Eau d'Orange Verte 
Hermès (1979)

Hermés waded into the eau de cologne category after Rochas and Patou, following the revival of interest in the older Guerlain, Mülhens, and Farina varieties in the 70's as an alternative to all the musky aromatic heaviness making the rounds. Hermés was a bit late to the party by 1979, but with a budding François Caron making her debut with the house cologne for Hermés and a masculine for Charles Jourdan in the same year, all the stops were pulled out in her efforts to prove herself. Well, if one of these two early efforts was to win any praise, it undoubtedly was Hermés Eau de Cologne, rechristened twenty years later in 1999 as Eau d'Orange Verte (1979) to separate itself from what would become a full line of cologne varieties, overseen by Jean-Claude Ellena, who was house perfumer at the time. I know the "original is still the best" argument is a tired one often abused by afraid-of-change snobs and retro-romanticist hipsters, but it really does apply here.

The scent profile of Eau d'Orange Verte is designed to replicate the smell of rose undergrowth after a morning dew, and began a long association with green aromatics for the house that would follow straight through until Terre d'Hermès (2006). The opening is a very realistic bitter orange and lemon assisted with mint and blackcurrant buds - not the fruit mind you but the flower - which impart a dark and cool feel. There is no actual rose in the heart but light dry fruit notes likely caused by a lactone mix with some geraniol to give the appropriate tone to imply such, until the mossy-fresh patchouli base shows up to dominate for the rest of the wear. The citrus is dark and fantastic, but fades quickly as the scent shifts through floral forms then lands on that bed of green oakmoss. Wear time doesn't go past 3 hours but it is a wonderful 3 hours. Most newer entries in the Eau de Cologne series feel unisex or lean feminine but Eau d'Orange Verte is very much a masculine walk in the woods.

This stuff is made into shampoo and is quite synonymous with house Hermés itself, being quite the popular entry from the brand. Old bottles from before 1999 labelled "Eau de Cologne" are essentially the same, although age may effect how noticeable the citrus is, or how deep the oakmoss goes since IFRA restrictions didn't do as much harm then. Regardless of vintage or new, this is not a day wear scent unless you carry the bottle, so keep it as a freshen-up scent or in the bathroom to match the bath products sold in the line. François Caron struck green gold with this one and I totally get the love for it, but be warned that the later Concentrée d'Orange Verte (2004) is not the same scent and emphasises entirely different accords. A real winner from Hermés, Eau d'Orange Verte is the perfect cologne answer for someone not thrilled about tons of neroli or cologne accords with zero base that are gone in an hour. Thumbs up!

Rarely has there been in my such a summery, fresh and uplifting citrus blast experience as the opening of Eau d'Orange Verte. Orange and lemon galore, with whiffs of mint at times. A very realistic bitter orange indeed.

The drydown is fruitier in nature, with unripe mango vying with hints of papaya and touches of starfruit for one's attention. a fresh green is in the background throughout.

The base displays a soft and bright patchouli note, a nonspecific woodsy tone and a perfunctory mossy impression towards the end.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and a 'short'evity of two hours on my skin.

A classic summer citrus Eau de Cologne, with the typically short longevity expected from such a citrus-based cologne. A bit simple at times, and the base is disappointingly bland for some stretches, but in spite of its the weaker base is it a great summer pick-me-up. 3.5/5.

Mine, is a vintage bottle of eau de cologne. It is a marvelous aromatic. Crisp, bright, and luscious citruses. Fun notes of mint and basil. Lavender that is just enough that it doesn't kill me. Lovely, earthy oakmoss on the bottom. This is one of those that, the more I wear it, the more I enjoy it.