Nebiru #24 comes with a continuation of last year's release of Agrias Vetiveris, the Agrias Vetiveris II. At the start, there is an intense citrus scent (led by ginger), which does not have that sweet citrus top note, but rather a darker spiciness, thanks to the cardamom and the emerging tea.
The fragrance starts intensely with lemon and especially bergamot, which is flanked after 5-10 minutes by a clearly recognizable mandarin. Another 10 minutes later, one of the 'stars' joins in, which will linger for hours: ginger.
In general, you can tell that the top note does not end in a sweet note, like, for example, "Forever Love | Pana Dora," but rather spicy, almost "dark" or "bitter." This is likely a precursor to the tea.
30-60 minutes in, ginger + tea are omnipresent. In the first half hour, the typical earthy-woody aspect of vetiver emerges, although still somewhat restrained or almost sweet. Is it the hinoki wood that brings this sweet touch? The jasmine tea? No idea, I've never smelled that wood. Whatever. It smells absolutely fantastic - that's what counts :D
After a maximum of 1 hour, you have an intense mix of ginger, black tea, and vetiver. Which of the 3 vetiver varieties stands out more clearly - no idea. Very few of us will have ever smelled any of these country-specific vetivers.
After 2-3 hours, the scent on my skin becomes more ethereal and slightly balsamic.
It's too simplistic to say, almost blasphemous towards the many wonderful ingredients, but the drydown consists mainly of ginger, vetiver, and a certain green "herbaceousness." Not bad/negatively connoted at all - just broken down to the "truth" 8-)
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Conclusion:
As with almost all Nebirus that I have had the chance to try (namely "Ruby | Nebiru Parfvms," "Kenshitora | Nebiru Parfvms," "Floris Rex | Nebiru Parfvms," "Rosa Sequoyah | Nebiru Parfvms," and
Mandalay), it is extremely difficult to describe these complex masterpieces, to pick out each ingredient, and to find some "flaw" in Frederic's 'fragrance matrix' ;-)
If you are looking for a unique, "dark-green," fresh citrus scent based on vetiver, you will find it here. The DNA is unique, the quality of the materials is unparalleled, and it lasts on my skin EASILY 10-12 hours.
The great thing about this Nebiru: It is quite "pleasing" and also absolutely daily-friendly.
If you want to be citrus-fresh in spring/summer and are looking for a longevity monster, you will get your money's worth here.
Points off for the relatively simple bottle (yes, of course, the laser-engraved wood plaque on the front is an absolute eye-catcher) for the prices being asked. I will mention this once, but I won't bring it up in the other reviews. Once is enough :D
Great scent, highly recommended!