Must de Cartier pour Homme (2000)
by Cartier

I was given L'Essence de Must some time ago and pretty much hated -- too cloying and sickly for me, so never thought of testing the original. I like it very much, the top notes are wonderful, I wish they'd stick around a bit longer though as the sandalwood and tonka drydown doesn't live up to them. Still I would wear happily (maybe not in the summer). One of the nicer Cartiers.

Must de Cartier’s rich, spicy opening is made intriguing by the very smallest hint of animal musk, but what follows doesn’t fulfill this introduction’s promise. Instead, Must de Cartier develops into a polite, fruity oriental scent on a base of soft woods. It’s pleasant, it’s comfortable, and it’s utterly conventional. I give it credit for avoiding the gourmand bombast of Pi or Le Male, but there are just too many finer spicy-woody orientals out there (Jaipur Homme, Heritage, Noir Epices…the list goes on,) to make Must de Cartier competitive.

Notes:
Top: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Mandarin
Middle: Anise, Ginger, Cinnamon
Base: Sandalwood, vetiver, tonka, vanilla, patchouli

Must Homme (MH) is Cartier doing an oriental for men... expect spicy woody creamy notes, but make no mistake anise is the star here. The first act is excellent, brilliant even. The citrus burst has a tart, slightly sour grapefruit softened expertly by a touch of mandarin, and the anise note pops in at just the perfect time...this whole grapefruit-mandarin-anise link is synchronized to perfection and is like watching Xavi and Iniesta of Barcelona FC string together uber-smooth hypnotic passes in midfield while ripping apart Bayern Munich to pieces. The anise note is in fine form here..it displays a focused sweetish, licorice-like aspects without being overbearing and echos all the way into the drydown. Overtime, MH becomes less intriguing and more conventional, with the heart notes of ginger and cinnamon barely registering on the richter scale; the second act is all about tonka...tonka and vanilla. A creamy woody cloud (very diluted though) ushers the anise note into oblivion, and 5 hours later you could be wearing just about any other competent but unspectacular woody-oriental.

The explosive citrus start with a starring anise note...thumbs up. The straightforward tonka vanilla drydown...yawnworthy. For a fragrance being promoted as '..developed around the world of daring creativity' MHs shock-then-disappoint structure is fairly by the numbers. The bouncer won't let MH into the much vaunted Club Oriental de Serge Lutens to linger and mix but MH can act like a big boy at neighborhood parties...

Rating 6.5/10.0

The is the first fragrace I bought, in 2002, and it remains one of my firm favourites! I just love this amazing scent. It's spicy, elegant, sophisticated. I only wear it on special occasions because that what this fragrance is, special.

If you can find it, and that's a challenge now that it's been so positively reviewed on AskMen.com, you should definitely buy this. It's very subtly understated, unique, and elegant. For anyone seeking something very "in-your-face", this isn't it. It's a very presumptive fragrance, unapologetic, and it exudes a very creamy richness. The basenotes of tonka bean with a hint of vanilla play well against the bergamot and anise. My wife loves this, and comments about how unique and captivating it can be.

very creamy and rich substance. a bit of orange due to the mandarin but smoothed out by the tonka bean and vanilla. reminds you of declaration but with more kick and a bit of a creamy and rich feeling. classy and elegant, great for colder weather.