Borneo 1834

Well, I'm too damn beaten down by life right now for the usual clowning around and weekly biography (lost another job for NO GOOD DAMN REASON)so I'll stick with the juice. Borneo 1834 is an acceptable substitute for my forbidden alcohol abuse, as it smells like something really really expensive that I'd like to drink instead of something really really expensive that I love to wear. Sort of reminds me of Annick Goutal's SABLES -is there immortelle in there?- opens up with a head clearing blast of patchouli, cigar tobacco, utterly bitter chocolate, and goes on fron there. Seems almost like a lateral scent to me - I don't notice a lot of change or evolution- but my head is so fucked up lateley my sensory perceptions may be a bit out of whack. Whatever. This is GREAT. I can't really see a woman wearing this....but the woman with the personality and style to pull it off would be pretty damn attractive to me - like a woman who looks goo in a Tuxedo...I guess it's the whole Helmut Newton thing, after all, I did sexually come of age in the 1970's ya know. Anyway, it's one of those Lutens that doesn't clobber you over the head with his trademark cedarwood accord - not that I'm knocking that, but in some of his stuff (Cedre and Chypre Rouge, and a few others), it's just, well, almost nauseating. In the case of Cedre, it IS just plain nauseating...the staff at Barney's agree with me. I can't say enough nice things about the perfume staff at Barney's in Boston - when Lutens released Muscs Koublai Khan in the USA, I stopped in at the store (didn't know it was out yet) and the manager had one with my name on it and was distressed because she didn't have my phone number. (Jeanette, if you ever read this, YOU can have my number - or anything else you want - ANY TIME) I also find that this smells great if you spray on the timiest bit of Muscs koublai Khan afterwards - although I usually refrain from mixing my perfumes because the result is usually an unmitigated, hard to wash off disaster. By the way...I'm willing to be friends with any of you out there that do the FACEBOOK thing...just look for the guy with the monocle. (I'm not really a big FACEBOOK kind of guy, but most of my friends who do it are old rock and roll buddies, so a few perfume foolks would be a welcome change...)

One of the thickest SL juices, this is heavy on base notes. Top notes listed here are totally lost on me, including the usually very perceptible cardamom. Upon application I get what others call "chocolate-cacao" but not very convincing for me, accompanied by a Peru balsam(?) note which is somewhat unpleasant-fatty to my nose, some burned sugar and of course the musty top notes from the patchouli only here they are rounder than usual. The overall impression is a contrast between two opposing elements, fatty and boozy, not very far from A-men but smoother and more natural smelling without that harsh pine-like element from Mugler's fragrance that I find repulsive. As the fatty top notes begin to fade, a classical musk foundation starts peeking through and Borneo enters the patchouli-musk-labdanum phase touched with mint which is my favourite. From here it becomes quite linear. The dry down is very pleasant, slightly animalic and honeyed and I also get an impressionist representation of leather. The main body of the perfume is almost monolithic and opaque and yet in the drydown there are hints of a fragile and subtly exotic floralness that help it veer from the stereotypically masculine territory. The projection is fairly discreet but enveloping at the same time (hopefully this makes sense to you). Tenacity on the other hand leaves something to be desired, especially if you take into account the base heavy composition. A liberal application hasn't given me more than 5 hours of wear. With the exception of the beginning, Borneo is not very demanding from its wearer. Sure it differs from the airy and abstract "clean" creations we've become accustomed to but it doesn't take a perfume aficionado to appreciate it for what it is: a very comfortable fragrance of classical sensibilities from quality ingredients that is a pleasure to wear and from what I'm told, down right sexy ;)

