Black Citrus

This has been properly named, since it's a heavy and dark citrus frag centered on birch tar (aka impression of bitter leather) supported by a strong bergamot (mostly in the opening). The drydown is pretty linear, with the bergamot who fades out (but is still present to keep things fresh), and the birch tar who takes the lead. That, coupled with violet, mate and cardamom (and probably also a hint of smoky vetiver) nearly gives a bitter green tobacco feeling, strongly reminding me of a fragrance I love: Monsillage Aviation Club. I can tell some patchouli is there as well, but as a supporting note only. On my skin, performance is great with heavy projection in the first hour, moderate projection for the following 3-4 hours, and above average longevity. If you already own the latter, it might be redundant. If not, I'd highly recommend to get one or the other. (underlining that Black Citrus has better performance than Aviation Club, but the latter can be found for great prices on ebay). Spring/Fall days, 25+ (note that love for green bitter notes is required to love this one!)

I am a moderately feminine woman who generally prefers feminine-leaning unisex scents. IMO, this is true unisex, so suitable for any gender presentation. Black citrus, to my nose, captures the smell of opening an Earl Grey tea bag. My non-frag-head husband agrees and finds it "pleasant" on me. This is one of my current favorites, and if you like a compliment-getter, one friend stopped what she was saying midsentence to tell me "you smell SO good!" Longevity is fairly good, 4-6 hours though a very light tea scent clings to the skin for a long time. The sillage smells amazing and is moderate to my view. I personally enjoy how sweat influences this fragrance on me, and look forward to using this in summer. As far as the packaging, that is very well done. I plan to keep this in the rotation. I just wanted to add a counterpoint to all the folks indicating this may not be suitable for women.

Opens up with a distict, extremely fresh citrus which is still oddly warm and bright. Quite unique! As it settles I get more and more oakmossy notes, might be the violet. Then the birch chimes in and all this adds up to a beautifully soothing scent that actually reminds me of Timbuktu. Lovers of Terre d'Hermes and its Eau Tres Fraiche might also find some similarities after drydown. If you can cope with heavier tar there is another related scent in 2015 Le Phénix by Les Bains Guerbois. I've been an avid fan of Timbuktu since its release but would still go for Black Citrus if I had to choose between them, as it holds the same exotic warmth with less tar, cleaner smoke and less sweetness. Amazing longevity, far more than 12 hours.

I agree with MikesPlaza below: this shares some noticeable similarities to Creed's Aventus, but is different enough that you could own both. The 2 most obvious differences are the opening fruit note (Citrus here) and the spicyness. I'm really enjoying the scent and will give it at a 4.5/5 -- could be worth the price if it performs well enough. Note: this is one of those frags that smells a bit different on skin than on paper (where the Citrus and pepperyness seem to last longer) so the same might be true for skin vs clothes (some "weak" scents last for days on clothes).

Bright, juicy tart bergamot, the astringent, hesperidic notes rounded off by a careful dose of violet. Birch and mate give it some substance, the musky notes give it a soft fluffiness. I can see the marketing blurb about rain in London fitting the impression of flowers after a brief summer rain. I don't get cardamom at all. This is not close to Aramis at all imho. I wouldn't have thought of Aventus or Morning Chess if it hadn't been mentioned in the reviews. Clean, musky, slightly floral bergamot with some woody backbone. Perfect masculine daytime fragrance

While Morning Chess is considered to be Vilhelms Parfumeries take on Aventus, it is obvious that Black Citrus also is heavily inspired by the former. Black Citrus opens with a really fresh and juicy bergamot and dries down dark, woody, smokey and slightly herbal. The heavy birch/patchouly base is very reminiscent of smokier Aventus-batches, but its still very much its own scent. All in all its a lovely and very high quality fragrance.

Who unboxed my new bottle of the great great Black Citrus by Vilhelm Parfumerie. Who in my over crowded house had pleasure of being the first person to spray the bottle for the first time and experience what a unisex masculine leaning Aventus type a fragrance should be. The good news is that it will not be hard to find them because they are going to be smelling noticeably incredible good for at least the next 12+ hours.

