Davidoff (1984)
by Davidoff

Sometimes a fragrance comes along which massively exceeds any expectations one might have of it and Davidoff is that fragrance. Yes it's powerful, yes it's long-lasting but it also has that 'x-factor' indefinable quality which makes you want to keep getting those satisfying whiffs curling up to your nose. It starts out bold and brash with big citrus and floral notes which, when sniffed closely, are really intense and, to my nose at least, pretty crude but then the magic happens! The heart is beautiful, warm, woody and tobacco-like with hints of dry vetiver coming through then the everlasting drydown with a prominant leather note and patchouli adding into the mix. This is a fragrance which if applied carefully (not too little, not too much) envelops the wearer in a fantastic glowing aura - the smell is moreish and satisfying.

The overall feel is old-school, gentleman's club - I can imagine this would smell GREAT mixed with cigar smoke (or even cigarette smoke). I'm not a smoker but it's that kind of frag. I absolutely LOVE this and wish, like many others, that Davidoff would respect their heritage and keep this in production. Sure, it's not going to out sell Cool Water but I'm sure Davidoff doesn't need the $$$...! The original and, by far, the best.

24th June, 2011.

I am going to give a contrarian review of Davidoff. Not only contrary to the negative reviews, that's easy because Davidoff is really good, but also to the positive. When I found out about the first Davidoff scent I sighed and realistically prepared myself for the fact that I would never get to smell it. I did find a bottle and it turned out quite differently from what I had expected reading the preceding reviews (before the Basenotes powerhouse gang starting handing out thumbs up.) I imagined Davidoff as a harsh, loud, crude yet somehow loveable concoction. But fragrances never turn out the way you imagine. Sometimes they even turn out better.

First off all, Davidoff isn't that strong. Sure, it is a powerhouse and very much from the 1980s but it is nowhere near the intensity of the four Big Hitters (namely Kouros, Van Cleef & Arples pour homme, Quorum and Lapidus pour homme) more in the range of the original Oscar De La Rent pour Lui (which also contrary to its fame isn't that loud on me.) I drop that reference because Davidoff shares a certain elegance and complexity with that magnificent scent. You are a man of taste –self-assured, affable, into the good things of life- when you know how to wear these scents. There just isn't anything off-putting about Davidoff, this is yet again another supposedly civet-loaded fragrance that fails to raise an eyebrow.

The highlight for me, that strangely enough nobody has mentioned before, is the enchanting hay-like heart of Davidoff courtesy of the classic hay-vetiver interplay, seguing into a tobacco note, that brings back memories of sniffing my father's tins and envelopes filled with pipe tobacco as a child.

I can understand why Davidoff discontinued its first scent. The times changed, their own Cool Water completely changed the game, people quit smoking and this is, as many a powerhouse, a smoker's perfume. But instead of reformulating Davidoff like has happened to most powerhouses (see for instance the sad case of Jacomo de Jacomo) maybe it was more admirable to just retire it.

Too bad for me, I could easily wear this as a signature scent for the rest of my life.

12nd June, 2011.

Davidoff is an olfactory bully, shoving Cool Water into a locker, throwing Acqua Di Gio into the pool and stealing lunch money from Le Male. Is that Only The Brave hiding under a desk and wetting his pants? Not so brave now.

Longevity? The Roman Empire was briefer. Sillage? I'm setting off fire alarms in Nevada and Arizona while I sit in California. Like Brando said in "The Wild One," 'Whattya got?' Want leather? It's in here, oilier and smokier than Sydney Greenstreet. Want animal urine? Eleven dogs just raised their leg on me. Want tobacco? A guy just asked me if I had an extra Romeo y Julieta. Look up the word "swagger" in the dictionary and it says "see Davidoff EDT."

If you love macho scents, you'll love this. If you love sillage, you'll love this. If you love the classics, you'll love this. Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum - all nerds by comparison.

10th February, 2011.

With Davidoff’s output since the early nineties being a stark case of diminishing returns, this original production is right up there with Zino and Relax as being the cream of their crop. The potency of the dominant ingredients makes it clear to me that Davidoff was designed to augment and enhance the cigar smoking experience. Self confidence never toppling over into arrogance, this paleo-masculine fragrance can best be described as potently sophisticated

From the bold citrus/basil opening, to the leather and castoreum base, there is a great deal going on - and I am happy to report that most of it is very good.

27th August, 2010.

If anyone is looking for a strong old school fragrance, look no further. I normally spray 9 to 12 sprays of my fav jus, but this stuff, requires 2 max. If you are into the 80s power house frags, (Dali Homme is one of my favs) you should love this. But the longevity and potency can be its weakness. I love the 'pee' note in Kouros, makes me feel virile. Davidoff's piss note is simply overwhelming at times. Its OK to feel like a sexual man, but not to such relentless degrees as Davidoff exudes.
that being said, the trash on the markets today can learn a thing or two about longevity from this. A must try for cologne heads.

10th March, 2010.

Just when I thought Bijan Men was the strongest masculine fragrance I’d ever smelled, I managed to score a bottle of this scent. Davidoff’s first fragrance, dating from 1984, is so aggressive, so in-your-face, I can only imagine a very limited audience enjoying and actually wearing this. Even monster scents like Kouros and Van Cleef & Arpels Pour Homme have been enjoyed by people who don’t necessarily favor strong fragrances, but Davidoff takes the whole concept of a powerhouse scent to the extreme. Fendi Uomo? Lapidus Pour Homme? They smell like Acqua di Gio by comparison. That being said, I absolutely love this cologne.

Davidoff is very much in the Kouros, Van Cleef and Oscar de la Renta Pour Lui school of powerhouse scents, but is even more powerful than any of them. It has the floral and animalic notes (i.e. the “piss” and “urinal cakes” accord) of Kouros, only stronger, it has the complexity and density of Oscar Pour Lui, and it’s got the old school, menacing austerity of Van Cleef & Arpels. The opening accord of lime, floral and animalic notes has magnum force power, letting you know right away that Davidoff means business and is not screwing around. I really like this opening because it is so assertive and it sets the stage very well for the intensely woody and spicy middle accord. The middle accord is my favorite stage of this scent and it manages to maintain the assertiveness of its opening accord; cedar, coniferous and incense notes are quite prominent in this middle stage, providing Davidoff with even more muscle. Come to think of it, Davidoff is pretty unrelenting, sustaining its strength all the way into the drydown, which is very green, leathery, woody and a tad sweet. The way I’m describing this may make it sound like Davidoff is nothing more than a dense wall of smell, but it’s not – Davidoff is well constructed and its various stages evolve seamlessly.

Overall, I love this fragrance because it is so spicy, woody and animalic all at once. It is raw and disarming, but never crass or crude. I find this scent to be extremely satisfying from beginning to end.

It almost goes without saying that Davidoff is a very macho fragrance, at least on par with and perhaps even surpassing Mazzolari Lui in its pure virility. This is the kind of cologne you’d expect to be worn by real estate tycoons, self-made men, Mafia dons, etc. wearing tuxedos, drinking scotch, and smoking fat, expensive cigars. This is a fragrance with swagger, asserting itself with tremendous force. It has enough weight to cut through the thickest fog of cigar smoke, and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that Davidoff was regularly sold behind the glass at finer tobacconist shops in my area.

Chalk up another one for the list of polarizing scents, right next to Quorum, Kouros, A*Men and Joop. You will either love Davidoff or you will hate it with every fiber of your being. I would recommend it for powerhouse fans only.

10th December, 2009.