Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
12/10/2023
Elysium
817 Reviews
Elysium
3
The Dusty Side of the Cedar
Here we go with the third piece of the WOOD series. WO/03 Café Et Cèdre fools you with its name. There is a pinch of coffee, but it is not a coffee-centred perfume. A blast of powderiness, the orris root is everywhere, and the first sigh is reminiscent of makeup powder and lipstick. In a few seconds, the dusty faces move on one side, leaving space for a smoky, creamy, and balmy Palo Santo that rises forcefully from the base notes. Amid all this clamour, I struggle to recognise the citrus notes of bergamot, perhaps too ghostly and delicate for this vigorous concoction. It is more of a candied bergamot than a citrus one. Slowly the spicy edges of pepper take shape, present but not the protagonist as in WO/02 Wood Street. Here it intertwines with the toasted notes of the coffee beans, and the resulting aroma is that of peppercorns and freshly ground coffee beans mixed together. It is not an espresso to drink, not a creamy coffee, but rather spiced coffee powder. I understand those who say they don’t perceive the coffee note at all, because it is not the clear and robust one that we find, for example, in Intense Cafe, Uomo Signature, or BlackSoul Imperial Eau de Toilette. Nothing so gourmand, and it is perhaps for this reason that I like it a lot, a blend of freshly roasted ground, and spicy, dry, black, dry, and bitter coffee.
As the opening notes subside and take a place in the back row, the powdery signature of the iris continues in the forefront, flanked by a smoky and resinous halo that accompanies the incense, devoid of waxy or clerical undertones, and by the delicate and velvety herbaceous notes of sage. The heart beats with greenish, dusty, and smoky rhythms. On paper, the dusty and earthy notes of iris prevail, while on warm skin the notes appear more herbaceous, musky, incensed, and the sage keeps it slightly aromatic.
There are many ingredients that in one way or another add a smoky aspect to the composition. Black pepper, coffee beans, incense grains, and Palo Santo chips all have a smoky side. If we then add a generous dose of amber wood to the base, the game is done. On the finish, the perfume takes on musky, warm, semi-vanilla aspects, without ever going beyond the limit and flowing into the gourmand area. The warm, creamy, and musky cashmeran comes through, while the tonka is very subdued. If they did not list it in the olfactory pyramid, I would have a hard time distinguishing it. The trail it leaves is the dry and slightly resinous one of blonde woods, like the smell of pencil shavings, here replaced by the bark of Palo Santo, more balsamic than cedar, a whisper of coffee, and a smidgen of frankincense. All the sweetness I might get is not sickly, but a nice dose of it, courtesy of amberwood and tonka blend. What started as a powdery bomb is now a more soothing, musky sensation and embrace.
Having reached the finale, I must admit that this fragrance is reminiscent of more than one perfume, but it is not the dupe of any of them. It has hints of makeup, but it’s not as brash as Dior Homme Original (2011) Eau de Toilette. It has gourmand-toasted hints, but it is not a copy of Valentino Uomo (2014) Eau de Toilette. It’s a genre that I like, because it remains dry and dry, even in contact with the cold and biting air of winter. I find it rather virile and masculine, but it is very wearable by the female gender who loves these chords, indeed, by any gender. Autumn and winter are the ideal seasons to make this perfume shine, which perhaps is pleasant even on early spring evenings. Even though it is suitable for evening and night events, I like to wear it during the day, feeling it on sweaters and scarves. Both projection and longevity are around average, it can be felt and lasts for many hours even after becoming a skin perfume. If I had to put the three examples of the Woods series on the podium, I would be undecided on first place since both WO/03 Café Et Cèdre and WO/02 Wood Street perfectly represent my character and meet my tastes. On the other hand, I don’t mind WO/01 Somewoody, but I wouldn’t put it in the first place as a winner, very different from the other two. Overall, however, the Woods series is a success, in my humble opinion.
I'm formulating my opinion on a bottle I've owned since November 2023.
-Elysium
As the opening notes subside and take a place in the back row, the powdery signature of the iris continues in the forefront, flanked by a smoky and resinous halo that accompanies the incense, devoid of waxy or clerical undertones, and by the delicate and velvety herbaceous notes of sage. The heart beats with greenish, dusty, and smoky rhythms. On paper, the dusty and earthy notes of iris prevail, while on warm skin the notes appear more herbaceous, musky, incensed, and the sage keeps it slightly aromatic.
There are many ingredients that in one way or another add a smoky aspect to the composition. Black pepper, coffee beans, incense grains, and Palo Santo chips all have a smoky side. If we then add a generous dose of amber wood to the base, the game is done. On the finish, the perfume takes on musky, warm, semi-vanilla aspects, without ever going beyond the limit and flowing into the gourmand area. The warm, creamy, and musky cashmeran comes through, while the tonka is very subdued. If they did not list it in the olfactory pyramid, I would have a hard time distinguishing it. The trail it leaves is the dry and slightly resinous one of blonde woods, like the smell of pencil shavings, here replaced by the bark of Palo Santo, more balsamic than cedar, a whisper of coffee, and a smidgen of frankincense. All the sweetness I might get is not sickly, but a nice dose of it, courtesy of amberwood and tonka blend. What started as a powdery bomb is now a more soothing, musky sensation and embrace.
Having reached the finale, I must admit that this fragrance is reminiscent of more than one perfume, but it is not the dupe of any of them. It has hints of makeup, but it’s not as brash as Dior Homme Original (2011) Eau de Toilette. It has gourmand-toasted hints, but it is not a copy of Valentino Uomo (2014) Eau de Toilette. It’s a genre that I like, because it remains dry and dry, even in contact with the cold and biting air of winter. I find it rather virile and masculine, but it is very wearable by the female gender who loves these chords, indeed, by any gender. Autumn and winter are the ideal seasons to make this perfume shine, which perhaps is pleasant even on early spring evenings. Even though it is suitable for evening and night events, I like to wear it during the day, feeling it on sweaters and scarves. Both projection and longevity are around average, it can be felt and lasts for many hours even after becoming a skin perfume. If I had to put the three examples of the Woods series on the podium, I would be undecided on first place since both WO/03 Café Et Cèdre and WO/02 Wood Street perfectly represent my character and meet my tastes. On the other hand, I don’t mind WO/01 Somewoody, but I wouldn’t put it in the first place as a winner, very different from the other two. Overall, however, the Woods series is a success, in my humble opinion.
I'm formulating my opinion on a bottle I've owned since November 2023.
-Elysium
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