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.

The base elements of Cedarwood and Sandalwood seem to dominate from the outset, providing a dry accord with an air of expired medication. A formulaic and linear fragrance, this winds inexorably towards an uninspiring conclusion without deviation or inspiration

Truly repulsive opening.
overpowering Cardamom spice. Smells too much like a savory cooking spice
Drydown is a little more floral, and less foul, but unspectacular.
Few things make me fee sickky - this did.

What a weird scent! Are we sure the pyramid notes are not upside down? For me it begins with a strong base of cedarwood and sandalwood with a hint of jasmine, but an hour afterwards turns into one of the most " perfumy " concoctions imaginable.
I'd say teenybopper feminine, but I have too high a regard for 13 year old girls that (excusably) wear Tommy Girl. Come to think of it, it's far more irritatingly floral than TG. Is it the Jasmine? Cardamon, cilantro or cumin? Spices Gone Wild?
I neither know nor care, but this barbershop has gone mod mondo bizarro.
I wonder what Admiral Nelson would think? Oh Well, can't win 'em all . . .

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.

Spicy Acqua di Gio. Actually, not entirely bad. By the way, the juice is blue!

Trafalgar is a spicy little jasmine number with below average longevity and sillage. The pyramid denies any trace of a fruit note, but it is easily perceived as having a couple of mellon balls floating inside. It's a polite scent which I can't imagine causing offense in any manner. I like it well enough, but I tend to grow tired of it after a while (so it's a good thing it doesn't last all that long). I liked it in the store, so I bought it; but I doubt I'll make it through my whole bottle. If I do, I really doubt I'd buy a new one.

The opening of Trafalgar is very promising. Sharp yet slightly floral, it was a nice barbershop fragrance, as you might expect from T & H. I liked it a lot, even if it wasn't terribly distinctive. The problem was/is the drydown, wherein I detected a "cedar-and-mellon" mix that I really didn't like. Longevity is moderate, but since I didn't care for this after about thirty minutes, that was a bit of a blessing. My sense is that Truefitt & Hill wanted to make this something of a traditional fragrance with modern elements. The modern part went astray, IMHO. Stick to their traditional fragrances, which are worthy,

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).

Notes: Citrus, Jasmin, Spices, Cedar, Sandalwood

A bit of trivia about this cologne:
"Trafalgar owes its name to one of the most celebrated naval engagements in European history - the battle of Trafalgar. This famous maritime confrontation took place off Cape Trafalgar, on the southern coast of Spain, on 21st October 1805, the very year in which William Francis Truefitt established his business. The overwhelming British victory destroyed Napoleon's plan to invade England and helped to secure the British naval supremacy for years to come. The British however suffered almost 1500 casualties, amongst them, Britain’s hero, Admiral Nelson, who was mortally wounded."

Cardamom definitely plays a big role in Trafalgar. Its almost immediately perceptible from the beginning, first meshing with citrus notes at the top before defining the main accord with cedar and jasmine. Jasmine does it part in subduing the potent combo of cedar + cardamom. Trafalgar is one of those moody scents; in cooler weather, the cardamom blends seamlessly with other more bright and floral ingredients to create a masculine spicy woody aroma. In warmer temperatures, the cardamom gets out of control, and just like the british, overpowers the composition, establishing its nasal supremacy.

Would I buy it? No. Do I care about British history ? No to that too. But Trafalgar might be worth your time if you are partial to the note of cardamom.

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.

Quite a good balance of the sharp woods, sweet jasmine and spice. The house note of cardamon is present in this spice accord. I normally am not a fan of cardamon, but here it doesnt ruin the scent for me. As levente says, this is good in cold weather.

I have a love/hate relationship with Trafalgar. It is unrelenting and harsh at temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, but becomes bracing and distinctive in cooler weather. A heavy dose of jasmine with some spice and woods, at its best it is a very upright Brit. The only other fragrance this reminds me of is Caswell Massey's Jockey Club, although Trafalgar is superior. At the very least, it is Truefitt & Hill's most interesting offering.