Description
At perfume exhibition in Milan – Esxence 2015, Xerjoff presented for the first time his collection of three perfumes dedicated to 150th anniversary of unification of Italy and is inspired by wealth, beauty and heritage that this country possesses. The collection of XJ 1861 encompasses three fragrances XJ 1861 Renaissance, XJ 1861 Zefiro and XJ 1861 Naxos each of which provides a part of beautiful Italy: Renaissance celebrates this period in Italy, Naxos Sicily, while Zefiro celebrates eternal Rome!
XJ 1861 Zefiro “Zefiro pays homage to Rome and its baroque alchemy, distilled in a strong and mysterious perfume thanks to its suggestive and elusive formula, akin to the rare magic of an esoteric potion. Zefiro propagates from arcane circles distilling a mystical essence capable to join heaven and earth.” – signed by Xerjoff. The composition incorporates notes of resins with a hint of sweet and thick honey, balanced amber and spices added as strength of the formula. Bergamot, artemisia, mosto and elemi open the composition, followed by fine spices of cinnamon and cardamom sprinkled on iris petals. The base highlights incense surrounded by amber, precious woody notes and sweet, thick honey.
The nose behind this fragrance is Mathieu Nardin.
konkista – :
The young magician stood outside the hotel with his older mentors and enemies. The sun was setting and the moment straddled summer and autumn with a crisp wind and warm cobblestone. They traded secrets and stories and congratulations and champagne and Ashton Connecticut churchill cigars perfuming the air and providing the depth perception obfuscation needed to hide their sleights from casual observers. An ethereal peppery and delicious and mysterious malaise hung in the air their carefree jovial banter slowly darkening in competition with the coming night as their conclave ended and the pressures and projects and productions to bring to fruition: come back to consciousness.
The last gasps of need, to hang on to the weekend that transpired where for once in a great long while they may be amongst their own kind and speak openly. Their otherwise mundane daily silences came as the last ashes were tapped and the heard thinned; not all at once with a flourish but with a resigned staccato surrender, minute by minute.
When the young magician found himself alone to finish his cigar in unwanted peace and quiet: he saw for the first time a true presque-vu of his life. He vowed to change. In the end, he did.
Zefiro, XJ 1861, Xerjoff.
viktory1 – :
Absolutely stunning!
Zefiro has a tangy, citrusy yet, very strong woodiness that performs quite nicely. Right away I get a nice (woody) cedar, citrusy sweet concoction; the incensy spices combined with the cinnamon in this is very pronounced. (the reference of the reviewer below me to Creed’s Royal Oud is spot on…I do get a similar tobacco-ish resemblance). In fact, my wife could not tell which was which when I sprayed them both on my arm for her to smell.
In the end, the amber and honey rounds this off perfectly as the sweetness dies down considerably giving you a nice woody slightly sweet ambery fragrance with a tobacco type feel. This is wonderfully masculine IMHO!
Performance: 8.5/10
Longevity: 8.5/10
Silage: 8/10
Projection: 8.5/10
Overall: 8.4/10
ppr065elipseskism – :
Smells like Creed Royal Oud! Better longevity with slightly improved projection. That is all
Nowember79 – :
Memoir of a trespasser meeting Avignon and Arso. Beautyful scent with christmas energy. Reminds me of the smell in the livingroom in christmas time. Christmas tree and incense. I also get the same dry sauna feeling as in memoir of a trespasser.
Could be hard to wear, but I think this would be a great cold weather fragrance for a open minded/ spiritual/ hippi/philosophical person. Not seeing a serious guy in suit with this one. The potential of envoking images and feelings are outstanding with Zefiro, and the quality is clearly felt even for new noses.
Thats why I think this is a masterpiece!
UneveAwaw – :
Norlimbanol, javanol, ISO E Super, whatever incense molecule Tauer loves. A one-note L’air du desert Marocain dupe. Repulsive. Made the mistake of testing before bed and had to get up and shower. Would have lasted forever if I let it.
demis – :
Smoky incense with spices and woods. Incredible performance. The smoky incense is done to perfection in this. It is wearable and not overly smoky or church-like. This is niche perfumery at its finest. It takes authentic smells and blends them in a way that is enjoyable as a fragrance. Bravo, Xerjoff. Another masterpiece.
