Epicéa (1965)
by Creed

Epicea is the most authentic, most natural, and most authoritative pine scent available. It is one of the more unique offerings from Creed. I am uncertain about individual notes, but the opening might have a slight citrus tinge to it. What is most detectable to me is the fresh and invigoratingly masculine scent of Russian pine mixed with some unidentified herbs and spices; Creed have produced a very natural smelling pine fragrance indeed! And it should be said that even though there are spices and herbs in this, the pine note takes center stage. When I wear Epicea (only in winter, naturally), I can easily picture myself in a dense and beautiful snowy forest, even if I am simply struggling to shovel a foot of snow off of my driveway in -30 degree weather before work in the morning! It is a powerful evocation of a dark and dense forest filled with huge coniferous trees, one of nature's true beauties. A fragrance for a real man who shows no fear, the strong and silent type, much like the legendary Gary Cooper, who wore this. The only drawback is longevity; 3 or 4 sprays will probably last around 6 hours before a reapplication is required.

Pine and herbal citrus, almost tea like. A nice scent and has the Creed metallic house accord like in GIT, SMW, BdP. "Enjoyed by Gary Cooper", well super-dooper. (sarcasm)

As the esteemed zztop says, this is the predecessor to the classic Polo Green. Imagine, if you will, an early generation bottle of the Polo (not that ghastly stuff peddled these days which smells like a creation of Chemical Ali), spiked with pine not unlike the incense sold to smoke out of the tiny log cabin, all poured into a bottle of Louis XVIII de Remy Martin cognac. It's piney, it's boozy, it-- sadly-- doesn't last as long as I'd love for it to. As others have said, the fleeting nature of Epicea is a drawback. But does love always last in the heart of the fickle? It comes, it lingers briefly and elegantly, and then disappears to a place where the memory of its beauty reminds us that there will always be others, also.

A dense pine forrest, brushed with sun and shadow, fragrant with resin and crushed pine needles overlaying a vague black pepper oil background. The drydown holds close to the skin and softens beautifully an hour or so after a rather intense opening few minutes. Masculine, warm and rich. Will show best in cooler weather I would think. Nice!

I bought a bottle of this blind, and I have to say that I was surprised to find it was quite different than I had imagined it. I was relieved to find that it was not some "air freshener/floor cleaner" pine smell. The pine is quite nice. But it is married to a HEAVY cardamom note-- it's almost a bit sweaty. I wore it to work one day and was surprised that it wasn't as fresh, cool and crisp as I had thought it would be. It reminded me a little of the effect of Eau d"Hermes (though Eau d'Hermes has cumin and a mega-dose of cinnamon). I think I detect geranium in Epicea. But again, that cardamom note sets the tone for the texture of this scent. There's also a nice lemony citrus topnote.

As others have said, the longevity may not be the best. I agree on that point, but as is often the compromise of perfumes-- if they were made to last longer, they wouldn't smell the same.

Like many of the other Creed EDT's, this does smell like something from another era. The smell of the masculine gentleman circa the mid-20th century. It's a fragrance that is quaint, humble and sorely missed in these modern times where clueless, classless businessmen too often finish putting on a three-piece suit with a spritz of (gasp) Aqua di Gio.

Two thumbs up for Epicea.

Having recently tried Cyprès-Musc I can compare it to Epicéa. I like coniferous and resinous scents, and I enjoy both of these Creed products. CM is drier and has a much more prominent resin note than Epicéa. The impression I get from Epicéa is of the smoke from a campfire made with pine logs and needles. For me, the smoky aspect gives Epicéa a contemplative, at times slightly melancholy air... not unpleasant, rather quite distinctive and enjoyable. Orange and mint notes open the fragrance. Pine and spice follow and provide a lovely accord. I don’t find the herbs in this to be prominent, for me they are very much in the background. Some slight resin appears at the end, but it is tempered by the spices. Epicéa has a bit of the trademark Creed richness. I think this is excellent.