Davidoff by Davidoff, 1984

Davidoff opens with a strong lime note, mixed with just a hint of lemon. This lemon-lime tandem immediately mingles with a very strong oak moss rising all the way from the base, giving the open a very mossy-citric vibe. The oakmoss remains into the heart, now joined by an emerging leather accord that takes a co-starring role with the oakmoss supported by a slightly herb-laced floral tandem consisting of carnation and rose. As Davidoff enters the dry-down stage, it presents primarily as a powdery mossy castoreum-laced leather. Projection and longevity are both excellent. Davidoff is a fine scent that represents what the best powerhouse scents of the 80s are all about. It must have a tremendous amount of oakmoss in it, as when you spray it on skin you immediately get a blast of that mossy base that you can no longer find in current releases due to ingredient restrictions. The lemon-lime citric mossy green open is quite unique despite many others attempting to emulate it over the years, leading to the fabulous leathery finish. If I have any gripe with Davidoff, it would have to be the scent turns a bit more powdery than I like in the dry-down, but with that said, the overall scent from top to bottom is pretty amazing. As an aside, it is a shame Davidoff is discontinued, but knowing how restricted the oakmoss in it is nowadays, I regrettably have to agree with the decision, as it would not smell anything like it used to if still available today. My advice is to seek out a discontinued bottle as quickly as you can, as they are becoming very scarce and quite pricey on places like eBay. The excellent smelling original Davidoff earns 4 stars out of 5.

A bottle of potent, refind juice - best ever from this house...and there are plenty of other bottles that Davidoff has put out over the years that are staples in fragrance lovers' wardrobes. It is a true aromatic fougere with an old-school masculine vibe. If you don't like sharp carnation, fresh-squeezed lime and warm leather blended with green notes (basil and artemisia) - then don't even consider buying it. The drydown has nice patchouli and moss coming in, but Davidoff retains its freshness and sharp notes throughout. This is a classic...a fragrance from yesteryear that can only be worn by someone with class and attitude. You could wear it as a formal fragrance or even dressed down - but you MUST wear it with attitude, or it will wear you. I put this next to some very special bottles of mine. Davidoff stands up well - in fact, it surpasses some that I hold in very high regard. Refined, powerful, masculine and classic. It has been reviewed very well here and I like what shamu1 said...very MACHO indeed, and rare. 9/10! **Update** - After multiple wearings and comparisons to scents of this era (and anything in this world that is considered fragrance), I come back to the shirt-staining green juice and take a knee. I bow in admiration - this is a masterpiece among scents. My updated rating is, humbly...perfection. 10/10. Epic.

Sometimes a fragrance comes along which massively exceeds any expectations one might have of it and Davidoff is that fragrance. Yes it's powerful, yes it's long-lasting but it also has that 'x-factor' indefinable quality which makes you want to keep getting those satisfying whiffs curling up to your nose. It starts out bold and brash with big citrus and floral notes which, when sniffed closely, are really intense and, to my nose at least, pretty crude but then the magic happens! The heart is beautiful, warm, woody and tobacco-like with hints of dry vetiver coming through then the everlasting drydown with a prominant leather note and patchouli adding into the mix. This is a fragrance which if applied carefully (not too little, not too much) envelops the wearer in a fantastic glowing aura - the smell is moreish and satisfying. The overall feel is old-school, gentleman's club - I can imagine this would smell GREAT mixed with cigar smoke (or even cigarette smoke). I'm not a smoker but it's that kind of frag. I absolutely LOVE this and wish, like many others, that Davidoff would respect their heritage and keep this in production. Sure, it's not going to out sell Cool Water but I'm sure Davidoff doesn't need the $$$...! The original and, by far, the best.

I am going to give a contrarian review of Davidoff. Not only contrary to the negative reviews, that's easy because Davidoff is really good, but also to the positive. When I found out about the first Davidoff scent I sighed and realistically prepared myself for the fact that I would never get to smell it. I did find a bottle and it turned out quite differently from what I had expected reading the preceding reviews (before the Basenotes powerhouse gang starting handing out thumbs up.) I imagined Davidoff as a harsh, loud, crude yet somehow loveable concoction. But fragrances never turn out the way you imagine. Sometimes they even turn out better. First off all, Davidoff isn't that strong. Sure, it is a powerhouse and very much from the 1980s but it is nowhere near the intensity of the four Big Hitters (namely Kouros, Van Cleef & Arples pour homme, Quorum and Lapidus pour homme) more in the range of the original Oscar De La Rent pour Lui (which also contrary to its fame isn't that loud on me.) I drop that reference because Davidoff shares a certain elegance and complexity with that magnificent scent. You are a man of taste self-assured, affable, into the good things of life- when you know how to wear these scents. There just isn't anything off-putting about Davidoff, this is yet again another supposedly civet-loaded fragrance that fails to raise an eyebrow. The highlight for me, that strangely enough nobody has mentioned before, is the enchanting hay-like heart of Davidoff courtesy of the classic hay-vetiver interplay, seguing into a tobacco note, that brings back memories of sniffing my father's tins and envelopes filled with pipe tobacco as a child. I can understand why Davidoff discontinued its first scent. The times changed, their own Cool Water completely changed the game, people quit smoking and this is, as many a powerhouse, a smoker's perfume. But instead of reformulating Davidoff like has happened to most powerhouses (see for instance the sad case of Jacomo de Jacomo) maybe it was more admirable to just retire it. Too bad for me, I could easily wear this as a signature scent for the rest of my life.