Eau de Cologne Hermès 1979

I generally don't like to comment on beautiful fragrances that have been discontinued, as it carries a certain sadness. Especially not in my Cologne series, because I always imagine someone reading it like a guidebook to orient themselves about Colognes. And what would they gain from information about one that no longer exists.

However, I want to make an exception for this fragrance (as a brief comment) because it is very well-known and greatly missed, and I believe that the Cologne universe would not be complete without this beacon. Fortunately, I have come into possession of a sample, for which I sincerely thank the donor.

Objectively speaking, Hermès' EdC is an overloaded Cologne and, in that respect, a true (preemie) child of the eighties. This applies to both the reading of the fragrance pyramid and the real scent impression.

When you peel away the structure of all the notes, we essentially find a classic Farina Cologne with bergamot, lavender, rosemary, and neroli (the five-note harmony is missing only the lemon, and indeed this EdC is rather mild and soft in comparison to other Colognes, hardly acidic, zesty, or sharp).

But with this Cologne, you have:

a) a thick, hefty powerhouse men's base pulled in as a foundation, with everything the chest-hairy heart desires, from oakmoss to woods to patchouli;

b) doubled the green rosemary effect with basil;

c) enhanced the bergamot freshness in the top note with an extra dose of mint;

d) for the sake of greater complexity and to create a counterbalance to the light summer scent, incorporated a spicy-dirty sparring partner that runs vertically through the fragrance from coriander to patchouli:

e) also tripled the orange part, as if it were the most Portuguese Eau de Portugal in the world ("please add a net of mandarins and a bunch of orange leaves to the neroli") and

f) built a thick, fat bouquet of flowers into the heart (with two of my favorite florals, namely honeysuckle and lily of the valley)

AAAAAND (I have one more!)

g) handed over a basket of exotic fruits (mango + papaya).

This is completely exaggerated and therefore should not work, but it does work, and that is the wonder of this fragrance. It even remains slightly so.

I own "Concentrée d'Orange Verte," the flanker of "Eau d'Orange Verte," which is said to be the successor of the EdC (also visually). The Concentrée is very good; in comparison to this one, it is significantly darker and more austere, but above all, it is much, much less complex than the old EdC.

To this old classic, I throw a bouquet of lily of the valley onto its grave with a touch of nostalgia and bid farewell with 8.5 points, while I will never reveal whether the rating is realistic or if I have resorted to a pious lie so that the esteemed readership, who does not know the fragrance, is less sad.