Esencia Loewe by Loewe, 1988

Yes dear Alfarom, buddy of mine, this one is like an oxymoron, i would talk about a " metallic-soapiness" or something like that. It's like Paco Rabanne Pour Homme and Salvador Dali Pour Homme go together for a romantic week-end to Rome or better to the gothic Prague, make love and give birth to this (more approachable) gem, a detergent, greenly metallic, a bit dusty and finally musty-soapy and leathery concoction. A bit shadowy and mystical, conservative for sure but basically timeless. I catch a first blast of astringent citrus-lavender, aromatic herbs (thyme, sage, juniper berries, mint, artemesia, terragon), angular flowers and finally a dark patchouli over a bed of moss and galbanum. There is a vintage-barbershop vibe around because of the herbs, the conifers, the angular flowers and because of the chord of rose, geranium, bergamot, lavender and patchouli. The metal encouters the soap in the body of the juice. What is due to determine the soapiness and the final suede? May be is benzoin or amber on the side of something like wax, a touch of honey, creamy tobacco or something else, who can really know? There is an incensey and rosey opacity around and some floral laundriness (musky iris, carnation geranium?) but there is also something more modern, more civilized like a sort of creamy neroli. A real pearl anyway, a classic that is able to hook the contemporary pleasure.

From Off-Scenter's review, the notes are as follows: Lavender, artemisia, juniper berry, galbanum, geranium, clary sage, pine, basil, oakmoss, fir, leather, tonka bean. I sprayed some on paper a few hours ago and came back to the strip just now. I thought I smelled cedar, but I'm guessing that's the fir. Wonderful woody cedar/fir drydown, one of my favorite notes in the base, sweetened by coumarin (tonka). Interesting there are no negative reviews (yet?) To me, Esencia falls into the category of natural-smelling aromatic herbal perfumes, which may not necessarily agree with different people, but don't have any of the really off-putting synthetic notes that some others have. You may not like it, but you would have to agree that it smells nice, at least after a few minutes. Yes, the opening is almost sour, it's so green. Probably best to leave it a bit before whiffing. The lavender, geranium and clary sage might be what give the soapy impression, to me not unpleasant. It seems in order to put everything in it which is necessary for the composition, the perfumer has sacrificed the first impression out of the bottle, which we should remember is not the basis on which any true perfume ought to be assessed, despite what celeb fragrance marketing would have us believe. There's a remarkable freshness in the middle notes, hard for me to identify individual notes, a minty note (basil?) lingering around. Yatagan does come to mind for me as well. There's a lot of crossover in the notes in Yatagan and Esencia. I find Yatagan very herbal and pleasant, not at the all the raunchy beast others seem to find in that bottle. As for the supposed leather note in Esencia, I don't get any leather at all. This one really does get better with time. It's a top-notch aromatic herbal chypre, very natural-smelling, a complement to clean skin, masculine and eminently wearable.

A hard rock-face jutting up from a peaceful, buzzing meadow, Esencia Loewe is a landscape of contrasts. One would never say a mountain does not belong where it is, and the same is true of Esencia's facets: they all work in absolute harmony, as the laws of nature do. Why? Modern science will never get to the root of the mysteries of the universe, and the same is true of Esencia; there are always more veins in the leaf, more corners in the cave, more dark matter, more details to unravel. And yet, as in a leaf, a coastline, or a galaxy, ineluctable cohesiveness pervades. A burst of the freshest, brightest, most invigorating herbs and citrus greets me upon depressing the lovely, solid frosted green bottle's atomizer. Bitter wormwood, crisp juniper berry, and tart, sophisticated bergamot lead the charge, with lavender in tow. This phase is brief but leaves its ruddy glow upon the following phases. I always spray on my clothes so this tart, juicy phase has as much tenacity as possible. Elegant clary sage and geranium leaves dominate the heart, flanked by lovely but very subtle florals, just enough to round out the dry herbs, spice, and resin: dusty tarragon, nutmeg, green galbanum and basil. I detect a very quiet, dry, almost fruity damask rose here that adds just the right poise without a hint of femininity. A mellow sweet glow, likely from jasmine, muguet, and the warmer base accords, but not easily detectable by any stretch, contrasts with the bitter, bright opening here. Crisp light coniferous notes form a side story, continuing the juniper through to a light fir finish. I don't get any "leather" at all from this fragrance, certainly not in the form of birch tar, and thank goodness for that. (I cannot stand the stuff.) The base's animalic warmth comes from a huge, creamy musk, sweetened with a little amber and spiked with a light touch of patchouli. What are surely the maximum IFRA doses of oakmoss and treemoss continue the green, foresty theme. (I would love to try a vintage bottle to see just how much moss the original formula had.) Judicious vetiver, cedar, and a little sandalwood form the structural backbone. I enjoy Esencia Loewe during all seasons, but Spring seems ideal. Underestimate the musk at your peril, however. While Esencia could not be considered potent per se (6 sprays is right for me), the musk can become overpowering in very hot weather; I have a theory that the musk accord was increased to make up for the reduction of moss in reformulation. Though Esencia transcends time in its compositional inevitability, it falls at the beginning of the transition period in men's fragrances away from the classic bitter green powerhouses with its rounded, mild base. I agree with The_Colognist that Esencia is an aromatic chypre-fougere hybrid with its lavender, bergamot, moss, labdanum (amber) and tonka. Comparisons to Polo Green are valid -- though Esencia has no birch tar, much less pine and far more elegance and complexity -- but comparisons to other chypres (Chanel pour Monsieur) are not. This is a different beast entirely. Personally speaking, Esencia Loewe is perhaps the only fragrance that appears to me as a mirror: it reflects all my facets in a cohesive picture that I relate to without any filters, without any masks, without any pretensions or affectations. Wearing Esencia is having an orchestral score accompany the movie of my life: I'm larger than life yet more centered while wearing it. Enjoy it with abandon!