1709 Original Eau de Cologne

Bought this at the perfume museum in Cologne, and instantly fell in love with the scent. Its notes aren't that complicated, as stated in their online shop, but I love it! Like others had said, the formula has not changed for over 300 years, and is still managed by the same family. The drawback is that this perfume is an eau de cologne, and will disappear a couple/a few hours after application. You can still smell them on your neck after long hours, but people around you is unlikely to smell anything. They are also quite pricey; their pricing is a lot like high-end brand perfumes (40 euros for 50mL). I, however, believe it is worth the price, not for its scent longevity only, but because of its uniqueness. It has a long history to it, and remains classic throughout the years. Aside from being pricey, they are quite hard to buy physically, since they don't stock it to other countries like its sister EDC (4711) does-- you can only buy them in Cologne, but you can always buy them online as long as you don't mind paying the shipping fees.

Thank you, Fragrantica, for adding this perfume to your database. (my request) It's an honor to be a first one to review this historical and very special perfume. I have always thought that 4711 was the real old original eau de cologne. How wrong i was. Almost 100 years earlier, in 1709, the italian parfumer Farina came to Koln and created there his wonderful perfume, which reminded him of a beautiful Italian fresh morning.. It's excactly how it smells. I've been to the museum/shop of Farina Maison in Koln, Germany. It's the oldest perfume museum in the world!! When you buy a perfume bottle you also get a pretty list of all rich and famous clients of this perfume. Well, 300 years of royal clients.. Napoleon Bonaparte used to pour a bottle a day (!!) over his body, even kept a bottle in his boot!! Amazing!! The formule is still unchanged and kept in secret through more than 300 years!!! I hope they will add my name to that famous list of clients someday haha!!!!

I did wait by the door nearly every day for this to arrive from Cologne and when it arrived it was completely different from my expectations. I'll admit that I was concerned that the daddy EDC was going to smell dated. That maybe a 300+ year old formula wasn't going to suit my 21st century nose. But I was absolutely shocked by how modern and wearable this fragrance is. It has a fantastic ozonic freshness that mingles with fresh lemon, lime, grapefruit, and the delicate perfume of an over ripe etrog - it smells like standing in a citrus orchard in Calabria after a summer storm. It's a sublime masterpiece of perfumery at it's best. To get that ozonic freshness before synthetics or superessences is remarkable. I think it's the delicate interplay between the violet, jasmine, sandlewood and frankinsense that form the underpinning of this fragrance. It's the perfect spray a bit on and repeat throughout the day.

Timeless. The scent is unisex and subtle, which is very comfortable to wear. It reminds me of my European summer trip. It is none of that imposing and overbearingly 'loud' scents you catch from busy streets. Nothing too 'perfumey' like the cosmetics counters of department stores. Only up close will people detect whiffs of it from you, but once they do they instantly compliment the smell. It is definitely a citrus scent, but completely different from those of men's aftershave. This is a very refined, classic fragrance. Picture this as a sunny, breezy afternoon in a botanical garden. You would think, from how classic the scent is, that it will not sit well with younger people. But I would say it complements any age, as it is a well-mannered and composed image it evokes, instead of being limited to representing a certain age group. I wish it were slightly stronger!

This is my favorite scent. It is so clean and citrusy without being a soap smell. It's both unisex and feminine. It's not too tart. I got hooked on this when my friend brought it back from a trip, and I can't find it anywhere without crazy shipping though :( Also, yes, like Kankuro said, no notes of neroli detected for me (I hate neroli btw). To me this just smells like a very un-tart lemon, bergamot, and a juicy greenness. I get none of the other notes. It's a nice fresh perfume that isn't too spicy masculine or white floral feminine. Just clean and citrusy and green and slightly sweet.