Hermèssence Poivre Samarcande (2004)
by Hermès

A great production by Ellena. Smoky and peppery very stylish scent. The note I perceive to be strongest is the cuir note. Very very good manly parfume. Finally a great experience for my nose.

25th January, 2012.

You're greeted by a smooth, peppery scent with a sort of woody chilli, calming down to a smooth wood and pepper-base.

I'd call it smooth and sofisticated, without ever being shouty or aggressive. My girlfriend really liked this one, and claimed it lasted way longer than I could smell it.

I have to chime in with others and agree that the sillage is pretty low. That's probably the price to pay for an extremely smooth fragrance that whispers, rather than shout about itself.

All in all extremely sexy, sophisticated and smooth, yet understated and calm. If you're heavily into something like A*men, this could very well disappoint you with its calm nature, but if you're done with the shouting, this is the fragrance for you.

28th December, 2011.

If you are new to frags like at this writing) I am, you owe it to yourself to give this scent a smell. "Like pepper" as others have said, and not at all sweet in nature, and something that if you worry what people might think should you suddenly appear in public smelling like...well...perfume, this is one you should have no problem with.

26th September, 2011.

In my opinion this is the best of Hermessences. Pepper is well executed in this fragrance. Non-offensive and very welcoming. Been wearing it for the past 7 years and love it!

16th August, 2011.

Poivre Samarcande's opening with pungent spicy pepper and woods brings to my mind of countless perfumes I smelled in the past 10 years. It's pleasant but lacks in personality. Same story for the drydown that is surely refined but still not so interesting for me. HPS is a nice scent, no more, no less. It could be enough if just half priced and composed by some anonimous perfumeur, but it costs 200 bucks and it's by JC Ellena.

A good option could be to include it the travel set available at a cheaper price with 4x15ml vials at your choice form the hermessence range.

13rd April, 2011.

This is the more refined, subtler son of Eau D'Hermes, with the unmistakably louche aura that's the family crest. Nose-tingling pepper on very mild vetiver and citrus, with the sweaty basenote that is Ellena's homage to Roudnitska's Eau D'Hermes and Eau Sauvage. Ellena did a similar iteration in Bigarade, but there the orange is unmistakable. Reviewers who didn't get anything animalic surprise me. This has the scent of a sweaty fat guy or gal but, remarkably, in Ellena's hands, it becomes compelling, not disgusting. This one wears close to the skin, as intended; it's an "essence," an effort to impart a scent that seems to be coming from the wearer's pores rather than a bottle. Unfortunately, you have to use copious amounts if you want to be able to smell it on yourself. Unless you really give yourself a few thick coats, no sillage. Ellena is so subtle I expect he'll soon be making fragrances at homeopathic dilutions, smellable only by the four legged.

3rd March, 2011.