Epicéa (1965)
by Creed

Very very weak. It starts out as a soapy green pine, in the family of Duc de Vervins, but with a little more wood (even in the top notes!). The wood is surprisingly believable, and hints at an incense quality such as you'd find in Zagorsk. As it dries, the green lightens up and sweetens up with some heavy orange peels, reminding me of the gradual sweetening via cinnamon leaf in Bowling Green. Its also anisy...maybe not enough to put me off completely, but enough for me to feel like it detracts from what little there was to this scent in the first place. In the end, the base begins to have a dustiness which for some reason I dislike compared to other dusty wood-bearing scents, and maybe a little Coca-Cola from the fizzy, anisy spices. I once commented that Equipage could show Orange Spice a thing or two (in a more leathery direction), and I think that both Equipage and Rocabar could show Epicea a thing or two in the sweet woody department. It just doesn't remind me of a forest. Time to go back to sleep.

4th November, 2011.

Is it any coincidence that most of the Creed scents I enjoy predate Green Irish Tweed? Green Irish Tweed is delightful, but I wonder if its success didn’t tempt Creed into a color-by-numbers approach to composition in much that followed. So much that’s come since plays like minor variations on a standard theme: start with Ambroxan, dihydromyrcenol, and violet leaf, tweak the proportions here and there, sprinkle a bit of this or that on top, and…violà! A new “Millésime.” Add Calone and fruit, and you’ve got Millésime Imperial. A bit of tea and black currant, and it’s Silver Mountain Water. Tobacco? Tabarôme Millésime. Some oriental gestures and pink peppercorn? Himalaya. You get the picture.

Up through the mid 1980s, Creed’s house style ranged more widely. For every Angélique Encens or Orange Spice there was a Fleurissimo or a Chèvrefeuille Original. For Every “Vintage” Tabarôme or Cyprès-Musc there was an Aubépine-Acacia or Sélection Verte. There were also oddballs like Acier Aluminium and Baie de Genièvre. Epicéa fits squarely in that “old” Creed tradition – the one that saw its last hurrah in Bois du Portugal.

Epicéa’s top notes are true to its name – a mélange of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon in roughly equal measure. The spices rest on a soapy barbershop fougère arrangement of lavender, geranium, and coumarin, with vanillic amber, warm musk, and a mere touch of leather among the base notes. The composition feels robust and assertive, yet also comfortable. It has none of the animalic swagger of a Jules or Kouros, but no trace of stodginess either. While not terribly exciting or earthshakingly original, Epicéa is a pleasant, dignified, and well-constructed fragrance that ranks for me among this inconsistent house’s stronger offerings.

20th April, 2011.

Epicea shows its age; not necessarily a bad thing.
Smells like (surprise!) russian evergreen forests.
It's classy and dignified, because of its subtle and somewhat mysterious transparency.
Unfortunately, longevity seems to be an issue here.

20th September, 2010.

Weak, boring pine /insect repellent type of smell. Probably my #2 least favorite ever. Do not buy it, Creed should consider discontinuing it.

23rd March, 2010. (Last Edited: 1st April, 2010.)

Well I spent a lot of energy trying to find a holy grail pine/cypress scent. Epicea was my last try. With all that I've tried, everything has come up short. I suppose I just don't love pine enough. The closest to holy grail I've found is Fou d`Absinthe by L Artisan Parfumeur. It's so close, but I wind up wanting the glorious open to continue and it just fades away into a vivid forest like woods that feels too outdoorsy and cold. Epicea, hits my nose like a commercial cleanser, mellows out a little, then plays close to the skin. I give it thumbs up for being linear and consistent. Thumbs down for smelling like cleansing product and questionable longevity. I'm going to stick with my samples of Fou d`Absinthe and Italian Cypress by Tom Ford (a bit more cinnamon like).

23rd March, 2010.

I could marinate in this stuff. It's a wonderful pine and spice composition, delicate, and exhilarating. It instantly makes me think of snowy pines in a beautiful mountain vista. The spices add warmth, a smoky quality, and dare I say it... a hint of bubblegum. I don't know why, but I respond to this bubblegum note. It makes it addictive enough to where, as I said before, I want to marinate in it. Although I'm sure my neighbours may not agree. The saving grace for them (and a point of chagrin for me) is that the longevity and sillage are both rather weak. You might really HAVE to marinate in this to have sustaining pleasure in the fragrance, and at over $100 a bottle... that might break the bank. Still, this gets a hearty thumbs up. Next to Bois de Cedrat, this is my other favorite Creed fragrance.

15th January, 2010.