C&S No. 88, Passage d'Enfer, New Haarlem...

Finally got my decants today (thanks again rjrober22) and I have to say that these scents are truly acquired tastes IMO. My first impressions...

Czech & Speak No. 88 - To me it smells just like lemon Pledge. I'm still waiting for the drydown, but all I get so far from it is a synthetic lemon note. It reminds me of one of those air fresheners that you spray as a room deodorizer. It projects quite well as I can smell on my wrist as I'm typing this.

Passage d'Enfer - I definitely get the incense note in this one. Like many have already said, it smells like a Catholic church. It also smells like a Buddhist temple if you've ever passed by one. I get a strong floral note in it that reminds me of the jasmine flowers that I have in my back yard. It stays rather close to the skin and I'm not sure on longevity yet.

Bond No. 9 New Haarlem - This one is incredible. It smells exactly like the Starbucks Coffee shop I used to work at. Fresh roasted coffee beans with a touch of sweetness. Perhaps it's a little too realistic. I can definitely see this one being easily overapplied. I thought A*men was strong. New Haarlem is a lot thicker and heavier to my nose, although not as sweet. Some have described this as smelling like chocolate, but it's more of a bitter dark chocolate rather than sweet milk chocolate. If you're looking for a coffee scent, this is the benchmark to compare everything else to IMO.

These are all scents that need some time before I "get" them. I wouldn't recommend buying blind because I consider them love/hate scents where you either like them or you don't. Out of all these, I can only see myself wearing New Haarlem although I can't think of many times when I would wear it. Feel free to comment.

I'm barely getting the rose note while the lemon is beginning to subside.
For some reason I also get some lavender too. I admit it's not as harsh/sharp during the drydown. It's getting better.

My fellow Basenoter Scentemental, I'm in no way offended by your post. I didn't see it as condescending but rather thoughtful. I should be the one to apologize if I've offended you in any way. I did not mean to criticize a scent you cherish. I was just posting my first impressions of No. 88 which to me literally smelled like lemon pledge. I was not being sarcastic or demeaning. My olfactory senses just made an immediate connection between the two familiar smells. A lot of my current favorites are scents that I initially disliked but grew to love.

I agree that the quality of No. 88 is above par and the true beauty of it lies in the drydown. If you read my second post I stated that as the topnotes begin to subside, the floral note reveals itself. I also think that my skin chemistry plays an important role because I asked my girlfriend to spray some on her wrist and the rose was much more dominant on her. I have hyperhydrosis and acidic sweat which both have the tendency to turn certain scents sour.

I appreciate the thought you put into your post and as a relatively new Basenoter, I hope to learn a lot more about fragrance in the future. I thank everyone who posted their opinions and comments, which was the whole point of this thread. I've acquired more than half of what I know about scents from this wonderful forum. Cheers to all.

Ok after testing these several more times, I've got a different take on these scents. It's funny how all the subtle nuances seem to jump out at you during the 5th or 6th testing.

Czech & Speake No. 88 - In my first assessment, I compared it to Lemon Pledge. Well, I tested it against Demeter's citrus/Lime scent to see if there's any similarities to a citrus note. Side by side there is a big difference. The bergamot in 88 really doesn't smell like lemon at all and actually smells more floral. I notice that if sprayed lightly, the rose note opens up a lot more. It's not a dirty rose smell like VDR, but more like fresh roses in the morning after a rainy night. Although I view this scent in a different light, I'm sad to say that it just isn't for me. It's a little too "cold" for my tastes, to which I'm more fond of warm and inviting scents. This scent IMO evokes a feeling of solitude and tranquility. I now understand why people say this smells "ancient" and would be a perfect fragrance for Dracula. For those of you who are wondering, I personally wouldn't wear this to the clubs as a chick magnet.

Passage d'Enfer - In my first assessment, the incense was the prominent note I could detect. When I smell it now, it's actually quite subtle compared to the floral notes and sandalwood. There's also a "waxy" quality about it similar to candle wax. I can't put my finger on it though. I've grown to like this one a lot despite my initial impression of it. I used to think it smelled bland and weak. Now I think it's a sexy scent that just doesn't draw too much attention. At first I thought it was short-lived but upon subsequent wearings, I was able to catch whiffs of it every now and then throughout the day. The sample of Tam Dao I received from scentemental reminds me very much of this, but without the incense note. There are other differences between them and I like them both. All in all I guess you could say I'm now a fan of Passage d'Enfer. I like it a lot, perhaps even enough to consider purchasing a big bottle.

Bond No. 9 New Haarlem - My thoughts on this one remain pretty much the same. It's a straightforward scent that doesn't hide anything. However, I could see myself getting tired of it rather quickly. Being a lover of sweet frags, I thought I'd never say this about a gourmand...but the burnt coffee/chocolate notes can be too much and cloying.

I'm still continuing to test all of these scents in hopes that I might discover something new about them. Thanks to everyone who inspired me to give them another chance. Cheers. Â*