Astor Cologne

Imagine, it’s 1880, a late autumn morning. You are one of London’s elite, an aristocrat perhaps ... a gentleman, certainly. As you take your daily stroll through the streets of Mayfair, dressed in all your finery, you tip your top hat at the passing ladies, who giggle and hurry by in quiet conversation. Turning into Curzon Street, your hand slips into your waistcoat pocket, from which you pull an exquisite, gold cased, half hunter pocket watch. It’s 11am. You step through the door of George Trumper’s barbershop and, as always, you are precisely on time for your appointment. George greets you with a familiar smile and you make small talk while you hang your frock coat and hat on the stand in the corner and place your silver topped walking cane against the wall. You’ve frequented the shop at number 9 since it first opened five years earlier. A visit for a light trim and a shave is now part of your weekly ritual. Even in Mayfair, an unpleasant, pungent odour hangs in the streets, so to step into the magical world of the barbershop, is to be surrounded by a cornucopia of olfactory delights. Next to you, George works his silver tipped badger brush into a thick, creamy soap and begins to lather your face. You tell him that you’ll keep the moustache, just as you do every week. In the mirror before you, you catch a glint of George’s straight razor as he strops it. It only takes a few expertly handled strokes of it to remove your beard. With your face soothed by the deft application of heady lotions, George turns without a moment’s hesitation to trimming your hair. He doesn’t need to ask how you wish it done. Finishing up, he brushes your usual side parting and sets it perfectly in place with pomade. Before leaving the shop, George asks if you’d like to try his latest creation, for not only is he a renowned barber, he is also a Master Perfumer. He dabs his newest cologne on your face and neck; he calls it "Astor". I paint this picture of life as a Victorian gentleman because I think it truly reflects what Astor cologne is all about. It is understated, reserved, and refined. In short, it has all the old world qualities and charm of the firm that makes it. Geo F. Trumper was established in 1875; its shop is still there at number 9 Curzon St., Mayfair. Unlike many men’s colognes of the time, the typical notes of lavender, violets, and bay rum are absent in Astor. A number of reviewers have mentioned a strong citrus opening, but I hardly detect lemon or petitgrain at all, at least when I only use four or five sprays. Instead, it’s the caraway that comes through, softened by the amber and sandalwood. And although it is not mentioned as a note, I sense a fleeting mintiness to it. As it dries down, any sharpness quickly smooths out and it hints at being soapy and powdery, but it’s done in such a delicate way as to give it perfect balance. My wife has remarked that it has the slight smell of a pencil case or pencil shavings, giving it a nostalgic element. She adores it. In terms of longevity, I get a good six hours out of it. I also like that it versatile ... it’s suitable for all seasons and nearly all situations I’d say. Of course, we cannot be sure that Astor smells exactly the same as it did in 1880, but I imagine it’s close, given the long history of the firm. What is most interesting about it is that although it is from a different era, Astor doesn't smell overly dated to me. It fits well with a style of perfumery that is still very much evident today. I like to think of our Victorian gentleman purchasing a bottle in the shop and having it sent on to his town house. No doubt he would have felt pleased with himself as he stepped from the shop and disappeared into a clearing London fog, on route to his gentlemen's club. My photo: https://www.fragrantica.com/fragram/fp/301672 Tested: 100ml full bottle Seasons / Occasions: Suitable all year round and for most occasions Key thoughts: Understated, refined and timeless. Overall rating: 9/10 Buy again: Yes

Initial notes: Strong citrus, Seville orange, lemon rind, sandalwood and caraway. Fantastic scent from the start. Mid: Jasmine and amber, petitgrain comes forth, the caraway increases in intensity. Base: Sandalwood and amber plays incredibly well with the caraway throughout, quite linear scent from 10 minutes onwards. The Seville orange manages to keep on top of everything in a very good manner. Performance: As most of Trumper's fragrances, it has very decent projection and sillage, but nothing loud – they are all discreet, and so is Astor. An hour or two more longevity would be appreciated, but the skin scent lives on for maybe 7 hours. Value: GBP 67/€77 for 100ml I consider a great deal. I notice that EDPs are taking over more and more of the market, and that many, especially young people, need more and more power to get their kick. I prefer discretion, but if you want beast mode you need to look elsewhere. Meta: A fragrance from 1880 still around today and being so little known is incredible I think, especially when you consider the quality. Incredibly gentlemanly and discreet also for its own time, no strong barbershop vibes here. Thoughts: If Eucris had caraway instead of cumin notes I would be an enthusiastic fan, but it is Astor – released 36 years earlier that really hits the sweet spot here – putting caraway in a cologne is simply a stroke of genius. Compared to AdP Colonia, Trumper's classical colognes from the late 19th century are in general way superior in terms of quality and longevity (mostly). Timeless classic for all seasons and purposes. It is hard to imagine this fragrance offending someone.

You don't get more old-school than a release from 1880. A classic, refined, gentlemanly scent that will have you smelling like a dandy. Not overly strong, but not as weak as some after-shaves. Smells like you just came from a classic barbershop, though no lavender or powdery notes. It opens with a fresh lemon note tempered with caraway and petitgrain. After the one hr. mark, it becomes a bit more creamy from the sandalwood, but never sharp. I find it also layers quite well with Guerlain's Vetiver if you want to bring in a bit of green. A more mature scent for days when I'm tired of my many amber-woody fragrances. Great if you just want to smell fresh for any event and not stand out or offend. Not really a classic blue but very versatile. Can wear in any season but may lose performance in very cold temps. Longevity is low 3-4 hrs. on my skin. Not a date night scent for most people under 50, but my wife loves it on me. ;-)

This was my very first scent aged about 15 (young fogey), and I have always had a bottle since. It is wonderfully fresh with a sophisticated sandalwood basenote that lends it an air of old-world elegance. Very aristocratic. Old-fashioned in an indefinable way but it still works very well today even on young, modern guys. You can pretty much guarantee that nobody else will be wearing it. I've had plenty of compliments wearing it, mostly along the lines of 'you smell classy'. Arguably, you might need to be a bit urbane and well-spoken to pull it off. But, strangely, I can see it working on a barrow-boy too if he's cute and cocky. Longevity and projection are good for a £43 Eau de Cologne. Wish they made an EdT or EdP version and a range of complementary toiletries. Don't be common, try it.

Big blast of citrus/lemon up front, followed immediately by the caraway coming to the fore while the citrus disappears. Interestingly, the caraway expresses itself more like incense than pure caraway. Somewhere in the middle notes, I also get Oakmoss and green (petitgrain?) notes and within 5-10 minutes, this settles into a pretty, creamy and soft sandalwood base where it pretty much stays for a few hours. That said longevity is not as good as Curzon (or Wellington). Can be worn year-round IMO thanks to its citrus-green-woodsy development, and it is a great choice of scent for those who work in an office (once we get back to that post-Covid).