Azzaro pour Homme Hot Pepper
Azzaro (2018)

To this amateur nose, Hot Pepper is good from start to finish. I kept waiting for something to disagree with me but I found it to be solid and sexy. Reminds me of a dry mix of Spicebomb and CH Men. It's sweet, modern and spicy, easily enjoyed.

Performance is good with okay projection but all day longevity on clothes.

Aptly named, this one starts off with a hot pepper vibe, so much, that it even made me sneeze, but that's ok!

I love chili, paprika, hot pepper, or any variety of the note. Pink pepper brings in a fruity and sweet sort of nuance as it combines with a tonka like accord in the middle. The dry down is what kills it for me, as it's mostly an overkill of Norlimbanol. I do get some Iso E too, which keeps it a little bit balanced in the dry down, but the Norlimbanol's presence is more apparent. Casherman?? No Azzaro, let's call it what it is, Norlimbanol. An ingredient that ruins new fragrances all the time for me.

Hell, I would be much happier going back to the early 2010's where everything had a tonka/coumarin heavy dry down, than this fake woods crap!

A Fragrantica reviewer says this smells like Taste of Fragrance. My guess is that's the only chili note he has smelled in a fragrance to make that comparison. Yes the chili note smells similar, but come on, it's chili, how many ways can it be done? It's a simple note that creates a smell that you can pretty much imagine before smelling it. ToF?? Nothing similar. ToF is world's better. This one smells more like the opening of 1881 Belle Notte, but not as dark. The mid gives off a Polo Red vibe, and the dry down, well.. if you've smelled any fragrance in the past 2 or 3 years, then you've smelled this. Norlimbanol out the WAZOO.

I am pretty confident with my review. Simple, and gave some comparisons. Many don't mind the "fake woods" smell, but it grinds my gears, personally. So, should you buy this? Well, it's a good chili based fragrance, and I cannot deny that. The chili note has good longevity. The projection is adequate. You don't want a fragrance with a chili note to project real big, it's more of a personal note for you to smell, and maybe people in close proximity. They did good with its projection, keeping it bouncing off the skin, but still contained. At the current price $50-60 range, and being very limited in numbers, I think it's a fair price, if this is something you like. On a side note, it smells nothing like Azzaro pour Homme in any way, shape, or form. Although I love the bottle's in this series, the way they look, and think their names are appropriate. Others may expect them to smell like ApH, and they don't at all. None of them do, but especially not this one. That's a good thing though, as ApH with hot pepper sounds like a mistake waiting to happen. Perhaps these were meant to be layered? They are pretty linear, and have simplistic stages. Though other than capitalizing on the success of the great predecessor, I see no reason why they didn't give these their own branding.

As of now.. I give this a very hesitant thumbs up. Not something I normally do on fragrances with less revered dry downs. The dry down is usually the majority of what you smell. I like the top and mid so much, that 2 out of 3 warrants a thumbs up, but just slightly. I might purchase a bottle if I can find a good deal, but at the current 50-60 price, and already owning Taste of Fragrance, 1881 Belle Notte (actually sold this one as of now, because I don't like it enough), Piment Brulant, and Mercedes Benz Infinite Spicy. I don't really see the need for another chili fragrance in my collection, especially for paying, pretty much retail price.

This fragrance also reminds me of Spicebomb.

Combining stark synth gassy woodiness and peppery spices (with no frills and "embellishments") is never an easy affair and this juice is a demonstration of it. Woody dry "molecular" spiciness (pungent and intoxicating) and a minimal final tad of sweeter resinous anonymous softness. I detect throughout that disturbing stark gassy-synthetic woody/peppery feel which I utterly dislike. Not for me.

Azzaro pour Homme (original) has been a mainstay dependable cologne in my collection. The 2015 Intense version, which at that time was only available at the local Ulta Beauty shop, has also been a favorite, magnifying what I'd liked about the original and turning up the volume and longevity.

The Hot Pepper version of Azzaro is awesome! It's a combination of peppery goodness sitting within the luxuriously soft, sweet and creamy cashmeran. Doesn't smell like the original, but I don't think it's meant to. This is a daring flanker that goes in a delicious, credible direction!

Just like the original Azzaro pour Homme, Hot Pepper elicits moments when I close my eyes and simply enjoy what's there. Chili and pink pepper are notes present in many other favorite scents of mine, and this one has joined that group for me.