Concentré D'Orange Verte (2004)
by Hermès

Still one of the best orange fragrances around. Not too sweet, well balanced with the slight spicyness (from the patchouli?) Very clean and fresh though, but avoids those nasty aldehydes you get in many summer freshies.

Smells like orange. The Hermes cologne collection is supposed to be more linear, simple, but still very nice fragrances, and the Eau d'Orange Verte is the pure expression of this. No complexity here, where Terre d'Hermes plays a symphony with the orange tree, this one smashes you in the face with the business end of the fruit, perhaps less ripe than you're used to. "Verte" means green dontcha know- and this does add a very greeny leafy accent to the orangey orange.

I suppose out of all the colognes it became popular enough that Hermes just made it an EdT, but even with that you're looking at like 5 hours max. Still much better than the colognes, whose longevity really makes you ponder what the point is.

I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. It certainly does what it sets out to do very well with little compromise and I can certainly respect that. Orange is a rather universally liked scent so it probably won't put anyone off. Still, with Terre d'Hermes and all of its apostles sitting literally inches away from it, I don't see much reason to favor it unless you absolutely must smell purely like oranges for some occasion.

People wanted it, and people got it: a stronger and longer-lasting version of Hermés Eau de Cologne/Eau d'Orange Verte (1979). The problem is, the same ingredients dialed up do not the same scent make, as anyone who has experienced something like Guerlain Habit Rouge (1965) in it's many concentrations can attest. People looking for a stronger and longer-lasting version of Eau d'Orange Verte's lovely dark moss and patchouli dry down will be sadly disappointed, as this iteration increases the heart and top notes plus adds a few more notes not present in the original to create a unique fragrance. The good news is this keeps owning both versions from feeling redundant, but in doing so also fails to give people just looking for better performance from the original an empty bag to hold. Everyone else going in with zero expectations might actually find Concentrée d'Orange Verte fairly zesty and refreshing.

Jean Guichard was on board for Concentrée d'Orange Verte, as these were the days just prior to Jean-Claude Ellena becoming house perfumer for Hermés. Bitter orange and lemon open Concentrée d'Orange Verte just as they did Eau d'Orange Verte, but are joined by a stiffer peppermint and added galbanum "orange leaf" note that really amps up the green factor. The faux rose accord from geraniol and fruit is gone, replaced by vetiver and the blackcurrant bud moved down into the heart, doubling down on the fresh green and zest. The oakmoss and patchouli are also present but sit alongside an Iso E Super wood tone to give Concentrée d'Orange Verte more push-off from skin. Wear time is a good eight hours and sillage is moderate albeit still upgraded compared to the original. The lack of a big oakmoss and patchouli vibe helps Concentrée d'Orange Verte feel more unisex and less mature than the original, which translates as more versatile and pleasing to a wider range of taste.

I still prefer the "Cologne Par Excellence" of the François Caron-penned original Hermés Eau de Cologne/Eau d'Orange Verte, but I admit Concentrée d'Orange Verte is nice for what it is, if not a bit better-suited to hot weather thanks to copious amounts of mint and green garden tones. Fans of bitter leafy scents like Ninféo Mio by Annick Goutal (2009) or the intense mint of the concurrently-released Dirty by Lush (2004) can almost imagine them smashed together with a speck of the forthcoming Terre d'Hermès (2006) swimming in the background thanks to the Iso E. Very fresh, very good, just very different from the classic Eau d'Orange Verte, and enough to warrant testing in store before buying for fans of the original. This is Hermés doing the only other thing in perfumery besides leather scents that it does best: making lean and green perfumes full of distinction! Thumbs Up!

Very interesting hyper-bitter basil and greenery scent with a hint of bitter orange. Has a very cool minty quality to itas well. Would be great for summers. It smells very similar to Proraso Azur Lime cologne which is a cheaper alternative to this with lime instead of orange. Sillage is moderate while longevity is pretty good for a fresh fragrance. However it is a bit too bitter for my liking.

4/5

Mythical god's fruit
Though you never really were
You really were great.