Opus 1870 (2005)
by Penhaligon's

An okay but, largely, faint and nondescript eau de cologne that comes across as one big sissy, when placed amongst so-called EDTs masquerading around as EDCs.

[Original submission date: 24 November 2008]

Opus 1870 has a more modern feel to it than most of the fragrances I have tried from this house (e.g., Blenheim Bouquet, English Fern and Douro come to mind). It is about woods; primarily cedar, a bit smoky, a touch of spice. The opening has a bit of sweetness which diminishes in the development. A pleasant, classy masculine.

A great ,balanced ,smart and evocative scent ! Bright and discreet at the same time ,traditional and modern ,so, very "british". It takes me into english gardens (roses),london's clubs (wood) palace's chapel (incense)and grocery(spices).Unfortunatly it doesn't last too much on me...

An excellent formal fragrance, that evolves beautifully from the application onwards. A sharp astringent opening with a feint citric and clove blend that continues to tighten into the drydown. A fabulous Cedarwood and Sandalwood medley awaits the wearer from the third hour onward, and it continues to develop until its demise several hours later. Decent longevity, and sillage, I found this to be a delightfully balanced formal fragrance.

Very nice sweet scent with cedar and pepper - complements most anything anytime

The opening comes to me as a sophisticated black pepper / citrus note. It’s refined, it’s excellent, and within about eight minutes it is already well into its spicy / floral heart. I like the heart even better than the opening. It’s rich and full ranged with the sweet delicate cinnamon, the deep dark red rose note, and the touch of resinous brought about by the incense. The woody base emphasizes cedar and includes a bit of sandalwood – I don’t get much musk, but I still get incense and rose. I feel that the base is the least effective of the levels in Opus 1870. I find the fragrance quite discreet – it doesn’t project much at all from my skin and it is short lived. The lack of projection I can accept and even enjoy… the limited longevity I have a harder time with…