Challenge Puma 1998 Eau de Toilette

So, since there is no comment here yet, I will dedicate my introductory comment to this little water.

Yesterday it was time again for the somewhat delayed spring cleaning, and that also includes organizing the bathroom cabinet with the fragrant essences. In the process, I came across the almost full bottle of Puma Challenge, which had been sitting unnoticed in the back right corner for years. It was a birthday gift back then, if I remember correctly. My everyday EdT at that time was still Tommy from Hilfiger, so the bottle ended up in the cabinet, waiting to be rediscovered. Since the bottle is really not eye-catching, the rediscovery was bound to take a while, but now the time had come...

I actually had no real memory of the scent, only that it was somehow aquatic and didn't blow me away at all. So I first sprayed a little on my left wrist. In that very moment, I thought - "ohhh, uiuiui, did someone fill toilet cleaner into the bottle?" It's hard to describe it any better; the opening is incredibly intense in scent and indeed reminds one of cleaning products, but the kind for really stubborn problem cases. I was already about to wash this whatever off, but luckily this, well, let's say, peculiar smell developed into something a bit more pleasant after what felt like 10 seconds. Initially extremely aquatic with a distinctly synthetic note, which is increasingly overshadowed by citrus notes. Still not really pleasant, in my opinion, but at least no longer toilet cleaner, more like an air freshener for the little room, scent direction mountain freshness.
A few more minutes later, then the surprise: the aquatic note completely disappears, leaving a bit of citrus behind, and a rather sweet-bitter scent note spreads. What is this? I keep sniffing my wrist, but can hardly categorize it. Slightly spicy, maybe cardamom, a little green, almost like fresh grass clippings, perhaps a hint of basil. The scent develops an increasingly pronounced sweetness; I even think I perceive a touch of vanilla, and is there even a bit of cinnamon hidden in there? At this stage, the smell is definitely extremely complex, and actually not bad at all. Definitely not what the opening would have suggested.
The further development is rather unspectacular, as is the longevity.
Overall, Challenge presents a very inconsistent picture, and I can now understand again why I didn't really pay attention to it back then, as the top note is just not good at all. From the heart to the base, however, it is quite usable, although nothing special.