The description on this fragrance really sold me: It's inspired by "a snapshot of London after a rainshower, when the city scent is filtered through a cool veil of water." How cool and mysterious does that sound? It has topnotes of bergamot and cardamom, middle notes of violet and mate leaf heart, and bottom notes of birch and patchouli.

Smells like a smoky (it's the birch) citrus fragrance supported by the accords of earthy, wet forest. Some would describe this as an earthy Aventus. I like this one. Also: Reformulations have started. I went to a Scent Bar in Downtown LA, and the fragrance has been completed neutered. No scratchy smoky citrus. No earthy dry-down.

Very nice indeed. Recommended to me by the Liberty London Beauty team. Nothing about it reminds of London after a rain storm but its fresh and welcoming scent. More masculine than feminine. The scent lingers well into the day. I love the Vilhelm Parfumerie brand. Black Citrus is up there as one of its best

OMG!!!!. this is freaking awesome!!!: I have tried all the collection and Morning Chess and this one are the best in my humble opinion. This is so fresh, but intriguing at the same time. It is so smooth and well blended....

I love the scent for this fragrance, such a good spring and summer vibe. Love!!!!!

A smoky citrus high quality scent, best of the best

First impression: On my dry skin, all I got was a super strong citrus and citrus rine for a while. Afterwards I start getting a dark tea and some birtch, patch, and a black tea leather vibe. I wouldn't call this a leather fragrance, it's more like Le Labo Noir 29 than leather. I'm impressed with its staying power without smelling like aroma chemicals. Interesting dark citrus just as advertised. In the ballpark of Noir 29 and Morning Chess combined, but I rate N29 higher because it has much more depth, and is a bit more interesting. ------------------------------------------------- Scent 7.5/10 Performance 7.5/10

It opens up peppery and green, with a strong astringent note of blackcurrant leaves. It’s opening reminds me of Frederic Malle’s Rose et Cuir in its green intensity (although Rose Et Cuir is greener and devoid of patchouli). It is crisp and fresh. Somewhere deep in there is an animalistic note, but you really have to look for it. It’s not a perfume you will get complimented on, and it’s not a first date perfume as it is not very sensual. It would be great for an office setting as it is interesting, fresh, and inobtrusive. I don’t believe in gendering perfumes, but this one if distinctly unisex.

Of the Vilhelm scents I tried this is one of the few I was pleasantly surprised by. A clean, sharp scent, not much more to add. Feels great to wear when you want to feel put together, ready, and pleasant, but not sweet. It’s not worth the price tag IMO, BUT then I’m also not a citrus or “fresh” scent enjoyer, and considering that I do like it. Not the most original thing ever, but good! I see why some people who enjoy very fem scents might not like this, but I also wholeheartedly disagree.

First blast of spicy dark green, a ticklish punch of cardamom, then velvety herbaceous mate. Very nice.. it's woody and earthy yet cool and a touch fruity as well. This should be the new normal for a man who wants to smell clean and spicy but not like everyone else. The drydown really features that leafy mate note and shares it with an almost soapy patchouli. Masculine and would suit all weather.

This must be called "Poets of Berlin" instead of actual one. You are getting a pretty beautiful citrus, but not a fresh-happy "sunny day" type, it's dark, even cold, like in forgotten laboratory, I guess Camus and Sartre would love to wear this fregrance..if you know what I mean. Not for a blid buy, but great artistic fregrance, if you love dark and depressive scents

I wanted a lighter citrus that lasted longer and could be an evening wear and I picked this one up. I'm still living with it, but I got the smaller travel size as I think it'll be one that can be worn flexibly. Even though it fades fast, that just opens me up to putting on some of the other faint ones, as I'm not super jazzed about wearing the same scent all day.

To me this is straight up Mens Aramis. Absolutely no difference what so ever. Definitely gonna be for guys 35 and older and in no way would I say this is unisex. Wouldn’t want any woman I was around smelling like this. Way to manly for a woman but any older guy could rock this. Save you money and just pick up a bottle of Aramis at the discounted stores