm, sympathetic core. Hopefully, Davidoff will build on this and stay committed. The only slight to medium synthetic quality of the oud and ambers reminds one of bad habits, but given the incredible price, it is expected and forgivable. I also don’t find it overly artificial and am satisfied with the blind purchase. I want to highlight the peppery berry at the start, mixed with an artificial oud-patchouli-amber blend, which together creates a significant contrast between red and black and, despite the artificiality, comes across as pleasant and cool. Here, Hot Water finally lives up to its name!

Clearly, this is more of a fragrance for cold days and evenings, which unfortunately still persist. Therefore, I will definitely wear it in the coming days. It is a good complement to Zino and the absolute value-for-money winner. For all teenagers who only know Cool Water by Davidoff, definitely give it a try and venture into the rougher, 3-day stubble direction; it will surely appeal to the ladies and is unusual for your age without being old-fashioned.

The bottle is great and elegant, very fitting for the fragrance, oversized at 110 ml, and fits well in the hand. Here too, the original is topped. The sillage holds up even at rock concerts amidst the sweaty hustle and bustle and is powerful with a deep bass. Davidoff has also delivered exactly what you need when wearing a fragrance for going out in stuffy rooms. It holds up bravely for a full 8 hours!

A successful blend of LIDGE and Zino and a significant development of the regular Hot Water. While it may not necessarily belong in every collection or the Top 100, it is a good going-out fragrance, and you rarely notice its bargain price!

No question, cheap does not mean low quality and expensive does not automatically mean high quality. No perfume lover whose horizons extend beyond A for Armani should drift into these elitist spheres. There are plenty of examples for both cases. Good remains good. Ideally, you get the best fragrance quality for little money.

According to the opinion of quite a few, this is the case with Davidoff's "Hot Water Night." Why not? While regular hot water has vegetables and herbs simmered sweetly on low heat, this offshoot is supposed to be dry-spicy and, more importantly, significantly better.

It is immediately noticeable that it is different, in night mode. The ingredients read quite well, almost luxurious. Not only amber, it is also gray. Or oud, yes, even the noble agarwood is supposed to hide in the bottle, and all of this is still very affordable.

One thing is clear. You probably can't expect natural oud here, even though one should say goodbye to idealistic fragrance romanticism anyway. Pure nature is virtually non-existent, synthetic substances are truly not a bad thing, usually making up at least 50 percent of the composition, and that does not make anything inferior. However, there are also price and quality differences in artificial art.

Also, saying this doesn't mean much. "Sculpture Homme" is probably a synthetic bomb, but damn sharp, the chemical ingredients interact or harmonize wonderfully. Here, the price-performance ratio is close to its peak. However, with "Hot Water Night," one should keep the church in the village.

The top note is really not bad; something comes to the fore that works very well when properly placed in a fragrance, namely juniper berry. This dry spiciness is quite convincing. Pepper adds even more sharpness, but not in an exaggerated sense. However, it doesn't take long for the disillusionment to set in. Or the hangover after the gin.

This chic cedarwood or oud/gray amber base on paper lets it seep through relatively clearly, which is not surprising given the price. Pure chemistry, and here we are back to the topic. This is not reprehensible, but somehow or somewhere, savings must have been made here. The synthetic aftertaste in the Axe deodorant style clearly reveals where.

Seen this way, there is an interesting idea, but it fails due to an implementation for which the highest quality means were not available. The price does not fundamentally make anything worse or better. Davidoff's "Hot Water Night" is an average fragrance, even if it appears more attractive due to the price-performance ratio.

I swapped this fragrance in the souk for "Dylan Blue" by Versace (thanks to @Berkantist). Why, you may ask, but I want to bring a bit more clarity to my collection. In the sense that there are fragrances like DB that I do like (or should like), but they feature a note that makes them practically unbearable for me. Fortunately, that is not the case with "Hot Water Night," although the swap did involve a certain risk. But you know: No risk, no fun! ;-)

Like many others here, I am a big fan of the old Davidoff heavyweights from "Cool Water" to "Relax" to "Good Life," of which only the first has stood the test of time. Later on, there was hardly anything interesting for me, similar to Jil Sander, Gucci, Calvin Klein, or YSL. However, just based on the listed fragrance notes, HWN piqued my curiosity, especially since I am not really an oud fan, rarely do without a citrus note, and prefer vetiver fragrances.

In that respect, HWN indeed stands out from the crowd, without being sharp on the nose! ;-) Oud is clearly perceptible from the start but does not have that oriental heaviness like other representatives of this fragrance category. The top note is surprisingly fresh, likely thanks to the pepper, which I would not have expected at all. Only with a lot of imagination can I manage to detect something smoky and leathery, as some of my predecessors here have mentioned. This may be because I am currently in a sort of incense-patchouli phase, and other candidates are much more intense in that regard! ;-) However: If at all, that only comes after one to two hours... and I keep noticing: The name and advertising always influence the evaluation, from which I cannot completely absolve myself.

From the top to the base, HWN is enveloped by a rose - a note that I don't particularly like on its own, but it gives this fragrance a certain playfulness and grace. All in all, HWN is a successful creation from Davidoff for me and is by no means as wintry as it is categorized here. A clear recommendation for perfume lovers like me who do not particularly like oriental fragrances but still appreciate versatility and originality on the perfume shelf. A bit like Pearl Jam recording a jazz album or Tarantino directing a love film! ;-)

...with a 3-day stubble is on his way out into the night for the next gig.

It's early evening, he slowly gets up, knowing that a performance awaits him in the evening, just like the day before. He jumps in the shower, completely free from all constraints, and mentally goes through the setlist for the concert. After 5 minutes in the shower, he dries off, puts on his tight boxers, his black ribbed tank top, along with black skinny jeans and his black fitted shirt, then slips into his black slip-ons, throws on the leather jacket, and heads out of the apartment....Wait!! He applies a perfume that lasts through the night and complements his look and demeanor...Hot Water Night it must be!! 3 sprays are enough. One on the neck and one on each arm. The guys from the band are already waiting at the door, and he jumps into the old band bus.
The band members notice a strong, intense, and woody scent with a strong pepper note and ask which woman he is trying to impress with his fragrance today.
On the way to the club, the very strong woody scent fades into the background and makes way for a soft woody note with a subtle hint of rose. Now the romance slowly comes through, and this fits perfectly with their arrival at the club. The soundcheck is on, just a quick beer opened and a cigarette smoked. This mix also easily survives Hot Water Night.
It's time to hit the stage, where fans of refined rock music are already waiting. In the front row, as expected, a large number of women gather. The band starts playing, and the frontman in his leather jacket positions himself in front of the first monitor on stage. A light gust of air from the air conditioning blows past him towards the audience, carrying the singer's woody scent towards them...the first chords are struck, and his warm and masculine voice resonates with the audience.

2 hours later, the concert is over, but the fragrance's endurance is far from finished. Despite the movement on stage, the rocker consistently smells of this wonderful long-lasting perfume, which never comes off as sticky or forced, but simply authentic.

It definitely fits the budget, as you can't go wrong with 110 ml for €39 at Müller. You get a wonderful, authentic scent. Sure, the wheel isn't being reinvented, but it has been perfected.