Concentrée D'Orange Verte (2004)
by Hermès

When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do with my allowance money was to bike down to the convenience store and buy a pack of orange bubble gum--Hubba Bubba or Bubblicious. I'd unwrap each piece of gum and line them up in front of me. I'd begin chewing a piece and in about 60 seconds when the flavor had started to wane, I'd spit it aside and replace it with a fresh piece. I would repeat this process until I had exhausted the pack. It was an exercise in futility, trying to keep that tangy orange wave of flavor surging over my taste buds forever-- like trying to maintain an illicit high. Coincidentally, wearing the original Eau D'Orange Verte EDC is sometimes a similar race against time.

Fortunately, Concentrée D'Orange Verte smells a lot like the orange gum I loved as a kid. Refreshing, juicy, crisp and cool. There is also a bit of dirtiness to this scent that I think gives it a necessary depth. And the great thing is that it lasts a long time and projects very well. I find it very satisfying and it works great by itself and also in tandem with the original during the spring and summer months.

This fragrance was created by Jean Guichard, director of the Givaudan Perfumery School. NOT BY JEAN-CLAUDE ELLENA.

Thought I reviewed this already...anyway, I find this to resemble Dior's Eau Sauvage. I really like this though, much better than the non-concentree version which has almost no longevity. As much as I like this though, I can't help but want to reach for Eau Sauvage and its flankers instead. The Fraicheur Cuir version is pure delight. Either way, CdOV is good stuff and it is cheaper than ES.

The dirty(!) green and orange opening is quite a kick! The concoction dries down quickly to a straightforward and refreshing orange and mint tropical drink of a heart. Mostly quite translucent, but is that underlying musty-dirty note that I detect over the woody base a touch of cumin? Whatever it is, it just saves Concentrée d'Orange Verte from being a run-of-the-mill citrus scent. Nice, but I'm not compelled. Elléna took the animalic citrus trope much farther in his masterful Déclaration, and the classic Eau d'Hermès upon which Déclaration was in turn based is of far more interest to me as well. If you like the idea of Déclaration as bonsai, Elléna has done roughly the same thing, only better, in Cologne Bigarade and Bigarade Concentrée for Frédéric Malle. Those two both benefit from an especially intense bitter orange note and a more interesting and conspicuous application of cumin.

A good solid cologne, with bright orange top notes riding a rather outdoorsy wood-and-herb heart. Sadly, I have to wonder where all the "concentrée" is. On my skin, this absolutely lacked any kind of staying power; in about five minutes it had disappeared completely. However, I enjoyed those five minutes immensely and wish I could have drawn them out a little longer. (Next time I'll use a trick that my sister uses when she desires a boost in scent longevity-- she applies it to her fingertips, then combs her hands through her hair from root to tip.)

Smells exactly like the bottle... dark green body misted over by crisp orange effervescence, interestingly edged with a little musky note. Fabulous.