I have to agree with some reviews right up; I've been baffled for years as to why Angel would ever compare to this. I've worn Angel so many times trying to find the patch only to be rewarded by cold berries. Some kind of weird berry. I truly cannot stand Angel. But Borneo.... Now Borneo on the other hand is an amazing scent, yes, probably acquired. If you just left your local department store full of fizzy fruity scents, you will be shocked by this one--and unpleasantly jarred. But, given time, you may just come around to this fantastic scent. At first, I get a blast of yes, camphor-chocolate-patch which then settles into 5 minutes later the smell of DIRT, moist, deep, rich. I do not mean skanky dirt--but my kind of dark soil, the kind that grows things, from which large trees and vines come barreling out of the ground. As a gardener, I really love this aspect. But, dirt is not for everyone.... The DIRT merges with the cocoa and the camphor and just radiates patch! Twenty minutes in, I get whiffs of something sweet, something caramel, almost gourmand but again, tinged with soils, and then cardamom comes to the fore. The dustiness that others have mentioned gears up--so, there's both dirt--and dustiness! This stage on me lasts for several lovely, lovely hours. The dry down is a cocoa-amberish-woody somewhat sweet smell. When sprayed on clothes, it lasts for a few days. One final note, I also had the misfortune to spill a small "pool" of it onto my dresser. I did not have the heart to wipe it off--and--I was already doused in the stuff. So, I just let it soak in a bit (what could it hurt?)? Half quickly evaporated, leaving an oily, resinous, stickiness behind. I left it a while for the dust-bunnies. My bedroom weeks later still had little whispers of it. Mmmmmm.....

a diminishing and reticent kind of loneliness. borneo 1834 is a gothic and weighted patchouli with the intensity of bitter chocolate that is far from edible. there is an aromatic and green quality which only accentuates that bitterness, making the fragrance all sorts of unpallatable. the medicinal and astringent facets, however, are what makes borneo so charming. serge lutens has a way of being unflinchingly dark but particularly sweet, but there is no sweetness to be found in this one. my cheek is pressed against the gravel and dirt of a dark and humid cave, with all of the earthy and warm tones that come with it. water drips from stalactites, falling rocks echo through the halls, and my groans of pain never reach the outside world. this fragrance is my most vivid scent memory. turning 21 and buying my first bottle of pinot noir, drenched in this fragrance, i remember the lonely heartbreak and distant introspection as i made sense of coming of age—growing up—in a way i never had done before. processing past grief, understanding unrequited love, swallowing the pill of my future... borneo wafted around these memories like fog. for these reasons, i cannot wear it often anymore without vivid rememberance of these difficult times. during what i now proclaim as the worst year of my life, borneo 1834 was my ward. this fragrance, though challenging, empowers me to fill in the blanks of its many crevases with the idiosyncracies of myself. this, i truly believe, is the reason why i love it so ardently. for, even in my darkest times, borneo allowed me the grace of honesty—however ugly it might be—in the hopes that, soon enough, i may grow out of it. there is no comfort which approximates that from someone—something—who relates.

Borneo 1834 from Serge Lutens, composed by none other than Christopher Sheldrake. One of the most iconic perfumes in the "Patchouli" genre, to which many turn their nose, searching for inspiration. And then again, there are probably a dozen such perfumes in this line, which only speaks volumes to how influential the house of Lutens was, is, and continues to be for the world of perfumery. What strikes me as so brilliant about Borneo 1834 is how Christopher combines the ugly and the beautiful to create the "wearable," culminating with a patchouli composition far from a crowd-pleaser, and yet that won't come across as your average artisanal blend/mash-up. The patchouli accord here verges on the dank, moldy, and earthy side of the spectrum. Then there is some camphor, light touches of booziness, as well as some tobacco. The latter may be just a facet of labdanum, plentiful in the base. So far, it sounds rough and far from palatable. But then there is a heap of velvety, decadent cocoa powder that falls like a dusty layer over the composition, not only completing the facets of the patchouli but improving everything about it. It softens the textures and infuses a mouthwatering quality to the blend. Later, it blends with the cistus to change consistency from dusty to molten dark chocolate. But this is not a gourmand nor a savory perfume. That's what I find so clever about it. Just enough to infuse some charm and smoothen the creases while the rest of the structure will continue to remind the wearer of moldy basements, antique furniture, and dusty old books, with a dash of cocoa to make things more lively, palatable, mysterious, and fun. IG:@memory.of.scents

