Hermessence Poivre Samarcande

A really interesting one. Right of the bat, right from the sprayer, on the paper and on my skin and on the first sniff: Cumin! The peppery, warm, and savory heat of cumin with it's dry, B.O. aspect. I'm a sucker for cumin. It's one of the notes that when I detect it in a fragrance, my eyebrows rise from excitement. That peppery, savory heat of cumin automatically reminds me of taco seasoning. In fact, I even feel the corn chip in there. Of course Hermes won't put a "corn chip" accord in one of their fragrance (unless they're trying to revolutionize gourmand with a savory offering). It could just be the inseparable association of taco spices to corn chips, but anyway, this fragrance kind of suggests the appetizer in the gourmand world instead of the dessert. Well, minus the meat. This fragrance is merely the spices that you would flavor the meat giving it a "Mexican" touch. But don't let that description repel you. In fact, despite the savoryness of the spice, it is not strong at all. It is very light in fact. It's what they call a skin scent, at least on me. The cumin gives off a humanistic, peppery heat similar to how Ambilux by Marlou is cumin dominated (I don't get much animalics on that one), although this one is obviously more bare, with the spices playing alone. Ambulix is cumin, but warm and sepia tone with a feathery, musky honey lurking from underneath, this is just spice. What's quite interesting about this is that unlike other savory spicy fragrances, like Serge Noire for example, the spice in Poivre Samarcande never reaches to a maximum level of smelling funky, full on B.O. (which i also really like, btw). The spice is moderate and minimal, yet bare and realistic, and it lays on a fresh and clean ground, making it almost wearable (if you don't mind smelling a little bit like a snack). I can't decipher what gives this fragrance a clean background. It's not a citrus note, nor a floral note, nor a detergenty, laundry, shampooy, soapy note. It could be the woods? It could be the perfect proportion of the notes? Either way, It's a pretty wearable cumin that is barely touched with unnecessary foreign notes. It's a linear scent. Due to the lack of complexity and banquet of notes, this doesn't evolve too much. It stays stationary, and obviously weakens on the skin when time pass by. I need a full bottle of this. Too bad the price is too much of a pain in the ass.

Hermés Poivre Samarcande If ever the phrase ‘less is more’ was applied to a fragrance in the truest form, then Poivre Samarcande would be precisely that fragrance. Similarly, if Jean-Claude Ellena were an artist, he would the the world’s most celebrated water-colourist of all time. We all laud his genius and ability to create these light & aqueous fragrances like almost no other nose can, yet we also have to admire the restraint it must take to consistently follow this path. I’ve owned several decants and samples of this over the years but never somehow brought myself to buy a full bottle: there’s always been another fragrance ahead of it in the queue but have always made the same decision every time. I used up the last drops of my most recent decant a month or so ago and kicked myself when I went to wear it a couple of weeks ago and found the cupboard bare..... but then an odd thing happened; I suddenly realised that I actually NEEDED it, not just wanted to have it as part of my collection but I actually craved it like an addict: so a full bottle was ordered immediately. Most may be mistaken, looking at the note pyramid and certainly if unfamiliar with the main body of Elena’s work, that this would be heavier than it is: pepper, patch, oakmoss, caraway, paprika..... of course it must be but remarkably, his talent keeps it light, minimally spicy, ever so slightly sweet and almost ethereal & wispy. It is odd really though, as although I would say it’s note breakdown leans more masculine, it’s transparency definitely lends itself to the feminine side, yet I wouldn’t necessarily say it is truly unisex per se. It matters not a jot ultimately; wear what the hell you like and that’s all that matters. Of course, everything is moderate; longevity, sillage etc but that’s okay; Ellena doesn’t do beast-mode as a rule and that’s just fine. Besides, it wouldn’t work in the line & even Amber Narguile is the same to a degree. Importantly though, the one thing it did make me do, realising that I needed it in my life, was to make me look at the hundreds of fragrances in my collection and realise...... I actually don’t NEED them like I need this: I could trim it down by 80-90% and be happy. But Hermessence Poivre Samarcande stays....... it’s going nowhere!

I tried Poivre Samarcande several times at the official Hermes boutique in my city, and as a fan of Molecule 01 and some Ellena's creations such as Terre d'Hermès or Cartier Déclaration, I naturally came to quickly like this opus of Hermessence. The scent itself is near perfection to me. Even if the Iso E Super is pretty obvious, it does not 'monopolize' the composition. Now... the oakwood note. To me, it gets the main role of the symphony. And it plays it wonderfully well: dry and luminous, noble, uplifting, realistic. Spices are surrounding it with elegance, salty and slightly pungent, yet without stealing the show. Then the oakmoss kicks in and gives a soothing feeling to the scent, keeping it from being too dry and straightforward. An absolute heaven. Flat and calm, quite dry, warm and mysterious... An admirable piece of work. When it comes to longevity, it is quite good (just like an iso scent should be). Low sillage combined with anosmia might give the feeling that it's gone when it is actually just hidden. People around can still smell it on me 6 hours into application. Btw, I just snapped, and went for a full 100ml bottle, which looks great and feel heavy, with a genuine leather/metal cap. Package also includes a beautiful Hermès canvas pouch, with some 4ml samples. The box itself is presented as a box of chocolates, and the bottle is beautifully wrapped in Hermès paper. I absolutely love it! A beautiful and versatile skin scent, and my new signature fragrance.

For me this perfume gives stage to a clear pepper and oak wood blending which results in a extraordinairy refined and dry, warm as well as meditative and protective experience. Other ingredients are stepping back and are rarely noticeable, but doing their part for a round composition. The picture of an oriental market sometimes associated with this perfume has it’s limitations: if you rest only at the pepper corner, than yes. I don’t see, that this perfume touches other spices. In this perfume I see much more a quiet appartement, furnished with oak and having it’s main windows to the courtyard rather than the street (and a separated kitchen). Furthermore, this perfume reminds me to concert halls and elegant festival summers in Europe. In this perfume I see a good base for layering (from time to time) with flower-based scents, like Chanel’s Paris - Paris. To stay in the picture: in the appartement described above, nothing is missing. It’s just like going with certain moments and seasons when putting a vase of flowers on the dining table. For me, one of the best developped perfumes, not only technically, but also in it’s potential for evoking personal associations. This perfume embeds me in a setting that I would call home, it supports both relaxation and concentration. I very much appreciate that the perfume is rechargeable. Throwing away beautiful bottles cannot be a solution on this planet.

You can immediately smell Jean Claude Ellena’s DNA (extremely natural and transparent) Its a warm woody and peppery fragrance. First sniff I smell mostly pepper and something similar to clove, then the cedar wood smoothly enters as it dries down. It is pretty linear but so warm and classy. Regarding longevity issues I read from other people, I get solid 6 hours longevity (good but not disappointing either). Sits close to the skin for sure. This (and the whole Hermessence line IMO) do, and I’m fine with it. This is the type of scent that you want to wear when you are with someone special, you want to wear this while on a date with your girlfriend, on a small reunion with your close friends or family. Not all the perfumes in the world have to project like monsters or get noticed by a lot of people (say One Million or Le Male for example) some are for the more private or personal occasions, and the Hermessence line fits this description. Similar to Bang by Marc Jacobs? I’d say a 50% . I have both and they’re very good in their own fields, Bang is more a pepper bomb, while Poivre is a more natural and smooth refined pepper and woody fragrance.