Pino Silvestre Original

Epic Journey Into the Bottled Yonder, 033 ------------------------------------------------------- Purchased May-July 2017 Super conifer pine. Victor Silvestre, Visconti di Modrone Acqua di Selva, and then this by Pino Silvestre were the first ever clean scents. They were wide open air pine firs and possibly the lowest priced aromatic fougeres. They were the first sports, post-shower and post-workout/pre-exercise frags. They weren't necessarily used for exactly those physical activities, but I'm sure they were although the adult population didn't do PE to the point of breaking a sweat and needing some cover up was required. These would've been the tickets to take care of that inevitable problem. People after that period began exercising more and more and soon proper green, fresh scents were invented. These 3 scents were pine needles and some citrus. That's it. If you wanted to take a walk in the forest then just spray these and stay in, since you obviously wouldn't have lived next to a forest. Acqua di Selva has the most citrus in it, to the point where it always reminds me of a freshly opened Sprite or 7up. Agua Brava is a bit like Acqua di Selva but heavier on the wood, while Pino Silvestre was always loudest on the pine fougere, really an extreme amount of wooded fir and needles. I don't have Victor Silvestre, so I'd imagine it's a cross between Acqua di Selva and Pino as they all pre-dated Agua Brava. What a time to have been around for the re-invention of fragrances. Batch: 04360D6 from January 2016.

This is a traditional cologne from Italy. Like most traditional herbal Italian colognes I've tried, I get a strong smell of Italian herbs, especially thyme. The overall makeup of the herbs together however makes sort of a pine-like scent, even though there isn't actually any pine note in this cologne. However the dominant note in this is thyme, and there are no pine notes like in Ralph Lauren Polo or Antonio Puig's Quorum in this. There is no sweetness, and it has an overall dry feel. It reminds me more of herbs I would put on a pizza than an actual forest due to the thyme note (but that's not a bad thing, as it smells pretty good). It's very green and extremely herbal. Sillage is moderate while longevity is pretty good. The bottle - shaped like a pinecone - is one of the most interesting ones I've ever seen in a cologne. Overall, it's an interesting Italian herbal fragrance with 0 sweetness and a cool bottle, and not bad for $10. This is definitely not a safe blind buy however, as it is very different from the regular Western perfume due to its spicy herbal nature. But for me, it's one of the greatest mens' colognes ever made due to its Italian cologne style and good projection, with that green scent. It's like Acqua di Gio Essenza but more herbal and with pine instead of aquatic notes. 5/5

I did not like the newest formulation of this at first (I am referring to the version with the geometric/block graphic on the bottle and box), as I had grown used to the laundry fresh blast of the "Pine Gems Essence" version. Upon first wear I was missing the crisp lemon, instead smelling what I perceived to be a more "musty" and deep green rendition of basil and thyme. After letting the fragrance sit for a couple of months, the mustiness has completely disappeared and now the citrus top notes are even better than those from the Pine Gems Essence bottle. It is a sweet, almost candied citrus made fresh and clean with mint, basil, pine and thyme. All of the notes are of botanical/top shelf essential oil quality, I can't smell anything harsh or synthetic. There is still a definite pencil shavings smell in the heart due to cedar, and it closes out in a mossy/ambery fashion which ironically smells very close to a reed diffuser I've smelled called Amber & Moss by PF Candle Co. This is a masterpiece, and it's obvious why it's been on the market for close to 70 years now.

Couldn't get to sleep last night. Nothing worked...soothing music...my weighted blanket...my magnesium oil spray...my Himalayan Salt Lamp...Melatonin...nothing! As I stumbled into the master bathroom I spied that vibrant green pine cone shaped bottle on the tray with all the rest of my hubby's fragrances. I buy them for him, but he only wears them on special occasions. I know he hasnt worn his Pino yet. I took off my nightie and sprayed myself down. Crawling back into bed, I felt better. Cozy. Like in a log cabin out in the woods, although we live in a very rural area of the Desert where the only pleasant aroma might be after a rain and the scent is soggy sagebrush. I fell asleep quite quickly and stayed asleep till morning. Highly unusual. I quickly snuck that green pine cone bottle into my perfume vault. He'll never know its missing ;). He'll just wonder why our bedroom smells of Christmas. Sssssshhhh!

I've been familiar with this one for years, my dad never owned it or anything (at least I don't think he did?) but I distinctly remember sampling it on a market stall when I was about 12 and not really liking it. Well I think my tastes have changed because I don't think Pino has a great deal. To say it smells of pine doesn't really do it justice as a composition. It has that fresh juniper and pine in the opening which also has green notes of basil and mint. The main thing I get though is a tough, spiced, anise note which has to be coming from carnation. The drydown is a pine/cedar/mossy affair. I like Pino Silvestre a lot because it is unashamedly a gents fragrance and it's quite sour...maybe that's not the right word? It's pleasant ...but just a bit 'off' You can't argue it's poor on any front... price, performance, or development of notes. I have a bottle now and I'm more than happy to wear it.