Ambre Topkapi

Although classified as a woody-spicy, Ambre Topkapi opens wich a freshness of citrus notes of pineapple and bergamot, by the way, MUCH more pineapple than bergamot and after a while the spiciness of its heart appears with cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, basil, lavender and thyme. The scent isn't strong and you can run down because the fragrance does not really last too much as I was expecting to, so at the end you can see that a little bit of musk and vanilla can be noted and then you realise that it is time to give you some good sprays again. For me this fragrance should be classified as an unisex citrus fragrance, and it is perfect to be wore no matter the season of the year nor the hour. It is a nice parfum with a very special bottle, or better, it can not be called just a bottle, it is a masterpiece.

When I first tried this, I thought the decant I was sent was accidentally filled with the wrong liquid. Where's the amber? If you can ignore that the name has the word ambre in it, this is a very good scent. The ingredients smell high quality and it's well blended. Evidence of this blending is in the pineapple as I can typically spot this note a mile away, but here it's mixed seamlessly. The best way I can approximate the scent is that it smells like a mixture of vintage Creed Himalaya, and current batches of Millisme Imperial. The citrus materials actually made my mouth water, which is rare. 🤤. Fbw for me but it's expensive so I'll look for a partial. Smells nothing like HDP 1725 which is a lavender/baby powder dandy frag. Scent 8/10 Performance 7/10

No words can do justice to how beautifully balanced and well blended this is. Sure it isn't your typical Amber fragrance, but that is where the beauty lies in this 'for me anyway'. It takes Amber lovers out of their comfort zone, which i love! You know the ones.. they think all Ambers should be resinous, dark, rich and heavy... maybe for you! Amber Topkapi brings to the table a more wearable Amber fragrance. One that is uplifting but yet delicate and comforting. It simply is a joy to wear! Blended exquisitely, and so different to what's out there today that to this nose Amber Topkapi is a welcome breath of fresh air. This is elegant, understated, and refined. A timeless beauty. 9/10

A nice, well-composed, balanced scent. Another Pierre Bourdon pre-Aventus use of pineapple. Bourdon did a characteristically good job with this composition. Lightly sweet with fruits top and base, and cinnamon, with nutmeg and caraway taming the sweetness. The use of caraway here is done judiciously - no body odor so characteristic of cumin or caraway overuse. Performance seems disappointing though. Scent profile is King, though, and Topkapi works in that regard. I now have a full bottle of Ambre Topkapi. Not similar to Creed EROLFA, my favorite maritime/oceanic scent of all time, at all. And only marginally more similar to Milliseme Imperial.

How this doesn't have much more love and hype beats me. If you like barber shop lavender type frags, this is the holy grail of them. The best. Masculine, clean fresh lavender awesomeness. Not for beginners, one must know a little something to appreciate this art. Pure art perfection. Don't get it twisted, Cuir Garamante is the best from the line, this being second and invasion barbare is my least favorite, not sure why everyone only talks about it... 9/10