Homeros was the first collaboration of its kind. Artisanal perfumery with a quarantine twist—born during lockdown, because of lockdown. The result of my collaboration with artisanal perfume connoisseurs who joined in making the perfume possible.
Â
Homeros Ambre, on the other hand, is what you get when you’ve had time to study the original and tweak it, yes – almost beyond recognition, to advance the original idea to its completion.
Â
The original composition ended up making a U-turn so that, in the end, Homeros turned out quite different from any of the five Odyssey perfumes that made up the Collab set. Homeros Ambre is what happens if we kept the compass set on the original course.
Â
TOP
Cedar
Coriander
Castoreum
Blue Cypress
Ambergris
Civet
HEART
Royal Ta’ifi Rose
Orange Blossom
Blackcurrant
Osmanthus
Jasmine
Saffron
BASE
White Ambergris
Maroke Oud Smoke
Green Kyen Organic Extract
Ambra ’92
Ambrette Seed
Tolu Balsam
Oak Wood
Patchouli
Tobacco
This is an olfactory ode to Odysseus that captures the Antalyan air, Ithaca’s flowers, its fruits, the dry salty seaside cool which stirred up countless ideas to create an iconic Mediterranean perfume that captures this place and this crazy time, lush with the sweet zest of the midday breeze as you drive by groves of mandarin as wafts of narcissus blow down from the hill.
Â
The original inspiration was a longing for the islands, to play the ocean breeze , and the depth of the ocean itself, against the Greek coastline smells of orange and lavender. The original idea was the ultimate amber. And Homeros Ambre accomplishes that by switching the recipe to reflect that.
Â
Imagine what iodine would do to Antalyan habanera laced with the zest of wet saffron and juicy-dry Italian lavender. A much subdued, rugged even, opening chord caressed by cypress and osmanthus, enlivened by the creamy sweet scent of castoreum and blackcurrant, all enshrouded in wafts of an amber-infused bombardment of agarwood, cedar-laced vetiver, and the smooth oudy baritone of a patchouli / fir balsam combo softened by royal Ta’ifi rose, ambrette, fine Indian jasmine, and a zesty fusion of clove, orange blossom, and civet. And full white ambergris tincture courtesy of Sultan Qaboos’ foresight and peerless patronage to carry the composition and make it a truly royal Ambre.
Â
On top of the core changes to the recipe, this semi-B features Ambra ’92 – ambergris infused Mysore – as the sandalwood component, and we’re adding a full gram of Hindistan Kala to your bottle neat, before topping it off. The smooth spicy tone fo the the first Hindi-Terrenganu co-distillation pairs lavishly with the amber!
Â
They say the journey makes the man. And that’s certainly been the case with this perfume. Homeros was brought to you by the artisanal perfume community for the artisanal perfume community. Homeros Ambre takes the original and overhauls the recipe to turn the scent into a totally distinct perfume where you’ll only smell a distant echo of The Odyssey’s tone as you sit down to enjoy the destinations’ end.
Â
Thank you again to all the participants, your membership and participation in the Odyssey Collab. Once more, this one goes out to you!
Â
*This semi-B is limited to just 42 bottles, and will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Your bottle will be numbered X out of 42.
Â
**ON SALE FOR ONE DAY ONLY!
Â
***Your order automatically qualifies to receive a FREE 2 gr bottle of Qi Chuan Qinan.
Featured Testimonials…
Perfect Clean Incense Note – Winelike Sweetness – Salty Ambergris Note W/Tang
It’s really perfect!
—Travis H
/ USA
Homeros is a bold perfume that feels like stepping into an ancient Mediterranean tale. It opens with a burst of citrus and woods, before diving into deep layers of oud, tobacco, leather, and ambergris. It’s rich, animalic, the kind of fragrance that commands attention and is best for special occasions rather than daily wear. A masterpiece for lovers of natural oud and true artisanal perfumery.
—Home L
I love the original Homeros, have the first batch (pre-order) and immediately bought a backup two weeks after I’ve worn it a dozen times. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this new Homeros Ambre, I got the 17th of 42, the Ambre juice color is a shade darker. 1 spray of Ambre on left arm, and 1 spray of OG on the other. In the opening, I’m getting the same blast of minty Ouds up front, a bit of that same Manipur/Assam vibe, Ambre has the rose dialed up a hair with that sourness undertone, smokiness dialed down, similar fruitiness and floral accord on both.
Â
It’s still too early to tell since this is only my first wearing, an initial impression.
