Cerruti 1881 Black

I picked-up several Cerruti fragrances back in the Spring including 1881 Black. I only tried it once and didn't recall any details since one of the other 1881 fragrances caught my attention. Fast forward three-seasons and I said to myself, "Wow, I really like this one" when it was applied to my skin: 1881 Black walked that fine line of having a clean, fresh, sweet side but also striking a nice balance with having a woodsy-spicy side. Nice! After spending 10-minutes wondering why I didn't give this fragrance more attention upon first sniff...well, the lavender started to push-forward, and push-forward loudly on my skin. While I do love some lavender fragrances, I really loved how 1881 Black opened and didn't like how it transitioned to this lavender-heavy stage. Fortunately, 20-minutes later and I'm really enjoying the drydown: woods, fresh-spices and a touch of marzipan sweetness. Not to shabby! This fragrance performs well for inexpensive EDT: lasts 7-hours on my skin and projects moderately except for that lavender phase in which radiates off my skin for about an hour. Overall, I like this one: versatile scent that is good for the office and in most casual settings. In a nutshell: the opening is excellent; the heart a bit challenging and the drydown very nice. A very good fragrance for the price.

1881 Black is not a new version of the OG 1881, but an entirely new creation. The word Black envokes a dark and sensual feeling. It is very sweet and alluring. The pepper balances out the sweetness and it’s a smooth but sexy smell that could be unisex. In my experience the scent is entirely different if sprayed on the chest versus the arms/hands. As some have complained here, it turns into a “pencil led” after an hour. Which is terrible TBH. But when sprayed on the chest it is magic and stays that way for it’s duration! All-in-all I consider this a unique, slightly spicy, very sweet smell that is well worth the money. It’s not necessarily a versatile fragrance and is best suited for evening events such as dinner, movie nights, dates and even nightlife. It’s sillage is strong when applied to my chest.

Dark-ish with a sweet note. Different and exciting, supposed to have been inspired by the seductive, balmy atmosphere of an Italian evening. The first time I sprayed this on my wrist, at an airport duty free, it smelled medicinal, so I put the bottle down and walked away. 10 minutes later, I was intrigued by a sexy smell near by, so I looked around trying to find the wearer of this mysterious scent. There was nobody, the smell was coming from me..it was the Cerutti 1881 Black. Wow! On the dry-down, it smells really good. So I went back and bought it. This is how impressed I was. If you are into male gourmands, like me, this could be a nice and interesting addition to your collection. Silage and longevity are both good. Also complements to the designer of the bottle; it's a work of art.

I totally love this bittersweet harmony created with marzipan, cedarwood and orange in combination with the warmth and depth that the exotic spices provide! What gives this scent another punchline, is that the orange and the pepper notes add a very nice breeze of freshness and liveliness, to ensure that you do not fall asleep in all this sweet and pleasant warmth. All the ingredients are perfectly balanced and create a seductive, warm, deep and complex atmosphere that just makes me feel sexy! A first class, modern and masculine, oriental scent, that gives you more maturity by simply wearing it! Also it last very long on skin. Perfect composition, perfect longevity, perfect projection - that is true quality!

Cerruti are surely one of the most underrated houses. The original 1881 is a favourite, and stands as a unique fragrance. This flanker doesn't share much with the original, but it's great on its own merit. It's soft and spicy as described in the dry down, it starts of very fruity, but soon dries to that soothing powdery soft spice. There is a mild Woody smell, I don't know what it is, but it isn't oud. Lovely, with good projection, and rather good longevity also.