Spiced tea in the forest, freshly sawn wood, and sweet chocolate with tonka bean
Unfortunately, I have to struggle a bit through the first two hours or so of Brutus. Right at the beginning, I actually catch a very brief whiff of something fresher, which could be interpreted as bergamot. But that evaporates within seconds. What remains is dark green, earthy, peppery, slightly musty, spicy, slightly sour, and somewhat salty. Figuratively speaking: wet forest floor, moss, fern, black pepper, sour-salty soy sauce, but also cloves. And definitely not cool and refreshing, but rather leaning towards a sauna infusion, warm spiced tea, or a steaming, medicinal-herbal inhalation. The first time, I thought it was okay, but then it became more unpleasant each time. Perhaps it depends on how I'm feeling that day. At the start, however, it is not a pleasant scent to me. While it's similar with Bergamask, I have already gotten used to that and even like its opening. Whether that will happen with Brutus, I don't know. You have to push through this phase because, after about two hours, the fragrance transforms and becomes much more pleasant. It becomes woodier and sweeter, reminding me of the smell in a carpentry workshop with freshly cut planks. Added to that is a spicy note reminiscent of cloves and a bit of coriander. Also increasingly tonka bean and something chocolaty, creamy. Very barbershop-like, noble, pleasant, a bit refined. It has something calm, dark, and suits people in the second half of life better, fitting more into the darker seasons. This sweet tonka bean intensifies over time, yet the scent remains green and woody. The longer the fragrance lasts, the better I like it. Only my wife finds it too sweet and feminine at some point. The fragrance stays quite close to the skin, projecting very little. The longevity is very good: the next morning it is still easily noticeable, but disappears after a shower. On clothes, it remains detectable until the next wash. I like the scent, but truly only after two hours.
