Reviews of Trafalgar (1986)
by Truefitt & Hill

One of the famous "reverse drydowns".
It starts woody (cedar & sandal) and spicy (nutmeg & cardamom)...
...then dries down into a combination of sharp, sour citrus/lemon, and sweet, soft Jasmine.
I like it, but it is best when the weather isn't too hot, as that reveals the synthetic nature.
Still a very nice "fresh spice" scent for mild and even cool weather.

Very nice scent, it definitely has the barbershop scent thing going on which means sharp, fresh, clean and strong to me.

I am picking up a heavy lime note here on top of the other notes listed in the pyramid, I would say it is the predominate note even though it is not listed. The jasmine also helps to balance the tartness of the lime with the smoothness of the woods to help round out the scent overall.

It does have great silage and is loud, it does not hang close to the skin like so many colognes do today. Longevity seems to be quite good as well. Easily 6 hours with diminishing loudness as it approaches that.

Trafalgar does not evolve however, it remains pretty one dimensional from start to finish.

Overall a very nice barbershop'esqe fragrance that men can enjoy.

It is the freshness and the jasmin that makes this scent a hit - yes the spices are there ............. but it is the huge amount of jasmin that carries the whole notes together......... it is very well balanced and stays trully masculin.

It is not too heavy - reminding us that the 80s are far gone - so I would call it Modern - with one Old and Classic ingredient that put it in the Barber style Cologne - and that is soooooo 2008.

I have not tested something similar over the years so nothing to compare it with - another good point.

Actually I think the Blue color of the Cologne and the packaging of the range do reflect well the "springy" style.

What I do like with this scent is that it can be worn anytime - business - week end etc.....(I have tried it in summer yet !!)

It would not surprise me that some younger customer do get this one to get away from the scent fashion trends.

It is good to have something just for men for a change and this Company caters for us ONLY - GREAT

This is one of the two T&H's I like and would wear - the top note strikes me as either clove or cardamom -or most likely both - and bay. The scent calms down to a lovely light jasmine -most unusual for a cologne that begins spicy, but it works.
After an hour there is a hint of cedar amongst the jasmine. This is a very very light and charming scent, not cloying as so many spice/floral scents can be. A refreshing summer cologne

I’ve tried Trafalger for two days in a row and I like it. The blue colour is a bit misleading, since it – along with the name – suggests a marine/fresh type of scent. Nothing of the sort! As the T&F blurb says, this is a spicy wood fragrance. Ah, but what kind of spice? Various theories have been suggested below. The prevailing theory to date identifies the spice as cardamom, for me a sweetlyh delicate spice...I don’t think it is here. One person suggested cilantro; however this is properly classed as an herb since it is the green leaves of the cilantro plant. These have an extremely piercing and strong quality, like parsley on steroids. Anyone who has tasted these in a curry or Mexican food will remember that experience! No one suggested coriander (the dried seeds of the cilantro plant), which could be part of the mix with their peppery yet delicate scent, which is slightly nutty and woody. However, my leading suggestion is cumin, a bitter spice which in shape and profile is a bit like caraway. I definitely smell that here, perhaps with a bit of coriander. Other elements... the citrus-lime opening is very nice, fresh, a bit salty. The base note of cedar is remarkable, just like pencil shavings (in a pleasant way). Others have remarked on the jasmine, for me it is a background/softening element rather than something noteworthy in its own right. As I said, I like this, it is an interesting scent. Cumin may not be to everyone’s taste. However, Trumper’s Eucris is another cumin scent, and it is exceptional!

Truefitt & Hill makes some interesting colognes for men. My personal favorites are 1805 and Freshman. Clubman is quite nice as well. Trafalgar is very different than most anything else made by Truefitt & Hill.

The main top note I detect is cilantro. A love it or hate it scent. I'm not a big fan but thankfully it only lasts for about 10 minutes. Then the cologne starts to turn into something spicy. This phase of the cologne is quite unique. Finally Trafalgar dries down into a very nice Sandalwood/Cedarwood with a hint of spice.

Nice in cool weather but there are better choices for the summer (like 1805 or Freshman).

This is one of my favorite citrus/floral/wood compositions. The jasmine is full-on for a masculine fragrance. I also detect a good amount of lime, which blends wonderfully with the jasmine and cedar. As a previous reviewer stated, there is a fair presence of cardamom. It is not so potent to where it can be mistaken as body odeur though. My only wish is that it would be a bit more tenacious. But I don't think it would be as interesting if it were. I do love to wear this in the warmer months. I just apply one spritz instead of two. It is a very natural jus. I find it to be a bit like Oyedo by Diptyque but less unusual and more floral.

I rather enjoy this spicy cologne, but it's really only suitable for cold weather. Like levente says, it gets pretty harsh at anything above 60.