Zeta
Tauer (2011)

First try, years ago: Oily waxy orange blossoms and white, lush linden blossom with a powdery neroli underneath. Seems very vintage while still being fresh and sweet. Not for me as it's way too much orange blossom, but strangely lovely and ageless.

Second try, years later: I hate it. Unscrubbable, cloying oily orange blossom and some sticky thick murky note, probably the mysore sandalwood and vanilla in fatal combination.

Third try: The orris , rose and sandalwood give a powdery base underneath the citrus florals and make it seems clogged, like cheap talc. Dissonant on me.

So two out of three say no way. Test before committing to a full bottle.

I love the smell of linden blossoms (or basswood, as we call the native North American linden tree). They are perhaps my very favorite scent of early summer, and the honeybees seem to concur. But this perfume doesn't exactly scratch that itch...I get almost no top notes - it goes immediately to rose, neroli, and ylang-ylang, in that order of intensity, which all seem to compete with the linden blossom, brazenly asserting their dominance. During the knock-down brawl of aggressively sweet florals, a stealthy sour/piquant note slinks around the fray. Perhaps something provoked the uglier side of ylang-ylang's personality. Eventually the angrily cheerful flowers tire of trying to demolish each other completely and, if you have the patience to wait for it, the linden smiles a little - a sad, ambiguous, Mona Lisa expression. The other flowers smile tightly, refusing to leave the arena, but a softening melancholy allows a glimpse of the woodsy base, dusted with a spicy-sweet powder. It makes me long for what might have been - a linden sparkling, supported and balanced by an ensemble cast of earthy woods and spice. If anyone discovers *that* scent, get a message to me post-haste.

I love Zeta... it smells like some (probably synthetic) Linden Absolute that I loved years ago. It is a sheer delight, perfect for a summer scent.

Sparkling I wasn't expecting this; an upbeat floral lacking the dark undertones of many of Andy's creations. Zeta is a lovely feminine ode to summertime on every level. Not one discordant note, not one cloud in this clear sky. It's beautiful, even flawless, for its type.I didn't know what linden blossoms smell like; I learned they are the sweet, honeyed, and intense flower of lime trees. I'll have to assume this is a realistic rendition of that note. I do recognize the scent of neroli, orange blossom, and ylang ylang in the fragrance, which creates much additional sweetness. That sweetness lingers throughout the very long life of the scent, modified only slightly by the sandalwood in the base. Sillage is strong.Too sweet for most masculine tastes, I think this would appeal most to women who adore florals that are cheerful and uncomplicated. Perfect for warm sunny days without a cloud on the horizon. Pros: Rich floral, excellent longevityCons: None"

The opening is bright with tart lemon & bergamot, swiftly followed by neroli & honeyed rose. Shortly after though, l get a strange sour note that l can't explain. l did have this sample for a few months before l got around to trying it, but it was kept in a box well away from heat & light, so l see no reason why it should have turned. After a couple of hours, l get a grassy green note, & after seven hours it all fades out without having developed any further.
l don't recall ever having smelled linden blossom in nature, & so l cannot comment on this scent's similarity to it. The only other fragrance l've tried that lists it as a note is DelRae's Debut, which has a much brighter, juicy greenness to it, although l found it too tart for me. l have read that linden has a grassy aspect, so l guess that's what l'm getting in the drydown.
l have really enjoyed most of the Tauer fragrances that l've tried, but l find this one disappointing, as for me that sour note detracts too much from my enjoyment of it.

This is my favorite Andy Tauer perfume after Maroc Pour Elle. I smelled Zeta the same week that the Linden trees bloomed in my neighborhood, and it was a dead-ringer (meaning exact replica) of that heady blossom. This perfume captures the “pollen-y” aroma of that sweet, honeyed, green, lime-like flower, albeit being a little more soapy than the real thing. It develops nicely, never leaving its realism behind. In short, I'm impressed. My only disappointment is that it doesn't last a long as I'd like. Yet, its sudden disappearance is better than if it had meandered toward a base that changed the aroma. Do you know what I mean? It could have wiltedinto a wan vanilla or dried down to a musk base, but no, it held firm, without compromise, linden to the end. And then…nothing more. Beautiful.

It's late spring, with summer beginning to creep in, the linden trees are heavy with blossom in the woods, their sweet languid scent lending the air a myriad erotic possibilities. A walk here is no longer an innocent walk.
With perfect timing, Andy Tauer's Zeta arrives – a perfume that is all heart. The linden is so real, so polleny and laden with unctuousness, it's like being under those trees right in your living room. It drives me to distraction, all my thoughts are of the sap rising. Thus, a little bottled miracle. There are hints of some other honeyed notes – the rose most likely – and the sandal-vanilla base just melts into the linden, it's there but unobtrusive. Love.
Edit: In cold weather the honey note is a little too forward for my liking. Will save this for spring.
(Review written soon after Zeta was launched hence the ref to late spring.)

Oooh ... This is delicious. Think honey and roses in warm sunshine, with a touch of orange