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Lieber Gustav 14 Krigler 1914

8.4 / 10 68 Ratings

A popular perfume by Krigler for women and men, released in 1914. The scent is spicy-floral. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Spicy

Floral

Leathery

Woody

Sweet

Fragrance Notes

Lavender

Tonka bean

Black tea

Geranium

Leathery notes

Sandalwood

Ratings

Scent

8.468 Ratings

Longevity

7.862 Ratings

Sillage

7.359 Ratings

Bottle

7.462 Ratings

Value for money

5.123 Ratings

Submitted by Lilith · last update on 02/17/2026.

Source-backed & verified

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Saba

Tabac Royal

Halfeti

Reviews

3 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/24/2025

BigGromus
11 Reviews

BigGromus

Top Review 22

Lieber Gustav 14 by Krigler

This is a bit of a rare one, inspired by a German recipe from 1914. It's sold as a mix of leather, black tea, and lavender, but I personally don't think it smells at all like what that description makes me think of. There's no birch tar or quinoline in here that I can detect, and I'm not sure where that black tea is supposed to be, either.

It's clearly Krigler's take on an old-fashioned "oriental". It's got a classic "oriental" mix of patchouli and amber played against a dank green herbal note, so it kind of reminds me of Coromandel. Then, it's also got a fougere on top, so there's a lot of lavender and some musky tobacco-ish tonka filling out the "oriental" mix, as well as some vanilla (think Le Male). This all ends up mixing together to smell kind of like butterscotch pudding mixed with that Le Male tobacco leaf with that dark green oily herbal note lurking in the background, keeping Lieber Gustav from ever really smelling very gourmand.

All in all, I've enjoyed Lieber Gustav, but it's not really my style. Thumbs up for keeping me interested and smelling good (seriously, a mix of Coromandel and Le Male? That's got to be worth a sniff...)

04/01/2017

Loewenrose
1 Review

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Loewenrose

Top Review 13

Warm, Soft Embrace

What I smell is fine lavender, unobtrusive vanilla (it might be tonka, I'm not very familiar with that), the finest, soft, light suede, and later also black tea, and indeed tea that is brewed so perfectly that it needs neither milk nor sugar to gently and deliciously caress the palate.
I find the sillage and longevity to be above average, with the lavender and vanilla notes retreating after 4-5 hours, allowing the tea and oh-so-soft leather to come to the forefront.
For me, in contrast to Apicus' impression, there is nothing scratchy and certainly nothing average about this fragrance. To me, it is a soft, warm, noble embrace that warms and protects and does not want to be left at all.

01/21/2011

8Scent 7.5Longevity

Apicius
1328 Reviews

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Apicius

Top Review 19

Oh, dear Augustin!

„The wild and lavish world of 1910's Berlin“ is supposed to represent dear Gustav - a peculiar marketing idea. The last years of the Kaiser era before the First World War are hardly considered “wild and lavish.” Did someone not pay attention in history class?

Dear Gustav has dressed up nicely: In a chic glass bottle, he is dyed dark purple, signaling right away that he is a strong lavender scent. Wasn't purple a fashionable color of the Roaring Twenties? That would fit better with Gustav, not with the “dear” but with the “iron Gustav.” His famous carriage ride to Paris took place in 1928, ten years later Hans Fallada's sentimental novel about it was published, and in the 1950s the film adaptation starring Heinz Rühmann was released. In terms of advertising, Gustav Hartmann probably had quite an edge over the Krigler company - even today, the Berlin taxi association commemorates him.

Dear Gustav fits well on such a rustic coachman's seat with his pleasantly strong lavender note. I like that, as often lavender scents are too delicate and subtle for me. This one is robust; even in the top note, a rather rough figure appears behind the lavender. It’s slightly scratchy, what is probably referred to here as a leather note.

Lavender is fleeting - not many perfumes manage to carry this herb beyond the top note. Even dear Gustav struggles with that. After just half an hour, I no longer perceive any lavender. Instead, the rough and bitter notes now dominate, underpinned by a slowly creeping tonka-like note. This gives the fragrance a considerable amount of breadth and stability. After another half hour, the bitter notes recede, and the drydown unfolds with tonka, perhaps vanilla, and dry woody notes.

All of this happens on the skin and doesn’t really excite me. These broad tonka-wood constructions are everywhere, especially for significantly less money. Plus, with such a rough character - I was about to write a scathing review, see the title.

But wait, there’s more! At a distance from the skin, I perceive the note referred to here as black tea. I know that; elsewhere it’s called mate, namely in Annick Goutal's Duel. This fully reconciles me with dear Gustav. Not only are these tea notes rare, but here they are also placed in an unusual context with lavender. The tea note hides a bit and is very subtle - a nice contrast to the otherwise much rougher aspects. Unlike the Annick Goutal fragrance, the tea note is not placed at the center; it is almost played with. Thus, dear Gustav is indeed more complex than it initially seemed. After some hesitation, I quite like him.

You need to take some time for dear Gustav. At first glance, he presents himself as a rather unsuccessful lavender scent. I also find labeling him as “scratchy,” “cheap,” or “average” justifiable. Here, discipline is definitely required when testing - but that might be difficult, as the Krigler scent bar offers so many other interesting perfumes.

Statements

22 short views on the fragrance

Eggi37

3 years ago

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Gustav my dear
Your suede jacket is elegant & classic
It warms like a balm
Outside in the lavender field
Come, let’s have some tea

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Schalkerin

3 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Cool he stands there, Gustav.
Scented with lavender and leather.
With a cup of tea in hand,
smelling of almonds, I wink at him.

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Rosalie234

4 months ago

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Noble, delicate wing movement
sprinkled with lilac lavender;
iron-clad leather skin
woven with warmth;
oh be silent!
So we can feel the magic.

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Theris

2 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

Black thermal spring
Lavender clouds
Tonka flakes
Spicy steam rises
Uncle Gustav settles down
Listening to relaxation songs

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Gandix

3 years ago

10Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

You Gustav...
I have tonka on my lips
Could you give me a lavender kiss?
My eyes are muscat-clarified
Almond marzipan heart sigh

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FrauKirsche

3 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

In the lavender mist
Herbal sweet waves
Tonka cream on soft leather
Almond clouds and
Spice powder
Mint glimmers
Lovely soft
Vanilla wrap...

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SchatzSucher

3 years ago

9Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

Dear Gustav is quite the gentleman, he loves lightly sweetened tea, enjoys lavender, wears soft leather, and prefers it balsamic-aromatic.

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Pluto

3 years ago

8.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

The Gustav. Loves tea with vanilla sugar. And his lavender. And the old leather jacket. And me. Love Gustav.

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Pollita

3 years ago

9Scent 8Longevity 10Sillage

Gustav can work magic with his noble, soft leather, delicate spice, and elegance. If that were my type, I would have to have him.

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Verbena

8 years ago

8Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Leather touch. Bedroom gaze. Lavender enveloped. Canvas transcended. Cool. Unapproachable. Silently captivating. Lead gray, silver, platinum. Oh Marlene!

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