Esencia Loewe (1988)
by Loewe

There isn't a ton of information about Esencia Loewe (1988) besides the fact that it hails from an extremely-venerable Spanish leather maker that traces its origins back to 1846. Esencia Loewe is the follow-up to the first Loewe masculine perfume, Loewe para Hombre/Loewe pour Homme (1978), and comes across like your kitchen-sink aromatic/animalic heavy hitter typical of the 1980's. Esencia Loewe tries to step on the toes of several popular fragrances of the day at once, namely Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men (1984), Chanel Antaeus (1981), and Ralph Lauren Polo (1977), which although a holdover from the previous decade, was still a major player. There is a lot going on in Esencia Loewe, and I do mean a lot, plus the scent tries to factor in a bit of the rose/geranium-tinted masculine dandy revival spirit that scents like Salvador Dali pour Homme (1987) and Lord Molyneux by Parfums Molyneux (1988) had. All told, key base notes eventually win the day as it dries down, but on the way there Esencia Loewe can be one Hell of a ride. Staunch fans of 80's powerhouses probably already know what's up with Esencia Loewe, so I'm not saying anything new here for those guys, but for everyone else not worshipping at the Church of Oakmoss, here's your warning shot to steer clear.

For starters, Esencia Loewe comes out of the gate with lots of sour green elements like galbanum and tarragon over bergamot and lemon, with some juniper berry adding a twang of sweetness to it all. The heart is a trainwreck of geranium, rose, and clary sage bombarded by spices and herbs like nutmeg, basil and thyme. The sourness of the opening powers through this middle phase and lends itself well to the transition from dandy floral melange to resinous base materials, a transition that happens fairly quickly as a stiff balsam fir pine note reveals itself. This sticky and sappy pine note becomes the calling card of Esencia Loewe, flanked by a huge plonk of civet and patchouli that recalls Givenchy Gentleman (1974), mulled over by catoreum leather notes, a virile amber, and enough oakmoss to fumagate a roach motel. The vetiver, tonka, and sandalwood are minor players that help rope in all the musky aromas of pine and secretions, allowing trails of the rose and geranium to reappear here and there. Wear time is easily over 10 hours and this will pump out good projection and sillage all day, so go easy on the trigger. Something this dense feels best in fall through early spring, and is not very work-friendly unless your coworkers are open-minded about fragrance. For me, something like this could best be used to enhance a hiking trip in the mountains.

Once the aromatic rollercoaster comes to an end, what Escencia Loewe most resembles is an animalic patchouli fragrance peppered with florals and smacked with a dose of pine, to make you feel like you rolled around on the forest floor. Older perfume guys who've spent time around Esencia Loewe like to compare it to Polo but I think it is less similar to that than it is the aforementioned Givenchy, since the patchouli becomes so prominent late in the wear. This is another one that vintage purists say has been uttery ruined by reformulation, but since my review comes from vintage stock, I can't confirm that but I can say that you should likely suspect the bergamot, oakmoss and animal musks to be dialed back in newer bottles because those are the things that have either been targeted by IFRA for regulation or just are taboo to the modern nose. If you have a collection rife with strong manly 80's smells, this may be a good addition, but if that collection is full of patchouli-heavy perfumes, Esencia Loewe may seem redundant. Likewise, if you tend to sway more towards cleaner smells, wearing Esencia Loewe may feel a tad like summoning Beetlejuice, although for me that would be a point of merit. Esencia Loewe is a very solid, dense, well-executed aromatic powerhouse from a brand that doesn't get much talk for its perfumes. Thumbs up