Astor (1880)
by Geo F Trumper

Once again I must be a dissenter. Astor to my nose is Trumper's Eucris with not quite as acrid a green note. It doesn't make it any less a chypre, but it holds back a bit, is a bit more subtle than Eucris' painfully sharp scent.

Here I detect Oak Moss with a bit of pine oil, which rises after about an hour's time.

If you like chypres, which I obviously do not, and do not want to be in your face bold, this is tame. Still unplesant to my nose though.

Astor is definitively a member of the fougere family. It reminds me at a first sniff to Loewe Esencia. Astor is masculine and not very long lasting, to be honest I am a bit disappointed Astor didn't meet my expectations, although is not bad but is far to be an exceptional Gentlemen cologne.

Trumper’s Astor is a beautiful scent, a true classic in the gentle spicy-wood category. A review below portrays Astor as very floral and ‘pretty’ in a unisex style. I disagree; I find it to be very masculine, albeit in an elegant, self-assured style. If there are florals, they are “astringent” to quote another reviewer, and may be brisk lavender and/or carnation or even fir needles. The woody tang of caraway gives a nice ‘bite’ of freshness. There is a lovely and slightly soapy dry-down (sandalwood) with perhaps the grassy aspects of vetiver. I don’t get any leather notes which are to be found in Equipage or Open or Chevalier D’Orsay (otherwise similar fragrances). Excellent!

The impression I had when I smelled Astor for the first time was: "Damn, that stuff really smells soapy! Almost like big pile of fresh laundry."
Well, after a few minutes of wearing it it became one of my all time favourite fragrences.

It somehow smells like VERY clean and fresh fir needles; spicy, masculine, woody... I don't know.. simply nice :-)

Astor starts out extremely--EXTREMELY--floral, and I questioned, "Is this even a cologne? Surely this is unisex, or more likely perfume." But it soon tones down to its heart notes, and when it does it becomes a lovely, clean, fresh scent. To be truthful, even after it tones down it still remains a "pretty" cologne, not at all a rough, rugged fragrance. But if your taste is for a scent that's elegant and refined, rather than a scent that's brawny, Astor is about the nicest I've ever come across.

The Baron de Charlus once told me: 'I recall the time when I was a house guest at the Berkshire estate of Lord and Lady Astor (or Gus and Matilda as we used to call them). They gave us each a bottle of Trumper's Astor Cologne,
"They tell me, de Charlus," said His Lordship, "that you're a bit of a chappie for fragrance. So give us your opinion of Astor cologne." "My dear Gus," I responded, "it is a truly remarkable fragrance, one of the finest creations of the House of Trumper. It has the further distinction of being quite unique in its distinguished aroma of deep but mellow spices. Although they are very different animals, I find it to be the equal of Creed's Vintage Tabarome in its depth and dignity and its subtle evocations of tradition and prestige. Trumper's colognes are not in general famed for their lasting qualities but Astor lasts longer on the skin than most. You must feel inordinately proud when you are wearing this sublime poem of masculinity which bears your family name."
"Good Lord, no," replied His Lordship, "I never touch the stuff. My lady wife Matilda, on the other hand, swears by it and wears it all the time."