Esencia Loewe (1988)
by Loewe

This is a delightful green, aromatic, herbal chypre. The opening is centered on a dusky and slightly soapy artemesia. Clary sage and other herbs, along with galbanum, make this quite green. The second phase is marked by an assertive tarragon note, basically a hay-grass combination. Finally, a low-key patchouli appears, slightly minty and metallic and thankfully not heavy.
I say this is quite nice. My one caveat is that I am looking for coniferous notes and I can't find any. I see that others do find such notes. I have high expectations for that type of note, and for me it may be buried under the other green, herbal notes.
Nonetheless, this is a very nice scent. It is a product of the late 80's but it is not heavy nor macho. It wears very well.

24th January, 2012.

A hard rock-face jutting up from a peaceful, buzzing meadow, Esencia Loewe is a landscape of contrasts. One would never say a mountain does not belong where it is, and the same is true of Esencia's facets: they all work in absolute harmony, as the laws of nature do. Why? Modern science will never get to the root of the mysteries of the universe, and the same is true of Esencia; there are always more veins in the leaf, more corners in the cave, more dark matter, more details to unravel. And yet, as in a leaf, a coastline, or a galaxy, ineluctable cohesiveness pervades.

A burst of the freshest, brightest, most invigorating herbs and citrus greets me upon depressing the lovely, solid frosted green bottle's atomizer. Bitter wormwood, crisp juniper berry, and tart, sophisticated bergamot lead the charge, with lavender in tow. This phase is brief but leaves its ruddy glow upon the following phases. I always spray on my clothes so this tart, juicy phase has as much tenacity as possible.

Elegant clary sage and geranium leaves dominate the heart, flanked by lovely but very subtle florals, just enough to round out the dry herbs, spice, and resin: dusty tarragon, nutmeg, green galbanum and basil. I detect a very quiet, dry, almost fruity damask rose here that adds just the right poise without a hint of femininity. A mellow sweet glow, likely from jasmine, muguet, and the warmer base accords, but not easily detectable by any stretch, contrasts with the bitter, bright opening here. Crisp light coniferous notes form a side story, continuing the juniper through to a light fir finish.

I don't get any "leather" at all from this fragrance, certainly not in the form of birch tar, and thank goodness for that. (I cannot stand the stuff.) The base's animalic warmth comes from a huge, creamy musk, sweetened with a little amber and spiked with a light touch of patchouli. What are surely the maximum IFRA doses of oakmoss and treemoss continue the green, foresty theme. (I would love to try a vintage bottle to see just how much moss the original formula had.) Judicious vetiver, cedar, and a little sandalwood form the structural backbone.

I enjoy Esencia Loewe during all seasons, but Spring seems ideal. Underestimate the musk at your peril, however. While Esencia could not be considered potent per se (6 sprays is right for me), the musk can become overpowering in very hot weather; I have a theory that the musk accord was increased to make up for the reduction of moss in reformulation.

Though Esencia transcends time in its compositional inevitability, it falls at the beginning of the transition period in men's fragrances away from the classic bitter green powerhouses with its rounded, mild base. I agree with The_Colognist that Esencia is an aromatic chypre-fougere hybrid with its lavender, bergamot, moss, labdanum (amber) and tonka. Comparisons to Polo Green are valid -- though Esencia has no birch tar, much less pine and far more elegance and complexity -- but comparisons to other chypres (Chanel pour Monsieur) are not. This is a different beast entirely.

Personally speaking, Esencia Loewe is perhaps the only fragrance that appears to me as a mirror: it reflects all my facets in a cohesive picture that I relate to without any filters, without any masks, without any pretensions or affectations. Wearing Esencia is having an orchestral score accompany the movie of my life: I'm larger than life yet more centered while wearing it. Enjoy it with abandon!

22nd December, 2011. (Last Edited: 24th January, 2012.)

Loewe Escencia is a crisp, dry chypre that lives in the same neighborhood as Polo green, Polo Crest and similar scents. Escencia opens with a bracing lavender, citrus and artemisia accord that is one of my favorite chypre openings, though nowhere near Chanel pour Monsieur which is the finest on the planet. Escencia is a very attractive scent for those who enjoy Polo green and similar fragrances. The pine note in Esencia is just right. No pine cleaning products here. The mossy, leather dry down lasts for hours. The potency of Escencia mellows over time, like a forest tucking in for the evening. Esencia inhabits my kind of neighborhood: chypre, green, pine...maybe a Prius or two humming by.

17th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 19th December, 2011.)

A blast of pine, cypress, woods, and herbs. Lemon up top, as well as some florals -- I pick up on lavender. The lavender which lingers in the background in the opening, and never makes its way to the front, as the pine, and cypress notes dominate this one. What's strange is that pine notes usually come off very sharp; but here.. they are very smooth. An even smoother dry down, and arguably one of the best dry downs ever.

This may be a late 80's fragrance, but I find it to be quite modern and wearable today. If you don't like the big boys like Azzaro pH, Polo original, and such, you may not like this, as this is an aromatic/chypre/fougere. Projects big in the opening, but after an hour or 2, it settles down. Longevity is excellent. Bottle worthy.

24th October, 2011.

A pretty strong neutral on Esencia, almost a thumbs up. The scent starts off very fresh and extremely pleasant with a blast of aromatics and lavender. Then it turns very green (maybe a strong pine, perhaps?) and that is where it loses the thumbs up from me. The green notes are somewhat harsh and in your face at first, making me take pause and reconsider my initial positive impression... then they settle down and become pleasant. Bottom line is if you like green scents you will most likely enjoy Esencia. I can appreciate a lot of the positives that others have mentioned and concur with many of them... I just keep coming back to the initial pine overkill in the early heart notes before it calms down, that prevents me from strongly recommending it. Above average green powerhouse, just not quite there.

13rd October, 2011.

A civilized powerhouse. Sounds like an oxymoron? Try and see. Leather, green and herbaceous notes, pine, artemisia and lavender surrounded by a remarkable soapy vibe and laying on the usual musky/mossy base. An elegant chypre. Sort of Yatagan after an haircut.

Great projection, reasonable lasting power.

9th August, 2011.