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I know original Bel Ami well. My father wore it in the late 80s and early 90s. There is no other fragrance that I associate with him like the original. When Bel Ami Vétiver came out, I tested the scent at the Hermès boutique and took a liking to it. But it was Papa's fragrance, although of course I had helped myself to Papa's every now and then as a teenager.

Now my father has been dead for a year. Bel Ami Vétiver is, after all, so close to the original that it evokes memories, including memories of my father. Also because of this I have bought the Eau de Toilette, now the second bottle. Of course, Bel Ami Vétiver is a bit domesticated. Whether the original would still fit well in 2021 remains to be seen. The suede in Bel Ami Vétiver is that of a well-maintained leather jacket, which (like the owner of the same), has put on a little patina, but is still top in shot.

That Bel Ami Vétiver goes in the direction of Hermessencen, is not surprising. One recognizes Jean-Claude Ellenas signature. Is Bel Ami Vétiver the better vétiver tonka? Yes, it is! And I don't mean that in a pejorative way in any way. On the contrary, I am grateful, since Vétiver Tonka is incomparably more expensive. I wonder if my children will later associate Bel Ami Vétiver with their father?

Looking at H24's fragrance pyramid can make your mouth water: Muscat sage is one of my favorite spices. On Christmas Eve, I always cook stuffed pasta in sage butter with parmesan for my family. H24's rosewood smells classy and is apparently sustainably grown too. I love woodsy, spicy scents. And it's a nice change of pace that H24's wood component isn't cedar. Somehow, narcissus is also nicely woven into the scent texture without H24 being overly powdery or floral, just natural to this point.

Let's move on to the synthetic Sclarene that actually smells like freshly ironed laundry. It takes a bit of getting used to, but provides a nice metallic contrast to the natural components. When I think of freshly ironed, I first think of an office-appropriate scent, and it certainly is that in terms of composition. Just the steadiness I expect from such an office scent, H24 is completely lacking on my skin to see me through the workday. It certainly doesn't last until the afternoon, not until lunch break and unfortunately not even until the first coffee break. After 6-7 spritzes in the morning, I asked my wife at 10am if she detected any scent left on me. She didn't. I don't regret buying the beautiful H24 bottle, which is gorgeous in the hand. Even if it is possible in principle, I will probably not refill the bottle.

Was it really five years since my last comment, on Poivre Samarcande? A lot has happened in those times. Grateful that the pandemic virus has not taken away my sense of taste and smell, I hold in my hand the Eau Intense Vétiver by Terre d'Hermès.

My buddy Klaus wears the Eau de Parfum by Terre d'Hermès. I immediately wrote him a WhatsApp to ask if he already knew Eau Intense Vétiver. He didn't. In fact, he was doing almost nothing but home office work at the moment. Especially there, I wrote back, one should wear a fragrance; at work with an FFP2 mask no one gets anything out of it. You're not a farmer. He wouldn't be either. After all, he would wear pants in the home office.

The grapefruit or orange of the EdT/EdP is replaced by the bergamot in the Eau Intense Vétiver. However, the bergamot seems much more acidic-tangy than the bergamot in Equipage, for example, and also the grapefruit in the original Terre. After the dry down, it becomes less citrusy; pepper and vetiver dominate, which were nonetheless already part of the EdT. Unlike Povire Samarcande, it smells much less vegetable. The Eau Intense Vétiver is quite durable, but quickly becomes closer to the body with me.

Flanker is such an ugly name, after all, as if the fragrance can't stand on its own. It definitely can, though. Christine Nagel has reinterpreted Terre, even more linear and minimalist than her predecessor Jean-Claude Ellena, the grand master of neat linear minimalism. Eau Intense Vétiver is tidier without the flint and cedar notes, which I quite liked at first but increasingly remind me of pencils as I get older. Eau Intense Vétiver brings me back into the Terre family, having not worn a Terre fragrance for some time.

Eau Intense Vétiver smells so like business that I can also wear it well at work, not just in the home office. For this I reach at home but also more often than originally thought, to the Eau Intense Vétiver. And Klaus? Klaus wants to try Eau Intense Vétiver when the shops open again. It's also a good idea to wear pants when buying perfume.