Esencia Loewe
Eau de Toilette, Loewe (1988)

Esencia is mostly piney (more sap than needles), but also a bit earthy with some citrusy-soapy flourishes (especially in the opening). I get just a touch mint, as well (likely the geranium).

Esencia lacks some of the refinement of Polo Green; it’s more of a literal coniferous smell than Polo Green’s more abstract interpretation. I prefer the later, but Esencia is nice nonetheless. They’re less brothers than cousins, but I can see why some would make the comparison.

The drydown drifts into “musty” territory for me, like brown needles or an old pine box full of yellowed papers. I presume my (official) sample is the newer formulation (it’s the Eau de Toilette); I don’t really detect patchouli, much less the animatics or oakmoss mentioned in previous reviews.

Performance is good - just a few sprays under my shirt lasts the work day - but I wouldn’t call it powerful. It’s a comfortable wear.

Overall Esencia is a good-but-not-great release for me. The squat, cylindrical 5.1oz bottle can can be found for under $100; if sold for the same price as Polo Green (4oz testers can be found for under $50 at the time of this review), I could see myself buying a bottle. As it stands, the price-to-value ratio puts this at solidly neutral for me.

All of my favorite reviewers (Varanis, Shabaz, Cologne Cabinet, Speed Racer, and others) have already weighed in on this positively, so I just wanted to speak to the reformulation. I have never tried the OG, but the animalics have been severely curtailed (which I appreciate) in the modern version. While there is plenty of pine, this does not smell at all like Polo to me, though there is a ... tone ... of it. All of the powerful, somewhat bitter, fougeric elements, however, remain, and this transitions several times before it hits its foresty drydown. Great stuff!

This review is based on the latest reformulation. I get very similar vibes to Polo Green, but this fragrance feels slightly heavier. The opening is strong with a violent clash between the green notes and spices. I don't think it was meant to be smelled up close. The drydown is more enjoyable as everything has calmed down, and the notes have had time to blend with each other. However, the soapiness might turn some people off.

While enjoyable, I find it a bit too masculine for my personality. There's more pine than I expected, and that's all I get. Maybe it had more complexity and nuances before it was reformulated. Sometimes I feel like this is totally wearable, and other times, I think it's a bit dated.

I'm going to go against the grain and give it a neutral rating. Maybe this fragrance will grow on me as my tastes change.

I discovered this fantastic fougere a few months ago thanks to Scents of South Jersey on YouTube.

For fans of old-school green fragrances like myself, Esencia is a dumb reach, especially in Spring. The pine tree needles note in this one is just outstanding throughout. It is often compared to Polo Green, Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, and Jaguar For Men, but its dry-down is much more subtle with just the right amount of oakmoss, no soapiness, and dare I say, it's just classier overall.

Masculinity Level: Tom Berenger in Sniper, spending weeks in the forest getting his job done without ever actually getting dirty.

There isn't a ton of information about Esencia Loewe (1988) besides the fact that it hails from an extremely-venerable Spanish leather maker that traces its origins back to 1846. Esencia Loewe is the follow-up to the first Loewe masculine perfume, Loewe para Hombre/Loewe pour Homme (1978), and comes across like your kitchen-sink aromatic/animalic heavy hitter typical of the 1980's. Esencia Loewe tries to step on the toes of several popular fragrances of the day at once, namely Giorgio Beverly Hills for Men (1984), Chanel Antaeus (1981), and Ralph Lauren Polo (1977), which although a holdover from the previous decade, was still a major player. There is a lot going on in Esencia Loewe, and I do mean a lot, plus the scent tries to factor in a bit of the rose/geranium-tinted masculine dandy revival spirit that scents like Salvador Dali pour Homme (1987) and Lord Molyneux by Parfums Molyneux (1988) had. All told, key base notes eventually win the day as it dries down, but on the way there Esencia Loewe can be one Hell of a ride. Staunch fans of 80's powerhouses probably already know what's up with Esencia Loewe, so I'm not saying anything new here for those guys, but for everyone else not worshipping at the Church of Oakmoss, here's your warning shot to steer clear.

For starters, Esencia Loewe comes out of the gate with lots of sour green elements like galbanum and tarragon over bergamot and lemon, with some juniper berry adding a twang of sweetness to it all. The heart is a trainwreck of geranium, rose, and clary sage bombarded by spices and herbs like nutmeg, basil and thyme. The sourness of the opening powers through this middle phase and lends itself well to the transition from dandy floral melange to resinous base materials, a transition that happens fairly quickly as a stiff balsam fir pine note reveals itself. This sticky and sappy pine note becomes the calling card of Esencia Loewe, flanked by a huge plonk of civet and patchouli that recalls Givenchy Gentleman (1974), mulled over by catoreum leather notes, a virile amber, and enough oakmoss to fumagate a roach motel. The vetiver, tonka, and sandalwood are minor players that help rope in all the musky aromas of pine and secretions, allowing trails of the rose and geranium to reappear here and there. Wear time is easily over 10 hours and this will pump out good projection and sillage all day, so go easy on the trigger. Something this dense feels best in fall through early spring, and is not very work-friendly unless your coworkers are open-minded about fragrance. For me, something like this could best be used to enhance a hiking trip in the mountains.

Once the aromatic rollercoaster comes to an end, what Escencia Loewe most resembles is an animalic patchouli fragrance peppered with florals and smacked with a dose of pine, to make you feel like you rolled around on the forest floor. Older perfume guys who've spent time around Esencia Loewe like to compare it to Polo but I think it is less similar to that than it is the aforementioned Givenchy, since the patchouli becomes so prominent late in the wear. This is another one that vintage purists say has been uttery ruined by reformulation, but since my review comes from vintage stock, I can't confirm that but I can say that you should likely suspect the bergamot, oakmoss and animal musks to be dialed back in newer bottles because those are the things that have either been targeted by IFRA for regulation or just are taboo to the modern nose. If you have a collection rife with strong manly 80's smells, this may be a good addition, but if that collection is full of patchouli-heavy perfumes, Esencia Loewe may seem redundant. Likewise, if you tend to sway more towards cleaner smells, wearing Esencia Loewe may feel a tad like summoning Beetlejuice, although for me that would be a point of merit. Esencia Loewe is a very solid, dense, well-executed aromatic powerhouse from a brand that doesn't get much talk for its perfumes. Thumbs up

This was a good fragrance and I didn't necessarily mind blind-buying Esencia Pour Homme.It's obviously a green and brown fragrance but I'm going to make this claim.I think Aspen was inspired by this,It's the similar tone,and this preceded Aspen by 1 year.Though wer'e talking two completely different levels of craftsmanship...Aspen is a cheap and more basic version of this.

I get a green body of vetiver,bitter herbs,and a bit of pine.A very light touch of lemon oil and soap though not cutting and more of a mild tone.Minty and cool but through an herbal tweak and not a Cool Water synthetic blast...this minty touch is more natural.This green and minty side softens down as this gains some leather and a berry note.Hard to define the berry exactly other than lightly sweet and warm...gives a rustic appeal to the brown side of Esencia.Even though I like this I'd still call this a casual wear easily.Formal wear? it's possible but you've probably got something more stylish and clean toned to pull off a suit more effectively.