Â
Edit: 2hr later in dry down
Â
Ambre: There’s a blanket of sourness going for it, a trait of the Taifi rose, giving me the EO3 vibe. The ambergris is also more pronounced, along with the civet, resulting in a more animalic profile. Not getting any smoke from this edition. OG: overall a bit more dusty in comparison, almost powdery, it isn’t as animalic.
Â
The Homeros is known to be a shapeshifter, definitely need to give it a few more wearings, my feeling is inconclusive at this point.
Â
UPDATE:
Â
Been wearing the Homeros Ambre a few times now, this truly is a shapeshifter. The Taifi Rose citrusy notes from the previous wearing is gone tonight, nowhere to be found, but I’m getting a very familiar note instead, a distinctive leathery and earthy type aromas.
Â
Then it dawned on me it is the aroma from unlit Cuban cigars! Very realistic one at that, not just any Cuban cigars, more specifically the Bolivar brand that has been aged for at least 3 to 5 years. It has this earthy, barnyard, hay, chocolatey, and leathery aroma to it, quite a savory and mouth-watering aroma to most cigar connoisseurs. And this my friend, is the result of 1 full gram of Hindistan Kala added to this semi-b edition. lol Which is absent from the OG.
Â
This Cuban cigar twang here could be a polarizing note for some people. Personally, I’m accustomed to it since I’m used to collecting and smoking many different brands of Cuban cigars. The leathery notes from this one also remind me of EO1 as mentioned by someone else as well. The rest of the accords are similar to the OG. For now, that’s what I’m getting, interesting to see what other notes would come and go next time.
Â
With that said, the Hindistan Kala Oud would be a better match for EO2 with that heavier spices in my opinion. For Homeros, I think something like the Cambodian/Thai, or Vietnamese Oud would have been my preference.Â
But since Homeros is a shapeshifter, there must be a reason why they chose to use Hindistan Kala for this composition.
Â
Cuban cigar enthusiasts probably would really dig this one for sure. It’s a nice change of pace to an extend, you’ve got to like Hindi Oud to enjoy this edition. This is only one of the many facets of it, and I really like the Cuban cigar aspect of this gem, a very nice twist to the OG profile that I always love.
— Benjamin W
/ USA
Trying to put words down to describe this fragrance took a lot more time than I had anticipated. I purchased this EO fragrance solely to be used whenever I’m out at sea—something to fumigate my clothes with to mask the olfactive imprint of fish guts. While it fulfills my expectations with flying colours, Homeros Ambre somehow chronicles the positive yet intricate sensory motifs I experience whenever I’m out fishing.
The first thing noticeable about the opening is the crackling Ambergris. I picture the early morning preparation, the cold breeze carrying the pleasant facets of placing frozen squid in water to defrost it for bait. There is also the mellow yet animalic mix of Civet and Cedar which remind me of the non-fishy elements of Pilchard. What feels like the remaining rose residue of an oil I may have worn the night before is shrouded in a spicy peppery concoction of Coriander Seeds and Saffron. There is serenity in the way in which Jasmine gleams in the distant background, as they stare at you when passing by during the early hours of the morning.
The drydown of this fragrance further continues this boat journey, to the point where I can smell the heat of my hands resting on the leather coverings of the boat steering wheel while the motor warms up. The Blue Lotus is more calm and fruity than it is sticky, reminding me of how the boat glides through gel-like sapphire waters at dawn. Continuing further with the “heated” aspect of this fragrance, I picture containers of pre-cut oranges being opened at around noon once the fishing slows down. Not the sparkling orange blossom water note, but the smell of bursting citrus kernels and the zest of the skin in high heat. Hindistan Kala is expressed through its spicy notes, which blends with the Maroke Oud to provide a burning tobacco feel. In a group of seasoned fishermen, one of them is bound to be smoking when the fish aren’t biting. The mix of Sandalwood and Ambergris provides a whiteness which is like the smell of seawater splashing away at the sunscreen.
For me, this fragrance is exactly what I was looking for. When it comes to wearing something out at sea, there’s more to it than just masking the potentially pungent odors. I thought the next step would be to have a fragrance that is simply wearable for the occasion. With Homeros Ambre though, what you get is a fragrance that brings out every single desirable smell you could experience when heading out to sea. It is as if all the funk, grime, and guts have been netted out. From the aquatic feel of the Ambra 92 to the ruggedness of the Hindistan Kala oud oil, I can’t think of another fragrance that captures the essence of a sea journey as well as Homeros Ambre. Looking forward to overspraying this twice a week over the next few months!
—Sohail D.
/ NEW ZEALAND