No. 88 (1981)
by Czech & Speake

I smell patchouli and roses. Has a strange urine-like note right there in the beginning but it's easily ignored. Though, the rest of it is dark, woody and surprisingly masculine. The rose smooths everything. More of a night-out scent. It's good but not my style at all.

This review is under revision.

After all the hype, I was left feeling very disappointed. The opening notes are amazing but it all went quickly downhill from there. The composition has a classic barbershop feel to it but it lacks the longevity and sillage that everyone's been raving about. There's also something quintessentially English (or even old-fashioned) about it that simply doesn’t appeal to me. As a result, I found it impossible to find an emotional connection with No. 88 - maybe it’s the Victorian / colonial undertones that runs through the very heart of this creation but, then again, it could be because it’s too timid and apologetic for my tastes.

Personally, I prefer something stronger, more contemporary and with a greater sexual edge than No. 88, and I’ve managed to find all of these characteristics (and more) in Montale’s Black Aoud. They may not be exactly the same creations but they definitely work on a very similar premise.

A friend recently brought back a bag full of resins and essentials oils and incense and what-not gathered from various spice markets during a trip through India and Nepal. We spent a delightful coffee-buzzed afternoon smelling the resins in particular, both raw and burning, and weaving around free associating about the smells. And there was a wonderful moment when, upon sticking my nose into a bag of what he thought was frankincense, I got the most direct impression of Czech &Speake No. 88.
Which I have never loved--always liked but not loved. Too big, extroverted, complex, maybe. And then suddenly I felt as though I understood where to fix my attention when listening to this complicated fragrance. The most bouyant, exuberant note, the one that is most prominent from opening to drydown, is the liquid, dry earth and flowers of raw frankincense. Or whatever was in that little bag, at any rate. There's a lot going on in No. 88: the rose is quiet and wonderful, the green in the topnotes is pure spring morning. But to me, even waking up this morning to the drydown clinging pleasantly to my t-shirt, it is a scent about temples

I get pure head shop from this one--in a glorious manner. Czech & Speak 88 is all about rose--and Indian incense. I'm not sure which incense stick I am positively identifying, but it is probably Chandan or Laxmi, maybe even a bit of Nag Champa. It is of the "masala" type, or mixture of woods and spices, very beautiful. This perfume had me singing, "When the moon is in its seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars..." It shall be mine someday.

Pluran mentions No. 88 in his review of Montale's Black Aoud, and the comparison is quite apt. Both are rich, dark, woody rose scents of tremendous intesity. I agree with pluran's assertion that No. 88 is the more complex and rounded of the two. It's more polished than Black Aoud, but that extra polish makes it less arresting than the Montale scent. Both are outstanding masculine rose-based fragrances, but I prefer the blunt savagery of Black Aoud to the sophisticated romance of No. 88. Personal preferences aside, No. 88 is a great scent, and a "must-try" for anybody who assumes that roses are not meant for men.