Britannia Roja Parfums 2016

I had high expectations for this Roja. First, the positive reviews and then of course the fact that it’s a ROJA (*drumroll*) and costs around 990 euros (100ml)...
But do I have to love this "niche masterpiece" just because it’s so super elegant and expensive??
"No!"

WARNING:
This is once again a "Grumpy cat" comment! Meaning: The little black kitty doesn’t like this scent that much. So don’t read if you don’t want to hear anything negative! Done!

So I got a sample, sprayed it on, and thought "Did I swap the sample?".
A flight reflex took over me... Quick, get away!! Oh no, my arm is stuck...hm, stupid. So I’ll give it another chance and let it develop...
and the development is quite something.

HEAD
At first, Britannia unfortunately smells somewhat repulsive to me, very green and bitter, musty and dusty. Especially probably due to the iris, quite dry and powdery, but like strong talcum/baby powder scents that are rather bitter. I actually like powdery scents from time to time, like "Puro Talco". But Britannia is like green and five times stronger Puro Talco.
And there’s something else that’s quite unpleasant for my nose and annoying.

HEART
Then the perfume becomes increasingly "nutty".
The green stuff slowly fades away.
And after about half an hour or an hour? you can distinctly smell baking cocoa (unsweetened, dry). Wow, where did that come from? However, the dear talcum doesn’t want to disappear, and so Britannia now smells for quite a while like dusty cocoa with talcum. I wonder if it would smell the same if I mixed 2/3 talcum powder with 1/3 baking cocoa? Well, since I’m not really that "grumpy", I’ll tell you about my test attempt "making Britannia myself". For that, you need an unsweetened cocoa scent, e.g. 'Eau de Cacao' or 'chocolate greedy', and a strong talcum/powder scent, e.g. 'Puro Talco'... also possible 'Infusion d'Iris' or 'P1- careful hot' works just fine... First spray on the cocoa scent, let it sit, then spray on the powder scent (with chocolate greedy, more talcum), let it sit, done.
No, of course it doesn’t smell exactly the same, but it’s somewhat similar to the heart note ;D
Over time, I got used to this scent and even like it a bit.

BASE
After about 3 hours (+/-), Britannia has completely transformed again. How crazy... Cocoa and talcum say "Good night!" and in comes (once again *drumroll*) chewing gum!
Hello chewing gum. I must say, some sweet almond notes tend to turn into chewing gum on me and not on others. This chewing gum scent isn’t bad, though. Besides, I also smell something nutty alongside, which gives this scent a certain something.

CONCLUSION
The bottle is, of course, a feast for the eyes. Longevity is strong, but there are stronger ones.
Its drastic development impresses me, and for that, it gets plus points.
It’s well woven, somewhat extraordinary, but also a bit of an acquired taste. I don’t feel cozy with it, rather always on guard (flight reflex and all...) and I can’t forgive it for the terrible, bitter start.
And sorry... but 990 euros? For that?

******Grumpy cat says "No!*****"

UPDATE (End of August 2017):
IN THE MEANTIME, BRITANNIA HAS CAPTIVATED ME! LIKE A SNAKE THAT GENTLY AND FROM BEHIND STRANGLES YOU.... I HAVE GAINED MORE UNDERSTANDING AND AFFECTION FOR POWDERY DUSTY SCENTS. EVEN IF THEY WILL NEVER COMPLETELY REACH MY HEART. BUT: BRITANNIA WITH ITS GREAT BAKING COCOA HAS SOMEHOW MADE IT!
I WOULD NEVER PAY THE PRICE FOR A BOTTLE, THOUGH!
THIS WILL NEVER BE A SCENT WORTH THAT. FOR THAT, IT WOULD HAVE TO HAVE MAGICAL EFFECTS.
BUT: A TRAVEL SIZE IS OK ;)

BRITANNIA: You love-hate relationship has brought a mini smile to Grumpy Cat's naturally grumpy face.