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Cunning Man House of Orpheus 2015

7.6 / 10 11 Ratings

A popular perfume by House of Orpheus for men, released in 2015. The scent is leathery-resinous. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Leathery

Resinous

Spicy

Smoky

Woody

Fragrance Notes

Oud

Myrrh

Oakmoss

Tobacco

Cade juniper Leather

Leather

Oak wood absolute

Perfumer

Marcus R. McCoy

Ratings

Scent

7.611 Ratings

Longevity

6.711 Ratings

Sillage

5.711 Ratings

Bottle

7.614 Ratings

Submitted by ExUser · last update on 03/19/2025.

Source-backed & verified

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Reviews

2 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/19/2025

7.5Scent 8Longevity 5Sillage

Smirky
483 Reviews

Smirky

2

Oak and more Oak

Cunning Man opens with a somewhat acidic or sour accord. A first casual whiff and I thought I detected sour pineapple. Confused me because I didn't remember reading prior that pineapple was in the fragrance pyramid. A few more concentrated sniffs and I realized it wasn't pineapple but sour and sharp oak. If you've ever done any woodworking with red oak, you'll know the smell. As Cunning Man dried down, the oak scent remained but the sourness went away and it became more creamy and smoother. I'd attribute that to the leather, tobacco and myrrh. Overall, a pleasant woody scent that remained focused on oak instead of the usual ceder or oud. A masculine fragrance.

Longevity is good, with it being a quite noticeable skin scent at the 8 hour mark. The sillage though is at the lower end of moderate after the first half hour. Cunning Man creates a tight scent bubble around the wearer.

01/15/2022

8.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

Chizza
362 Reviews

Translated · Show original

Chizza

Top Review 25

Balsamic Soul Enveloped in Darkness

A Cunning Man is a sorcerer, originally in the sense of white magic, that is, useful magic in the form of herbal elixirs and such things. However, over time, this has been classified as morally questionable in clerical terms and associated with black magic, so the designation has become connoted with negative terms. In this initially mentioned spirit, McCoy also sees his fragrance, as the blend of leather and oud plus tobacco is hardly understandable otherwise. A dark power resides in it, and I was once again very curious about what House of Orpheus would present. I am also curious how many followers will drop out this time after an occult-tinged comment.

Cunning Man has an unexpected development. From the very first second, there is spicy tobacco, there is rough leather, slightly green and bitter from the juniper. Perhaps more tobacco smoke perceived by someone who hasn’t picked up a cigarette themselves. Also a cigar rather than a cigarette.
The oud, in any case, tempers the dry nuances of the fragrance; it is not oud that promises a great olfactory journey on its own. But that is not necessary as it makes the fragrance pleasantly moist, giving the tobacco immediate depth. Now one might think that was it, as not much happens for an hour except that the fragrance suddenly is no longer present.

Then Cunning Man returns. This time with gentle-balsamic resins, slightly dirty. The woody notes appear friendly, rich, and subtly marked by myrrh. If one allows oneself to engage with it, the dark notes soon embrace you, a smooth but smoky leather. This note surely comes from the oud, which gradually loses its green facets and smolders moderately. This note gets caught in the leather, which becomes more accessible through the balsamic resins. Paradoxical, diametrically opposed, but brilliant.

I can't criticize much; Cunning Man is great, only the brand-typical, euphemistically described as moderate longevity is bothersome. Of course, a fragrance that quickly becomes intimate is not wrong. The Black Goat was like that too, but still present after ten hours. Cunning Man is no longer there many hours before that. Therefore, I do not reach for it here, although I perceive it olfactorily as excellent. Nevertheless, a beautiful design as the supposedly good magician does not smell too dissimilar to darker fragrances but sets different accents, appearing balsamic-green on a dark foundation. Not like an antagonist, but like a kindred spirit.