Joop! Homme Absolute Joop! 2019

This fragrance requires time. A lot of time. Not the scent needs the time, but the wearer. If you take this time, Joop Homme Absolute takes you on a journey around the world.

I have read in many comments that the scent does not change throughout the day, but that is not true. It changes very quietly, almost subtly, and yet, if you take the time, you will notice the transformation.

Right after application (you should spray generously), it comes on strong, smoky, rough, almost a bit salty. The first stop on the journey is reached. Close your eyes. Do you hear the fire crackling, do you hear the rocky surf? Do you smell the fresh salmon by the fire? Do you feel the cool, clear summer night? You sense the cold of the night and at the same time the warmth of the fire. If you keep your eyes closed, you find yourself at the campfire of the old Vikings.

A short time later, you reach the second stop of the journey. We land in an oriental market. But not one of those often mentioned pure spice markets. We have landed in an oriental food alley. Of course, there are spices here too. One might think the three holy kings are after our poor souls. But there is also roasted chicken. At some corner, a bearded man in a turban is selling leather shoes. There are freshly tanned animal hides. Do you hear the vendors calling? Do you feel the vibrancy of this market in the midday sun?

A little later, the third part of the journey follows.
We are back in Central Europe. Take a deep breath, keep your eyes closed.
The doors open. You step out of the gondola of the cable car. In the waiting area of the mountain station, the scent from the machine room lightly wafts through. It smells of slightly sweet machine oil. Not intrusive, you perceive it pleasantly. After leaving the cable car building, you find yourself in the garden of the mountain monastery. We sit in the arcades of the monastery. Do you feel the tranquility, the power of the place? Every now and then, the door of the small chapel opens behind us. Do you smell the cold stone, the scent of the old wood of the benches? Do you feel the draft from the monk hurrying past us? The monk wears a long linen robe and leather shoes. Right?

And now as the day comes to an end. The last stop of the journey around the world.

New York. But not up top, rather down below. Bronx. Subway Station 145 Street.
We stand on the platform. The shaft wind sweeps past us in its typical mix of warm and cold. You can smell the heavy iron grates in the entrance area meant to deter fare evaders. With us on the platform stands a passenger carrying an overflowing K-mart shopping cart full of his belongings. A bit further away, a completely battered Mountain Dew vending machine hums. The train crashes into the station. It pushes the tunnel air ahead of it, hitting us in the face. The doors open, we get on. The seats are covered in faux leather. In the carriage, there is only one passenger. It is a sailor who is wearing what? Of course. Gaultier's le Male.

Now we open our eyes, the day is over. We are back home. An exciting journey lies behind us.

Feel free to think I'm crazy, but that's how this fragrance affects me.
Similar emotions can only be evoked in me by "Heaven by Chopard," which hasn't been around for almost 20 years.
Even though the two fragrances have nothing to do with each other, they are both impressively unique to me.