I spent some days trying to define clearly this scent 'cause it is somewhat complicated. From the outset I can say that I enjoyed the hell out and Serge Lutens and Sheldrake are geniuses. This frag has its main focus on patchouli and is subsidized by the roasted cocoa. Early on, it opens with a smell of camphor dissolved in a cocoa and patchouli basis, a little bit different, like some kind of root, like a bitter licorice. After a few minutes, camphor decreases and open space to patchouli, that "tones up" and becomes more leafy, yet bitter, but this patchouli is a totally different from how it was used by White Patchouli - TF. In Borneo it is opaque, dense, smoky, as ike the cocoa note, but it seems to be formed by dry leaves, not fresh ones. Indeed, the more time passes, the more opaque is the scent, it gives the impression that you're in the middle of a dark rainforest, but close to a cocoa farm (who has been to Ilheus, here in Brazil, should know what I'm talking ). The scent reminds a lot this environment. This is because the dry down enter the galbanum and laudanum notes, leaving the frag resined and incensed. But though opaque, cocoa becomes more pronounced, like a 70% chocolate but with a layer of dust on top of it, or as if it was a little moldy. You can not exactly feel like eating, but getting lost in the midst of the bushes and rushes out to smell the cocoa beans that are drying up. It has a very good sillage and fix.

I am a huge fan of Serge Lutens, and I love patchouli, but on opening Borneo scared the hell out of me! This was a big fat earthy patchouli plant, dirt and green leaves. Huge! But it was very interesting at the same time. Mr. Borneo got my attention, to say the least. After the initial patchouli bomb Borneo cleared the air, he settled down and his scent helped me calm down as well. The earthy scent got sweeter with a grounding effect. In Borneo the cocoa is the dominant note after the patchouli, and I can smell something warm and sweet, something to make this patchouli fuzzier. There's more to this patchouli than only patch and cocoa, I think I smell a tiny bit of Sheldrakes famous muscs (the same ones from Muscs Koublai Kahn) here besides some vague florals, a soft amber and something minty and herbal, almost like liquorice. The best part for me besides the gorgeous deep patchouli are the muscs, or the 'little animals' underneath. They make this so sexy and close to my skin. So compared to the opening Borneo turned out very subtle for me, even with an impressive sillage and longevity. I love this for it's lingering on my skin, wearing close to me but also for it's powerful earthiness. It smells like a mystery and a solution all at once. Gorgeous!

Borneo is the most mesmerizing chocolate-patchouli centered perfume I have ever met. Until I tried this one, my former best chocolate-patchouli duo was Orizo L.Legrand's Horizon, which is marvelous in its own genre with an ingredient list of like ornaments on a christmas tree and as the tree itself comes the very patchouli, but Borneo beated it IMO with that indefeateble laser gun advantage, which is Galbanum off course. Oh Galbanum Captain my Captain, for which I've always had this frailty, most probably due to my own olfactive core memories from my childhood, since I am an 80s child and my parents' perfumes for that era always had predominant galbanum notes, about which I cried out strangely "Daddy you smell like the Grandpa Moon", yes I named the earthy cold and dusty smell of Galbanum with my child words "The smell of Grandpa Moon" so, it's not a big surprise that Borneo grabbed me right by my soul with the addition of that mighty and heroic Galbanum to this marvelous Patchouli-Chocolate combi. I can simply die one day by Borneo Overdose. I am that much into that. And I am not exaggerrating.

