Curzon Cologne

I want to say that *this* is what a cologne should smell like. A beautiful balance between zesty citrus and earthy oakmoss which gets honeyish from the labdanum in the dry down. I don't get any similarity to Floris 89, though; this has no rose note and isn't even particularly floral. It's possible to love them both though. I'll definitely be trying more from Trumper. (I didn't like Wellington by the way.) This manages to be a chypre, 35 years before Coty Chypre, so we should be calling the bergamot/labdanum/oakmoss style a "Curzon". Obviously I have no idea what it was actually like in 1882 but whichever perfumer managed to reformulate this to maintain the oakmoss note following the heavy IFRA restrictions on it deserves a round of applause.

A highly enjoyable barbershop-type cologne in a charming splash bottle. I agree that Curzon Cologne has a sense of being skilfully crafted from absolutely natural ingredients. Moreover, if you love Azzaro Pour Homme, then Curzon Cologne is definitely worth a try as I think they smell very similar with that famously uplifting mossy signature note. However, Curzon Cologne replaces the Gallic flair of Azzaro with a classic British sartorial elegance that makes it a terrific office fragrance, in the spring & summer especially. Forget Dunhill London-Pursuit-51.3N, as Curzon Cologne is much better than those and is highly recommended for those who seek a real British gentlemen's scent that is intriguingly traditional AND modern.

This is the cologne I buy for my inamorato, and the only one I let him wear (he has no nose for scents). It's a powerful, leathery, very manly scent that reeks of class. Superb longevity and astounding projection. We decant into one of those little plastic travel bottles from Boots for ease of application (it comes in a splash bottle), and two sprays lasts all day and all night. When he wears this, nobody can ever smell what I'm wearing. Grrr! Stout and sturdy stuff. The Rt Hon. the Marquess of Curzon, Viceroy of India, would have approved... Don't be put off by its age, it still works thanks to a sweet and spicy note that pervades the whole creation and lasts throughout. Classics are classic for a reason.

The bergamot shows up for all of 10 seconds before this goes to an Oakmoss middle that is quite strong. Within 1 hour, this fades into a light oakmoss, labdanum, and spice base where it stays for quite a long time. Interestingly, the base feels a lot like it has a sandalwood note even though that is not a listed note. Longevity is excellent as it lasts easily 10 hours on me. While the opening reminds me slightly of Eucris, the base notes are far more reminiscent of (discontinued) Penhaligon's Douro.

Today I am briefly testing Trumper's drier, more leathery offerings Astor, Curzon, Eucris and Marlborough together. It took me a few tries to distinguish them. Curzon is sweeter and woodier, smoke with honey. Drydown is a gentle, Preferred Stock or Santos type smoke and wood or incense, with judicious but effective spices. The sweetest of these, but well within reason. Improvement over Floris Elite.