Kourosarier

Long before I was born, my grandma had a new partner after my grandpa passed away. Hermann is one of the best people I've ever met, no problem on that he has no advice, no situation he has not under control, a friendly smile is always on his face, the next joke, often a crude saying on the lips, the Marlboro always between the fingers...

For me, Hermann was always "Dadden". Why, nobody knows. Somehow I christened him that from the very first words. Dadden always had slightly scratchy cheeks, smelled like his Marlboros, Yves Rocher aftershave, maybe some hair lotion, and in the evening, his after-work beer. Maybe he smelled like the scratchy lavender of Tabac Man when you met in town, when birthdays were coming up or when you went out to eat? Maybe. I couldn't have answered it that way. But I know that Dadden is grandpa to me, at least as much grandpa as a biological one can be.

From Grandpa to Grandpa Scents. These fascinated me from the start and in my youthful ignorance Tabac Man moved in with me when I was 16-17 (the "real" Tabac followed later). The desired effect failed to materialize, I didn't smell like the seasoned man I wanted to be back then, I just had a cloud of that scratchy lavender around me. Made up masculinity from the bottle, like a too sharp shower gel, nothing real that connects with you. Disappointment, the bottle was emptied and went out of my life.

Dadden went too, he died in 2009, fall down stairs, overnight, the last "take care, regards to grandma" was an unconscious goodbye. A real one was not granted to us anymore, he did not wake up in this world. 12 years ago now, memories fade, his voice fades from thought.
Two weeks ago I reached for the last of a Tabac Man deodorant, wanting to finally use it up, it had been sitting for far too long. Sprayed it on, yes there it is again, the scratchy lavender, pungent shower gel, a good decision to finally empty it!
But when I came back from the bathroom to the dressing room, by the cloud had settled a bit now, there was something else. A fleeting moment, a quick passing that left just a hint of scent. But enough to recognize you.

Now I know, yes, you had Tabac Man! Sparingly sprayed on when you met in town, birthdays were coming up or you went out to eat. Not much, just a whiff in passing, fleeting and impossible to hold on to. But there.

That was our goodbye. It took him 12 years but now you were there briefly.

And my goodbye to Tabac Man? Maybe I'll buy you again... As long as you're here for a little while

So here it is, the jelly pans, the green zino.

I got to know him at the tender age of 14/15, when my mother made me an Advent calendar full of different scent samples and miniatures, some of which were already discontinued at that time. A large part of it I used up, thanks to my then ignorant nose, or passed it on to my father. Only one managed to stay with me since then: The miniature of the Davidoff Relax

I liked the green stone already then, the smell unique, I could not imagine it on me but a father/grandfather who smells like this, that's it! So the little bottle has accompanied me over the years, always unused and full, only opened from time to time for sniffing.
A few years later, I must have been 18/19 and my perfume cabinet had grown noticeably, the first attempt to get it - shit, discontinued! At that time in the bay for slim 100€ to get, for my trainee salary but too much, so I stayed with the "Codes" and "Allures"...

From about 25 on, the perfume cabinet tripled in the meantime and I found my line, I looked for him regularly. Meanwhile, until today, he moves - if at all still to get - at 200+€. Well, you could afford it but somehow every offer came at the wrong time or I was too cheap to pay this amount for a "Davidoff"! So I stayed with the "Afganos" and "Aventussen"...

Well, the 03.04.20, I now 31, the "Relax" always on the wish list and still regularly sought but never bought, I have a crazy woman (here: NiSa) who is looking for it, finds it, and my now 16 years of travel thus brings to the destination:
A full, unused 75ml bottle in the original carton! That's him, the divine Jell-O, the green legend, heavy, angular, the pan on the back (connoisseurs know the story), the touch of woodruff so beloved by me, the note "Zino" in the relaxed sublimity of his self!

I'm at my destination (at least this trip) and I can only recommend to everybody to get this piece of perfume art as long as there are still copies available. Yes, the prices are astronomical but there is no one like him, this is niche level today and there the circle of the price closes, here it is no longer high but justified.

Thank you my NiSa and on the next journey!