High-purity dark chocolate powder, less sweet and more bitter, with a rich smell. Oriental wood inherits the past and inspires the future. This large family can be traced back to Davidoff Zino Davidoff in 1986. Among them, the combination of patchouli cocoa includes Borneo 1834 and Chanel's Coromandel. The highly innovative Borneo 1834, has historical value in its bold attempt at a patchouli theme. (Some people should think it's pretty medicine...) Coromandel's labdanum is more pronounced than Borneo 1834. Serge Lutens' new idea has benefited countless perfumes in later generations. Coromandel is more round and silky, like the beautifully packaged white chocolates on the shelves of specialty stores. Lost the rough graininess characteristic of Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 and became very creamy. The texture is perfect, but I hate the sweetness. I have always liked Chanel, but this time, the balance in my heart will be tilted towards Serge Lutens Borneo 1834. For a true taste of gourmet notes, the Borneo 1834 is definitely a must try on your list!

The opening is unmistakably related to Coromandel's patchouli note to my nose, but with a hefty dose of raw dark cacao rather than white chocolate. As it dries down I get a moist, fuzzy tobacco, similar to that found in Fumerie Turque and House of Matriarch Sacre Tabac Sucre. In Borneo, it's punched up by the camphor note, which helps keep it from turning to sweet pipe tobacco on my skin. Later I start to pick up a leathery facet, which might be due to the labdanum, as it reminds me of aspects of Roja Dove Fetish Pour Homme and Boadicea the Victorious Explorer, both of which share the same note. Borneo also has burnt undertones which add interest throughout its life on my skin. I'm pleasantly surprised, as Borneo 1834 keeps the raw tobacco vibe I love in the early and middle stages of Fumerie Turque, while the latter fragrance dries down to a more common sweetish tobacco.

Serge Lutens Borneo 1834 is a classic rich Oriental from the master Christopher Sheldrake. A fat bold gorgeous in your face patchouli-cocoa perfume, it would remind me of an NFL lineman if it weren't so sumptuously attractive (if you aren't from the US, these are huge men with no neck and a sumoesque belly). There are spicy cardamom and animalic labdanum notes that I think are also pronounced and provide some dramatic tension, but it is a bit hard to tell because they are buried under so much patchouli and cocoa. The scent seems fairly linear to me for a long time, eventually becoming less cocoa and more earthy. Whatever the exact combination, the skill of Sheldrake in blending them is on full display. My feelings when I smell my wrist range from simple olfactory bliss to a sense of fatal attraction to a horrid old witch projecting the illusion of a beautiful maiden.

I LOVE Borneo 1834. This is the first fragrance that literally brought tears to my eyes. I think the emotion is definitely some repressed scent memory from the 80s. I love the chocolate and tobacco. Or perhaps I should sauy tobacco and chocolate. The tobacco punch transported me immediately to a Cuban cigar factory visit over 25 years ago! And while the prominent chocolate fades a bit, the tobacco lingers much more than Ortiza Horrizon, and is not as earthy. And there is no damp cement either. Which I appreciate about Borneo 1834. I only wish that the chocolate was a bit more prominent in the dry down, but not a deal breaker. Blu Cobalt remains the most chocolate patch in my opinion. This was a blind buy based on notes and previous experience with SL and it did not disappoint.

My sense of smell is better now, since loosing it from covid. It's a beautifully blended patchouli fragrance. A few years ago I was on the hunt for the greatest patchouli fragrances out there, and purchased many of them. At the time the new reformulated version was not available, but I had a hunch, it was a great one. I think it is my #1 patchouli fragrance, along with Gothic I, by Loree Rodkin. Borneo has a skanky medical, earthy patchouli. The main accord is with chocolate, but the cardomom and galbanum go beautifully with the 2 main notes of patch and chocolate. The white florals give it a creamy indolic floral note; a great contrasting balance to the dirty patchouli. Rating: 9/10 God bless you. John 3:16

Patchouli with the volume turned up. I love patchouli and this is a perfect example of a pimped up version of the old hippy oil that ran like a river through my childhood when one of my best friends at school was the product of a “far-out” couple and every time I went round to see my friend, her mum was drenched in patchouli – every inch the artistic, hippy and soulful being. This perfume is a wonderful take on the oil, not madly different but I would say much more refined. This is opulent and kind of evocative of old Russia, all fur and snow, heady with spice and (thankfully) not overly sweet. This is a grown up, modern patchouli and I think I am in love. I could bath in it to be honest.

