Cathedral
by Neil Morris Fragrances

I completely agree with Odisseusm, this one is more a leathery-floral than a smoky-incensey concoction under my nose. The sweetness is made of florals, balsams and talky elements in the way the scent becomes powdery, sweetly resinous and leathery (leather and labdanum) in the final development. Some dark woods shadow a bit the juice but it lacks that liturgical, gothic and darkly spiritual temperament of Dzongkha, Black Tourmaline or Avignon while is neither sophisticated and deliciously spicy as Black Cashmere or Wazamba nor aromatic or balsamic as Encense Epices or Cardinal. An incensey fragrance that didn't strike at all my taste.

27th September, 2011.

“You are walking alone through a grand cathedral. It is dark and intimate with the residue of a thousand incense burnings. A single shaft of light penetrates the darkness.” So NM.

Well, I think a better description would be, “You settle into your richly-oiled leather chair at the gentleman’s club. You catch the sweet and strong scent of women’s powder make-up. Must speak to Jeeves; deuced laxity in allowing women into the club…”

Two questions: where is the incense? Where is the smoke?
On me, this is a very sweet leather-oriented scent. I’d call it a floral leather. What this has to do with a cathedral I can’t imagine. At times, the flowers and leather give a honeyed note or something like clover. People who like sweet scents might appreciate this one. I found the sweetness became so irritating that I had to wash it off.

11th August, 2011.

This fragrance is less like a Cathedral incense fragrance and more like the actual interior of a cathedral. It smells warmly of oak, cedar, smoke, leather, and labdanum. I like the fragrance quite a bit but more for its nicely polished wood and leather feel. But, it pales in comparison to Avignon, or Black Tourmaline for a smoke incense mood incense. I am conflicted on this fragrance. I like how it smells, but it doesn't go with the name.

14th September, 2009.

Not my cup of tea -- not at all.

I had been expecting a dark and mysterious incense fragrance in the vein of Black Cashmere, or perhaps a bright and cheery incense along the lines of Villoresi's Incensi.

What I got instead here was a real clunker -- a very heavy and (IMHO) poorly constructed beast made mostly of labdanum and smoke. I could occasionally smell the ylang ylang, yes, but it came through smelling very like the charred remnants of a florist's shop after a blazing fire had whipped through.

This, I reckon, is what's left in the bottom of the censer after Mass is over. Thumbs down, indeed.

25th February, 2009.