Black Opium Yves Saint Laurent 2021 Eau de Parfum Extrême

... this is how I would describe the fragrance to my colleagues. Which means nothing other than that Extrême is not the same as Extreme. But I'll get to that shortly.

A few years ago, I loved wearing the regular Black Opium in the depths of winter. At first, I never liked the coffee note, but my nose quickly got used to it. At that time, I swore I would only wear this fragrance. :D Well, I didn't really know many other fragrances until then.

Anyway, some time ago I got a decant of Black Opium EdP and had been toying with the idea of getting the fragrance again for months. Although it would only be for nostalgia.
When I saw that Black Opium Eau de Parfum Extrême was coming out, I was determined that it would be exactly the right version for me. Until just now, I thought it would be called "Black Opium Extrême - Eau de Parfum" and not "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum Extrême". So my expectations were very Extrême, no matter where the Extrême would have been placed.

I will first explain my initial impression and then the more detailed test, followed by a brief summary.

I received the fragrance as a gift. Full of curiosity, I first ran into a perfumery and sprayed "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum" on my right hand. Quick out, quickly opened the packaging, and quickly sprayed "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum Extrême" on my left hand. I alternated sniffing my hands. On the left, I smell the bitter chocolate and the espresso, just as Yanlizkalp79 mentioned in her statement. On the right, clearly Black Opium. Outside, in direct comparison, "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum" smelled sweeter and fruitier, indeed brighter (I am consciously not going into the normal fragrance too much).
It seemed to me that the Extrême variant was actually darker and more mature.
Just for your information, I think I have scent-absorbing skin. Because after 2 hours, I could hardly perceive the Extrême. Very, very faintly, my skin still smelled of warm vanilla. The right hand with the normal variant was still present with all its fragrance notes.

Well, my enthusiasm was dampened and my expectations were not met. Well, maybe I need to engage a bit more with the fragrance.

Said and done, now I’m sitting here. To my left is "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum Extrême" and to my right is "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum". Test strips on both sides. Laptop on. Each sprayed 3 times on the test strips and 3 times on my hand. Same game as before: left "Extreme", right "Normal". For both, I’m creating the fragrance pyramid on Parfumo. Only now do I see that it is only called "Eau de Parfum Extrême". And only now do I notice the citrus notes in the fragrance. I hadn’t perceived the citrus notes at all. Now that I read it and the fragrance has faded a bit, I can perceive them. More on the test strip than on my hand. But that’s not worth mentioning.
By now, my nose is probably scent-deaf. I can hardly smell a difference between the two fragrances. I bring in another nose, and that person also perceives hardly any differences, except that "the right (Normal) smells sweeter than the left (Extreme), but only minimally". The point for longevity now goes more to the Extrême.

I will sniff the test strips again tomorrow morning, with a fresh nose, and probably provide an update here.
Conclusion:
So inconspicuous, the word Eau de Parfum was added, just as inconspicuously one perceives the changes in the fragrance. I believe the Extrême fragrance gets its bitter note from the cocoa and that the coffee has changed its level. However, this is only somewhat noticeable to me in direct comparison. The fragrance remains a sweet scent nonetheless. The word Extreme raises expectations high. But Extreme is not really that Extreme. No one would notice these minimal changes. As for how the longevity really is, I need to test it more closely. Now on my hand, the Extrême is still perceptible after an hour. The normal one has already lost 20% - 30% of its intensity.
Does the fragrance need to be in the collection if "Black Opium - Eau de Parfum" already has a place? - Definitely not. Very fine noses might learn to love it if they have always wished for a Black Opium.