At first, I am met with an intoxicating blend of dark chocolate and an emerging earthy patchouli, elevated by a touch of salt and softened by subtle sweetness. As it evolves, the sweeter and more perfumed qualities begin to emerge more prominently, intertwining seamlessly with the chocolate. Through it all, the patchouli remains a quiet yet steady presence. As time goes by, the chocolate and the patchouli gently reclaim the forefront, accompanied by the ambitious sweetness. Together, they move happily toward the sunset. Not once, from dusk till dawn, did I feel overwhelmed by the richness and depth of what is Borneo 1834.

This is a chocolate patchouli, but saying that can be a bit misleading - it makes you expect sweet chocolate and hippy patch. Instead, the chocolate is very dark and 'dry' and the patchouli is cool, broad, and deep - forest floor menthol. The combined effect is remarkable. It reminds me, in the best possible way, of an exclusive wine cellar. Restful, luxurious, compelling. (As a postscript, here's an odd layering effect: take a good spritz of B1834 and spray over a dash of Demeter's 'Earthworm'. Can you guess the result? Truffles — black Piedmontese truffles — exactly. I think this may be the most bizarre gourmand ever.)

non troppo originale eppure straordinario, questo SL rimane a mio avviso una delle creazioni invernali più belle di sempre. l'accordo è centrato sulla giustapposizione di patchouli e cacao, ma è abbastanza diverso dal patchouli di Les nereides o dall'incroyable di REM (dove il patchouli è ammorbidito e addolcito dal cioccolato) dal momento che qui il cacao è secco e mai gourmand. attorno alla generale sensazione balsamica e quasi canforacea si sentono spuntare, come spilli, pungenti tocchi di erba (labdano? galbano?) e di spezie (cardamomo in primis). il fondo rimane sulla pelle per ore, caldo e avvolgente. eccellente.

camaleontico come tutti i profumi di Serge Lutens...dopo un avvio insolito di canfora all'apertura del tappo prendo coraggio e lo spruzzo su polsi, collo e gomiti..a tratti medicinale o meglio alcolico.nellle prime 2 ore penso al caffe' borghetti e un mini sigaro masticando liquirizia goleador....borneo 1834 e' uomo o comunque dark fino alla fine. nel mentre...sento terra secca al sole, il patchouli e il cacao (in polvere) rendono tutto caldo leggero liscio .., quasi dolce, resinoso secco, misterioso, afrodisiaco rating 8,5-9/10 bravo Sergetto..:-)

Ohhh... you must be heavy into patchouli to appreciate this. Luckily, this is my case. Patchouli here is unlike anything else I smelled. As if I tore a bunch of leaves fresh from the plant and minced them in my hands. So naturalistic. I swear, I smell licorice or fennel. A bit of melted dark chocolate. Whole composition is incredibly rich, almost overwhelming. This is the type of a perfume you spray on your wrist, give it a quick sniff minutes later and go "whoa...." and proceed to smelling your arm obsessively for hours. One of SL's masterpieces.

I adore Borneo. It can do no wrong in my book. It makes me feel stronger, more grounded, and delicious. It is linear which to me means I can count on the dry Patchouli, the bitter Cocoa and the well worn Leather all the way home. And I am trying just now, Borneo on my left arm, Coromandel on my right. Coromandel is Borneo's cute, goofy, cuddly, little Sister. Borneo seems almost the stern reproving big Brother giving up a little more chocolate in side by side comparison. Kinda fun wearing them both, but I lean way over to Borneo as my preference.