Drossel – :
I’m mostly impressed with Xerjoff as a whole from the 5-7 scents I’ve tried so far. And that’s very complimentary considering I had my mind made up that I didn’t like this house or what it stood for prior to testing. Price point rarely, if ever bothers me. Yet for some reason Clive Christian and Xerjoff really put my back against the wall when it comes to this subject. From the outside, they remind me more of Montale with the excessive number of fragrances they release. I feel their price point should be more in line with Montale even though the quality and development of their fragrances exceed that of Montale. Zefiro, which is actually more moderately priced, to me is a massive Comme des Garçons extension. Take the cinnamon and honey of the original Comme des Garçons, mix it with a bit of Jaisalmer and Zagorsk, add a tiny bit of Hinoki, and turn the volume way up. If CdG made their fragrances stronger, this is what it would be like. Funny thing is, this combination eventually turns out to be a slightly lighter, smoother version of Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain as mentioned by another reviewer. Come to think of it, Naxos reminds me a lot of Pure Havane. Maybe they are just really good at mimicking other top sellers? At any rate, if you like Tauer or CdG, I suspect you will like this offering a lot.
xentaykartinka – :
I bought Naxos and Zefiro together but elected to wear Zefiro to work few days back. Here are my first impressions: It was still on me as at 5.30pm (until I had my evening bath) after work! I detect zesty notes of bergamot, lemon, cinnamon, ash, leather and of course loads of incense (the type redolent of the one found in Perfume Calligraphy)! Indeed, Zefiro has this inimitable niche quality, with superb longevity and projection! Ideal for office. Biz trip. Church. Weekend gig. Soiree. Just launched Naxos. My reviews would be up on the site as soon as practiceable! Kudos to Italian niche brand: XERJOFF!!!
warmachine – :
Just an amazing woody spicy perfume , for a moment it is similar to other cardamon cinnamon classic perfumes , but it way far because of adding the master incense ( Boukhour ) , it refines the total formula and upgrade the perfume to a higher sophisticated level ; a great perfume that is well noticed without harshing the nose , i loved it from 1st sniff , if u like masculine spicy perfumes that will be very suggested , if not i suggest to give it a try .
chicane82 – :
“Antique Jewelry Box”
It opens up with cinnamon and dark incense, but in an an inviting manner. No notes go too high or too low in Zefiro. Every scent is blended to perfection and in a modest manner.
It is seductive but in a subtle manner. Those who understand the meaning of luxury will appreciate it.
It is cozy and meant to be worn during colder seasons. I see myself wearing it during the holiday season sitting in front of a fireplace drinking hot chocolate and looking outside the window.
It can also remind me of a vintage antique box, or an old and mysterious palace.
It needs to be sprayed modestly. Experienced fragrance enthusiasts will love this fragrance.
Beautiful.
BIZON5799 – :
If you like incense-amber fragrances, you should try this. It is a great choice in the category, with enough incense to satisfy, but relatively soft enough on the resins.
That doesn’t mean it is diluted or timid. To the contrary, it has good longevity, projection and sillage, with thick honey and spice notes interwoven with cardamom, amber and wood. It is fairly sweet, with a tight, airy floral note and just a whisper of oud that provides some tension.
This is a fantastic fragrance, and the pricing is relatively good for 100 ml of juice. It is not ground breaking, but it is very well executed. 8/10.
m007 – :
I love niche fragrances, it’s amazing how the high quality oils used blend so differently with everyone’s chemistry. Just looking at all the reviews and it seems people smell different things, which is fine. Fragrance is subjective and will create or recall memory. That’s a fact.
Everything else is opinion and mine is.. If you like woody, spicy, vetiver type scents that are dry, don’t pass up on a sample of this if possible. It really is a good fragrance. My first impressions are good and the longevity is great. I just already have a fragrance that smells very similar but I can’t think of it right now. It’s defiantly been done before, but it does have its own vibe to it. This house seems to have their own style too which is nice
Apileona – :
“Zefiro” opens with an intense blast of elemi resin; cold, camphorous, slightly medicinal, with a dusting of brittle black pepper and a pinch of cloves.
As the scent warms it becomes more resinous and sweet. There’s this beautiful balmy ‘church incense’ note layered with a piquant triad of cinnamon, cardamom and artemisia.
The effect reminds me of a jar of Tiger Balm kept in a sacristy cupboard; Cool, herbal, medicinal spice wrapped in a veil of warm wood and waxy resins, all softened by a plush, golden amber base.
Though it does have a dense texture, “Zefiro” is not overbearing. In fact, this is probably one of the most wearable incense fragrances I’ve encountered. The blend of fresh, cold spice gives it a brevity that can be enjoyed even on very warm days. I particularly like wearing it to the gym. I find it exudes a stoic masculine character, but yet smells very different to anything else I would typically smell in that environment, and it performs well even after 90 minutes of exercise. I feel like I stand out while wearing it and people I stop to talk to have told me I smell amazing, so all things considered, “Zefiro” gets two thumbs up.
agronom666 – :
This a cardamom cinnamon mix with some incense & woody notes. It does have the Xerjoff stamp and it is kind of similar with the wood notes in richwood.
It feels like a dusty cinnamon sands on a natural dark woods with some cardamom to spice up the scene.
Fairly acceptable.
rustam – :
Scent – woody cinnamon incense.
Season/Time of Day – I prefer to use this one in the colder months, day or night.
Projection – I didn’t get noticed, I didn’t get a compliment.
Longevity – I get 8hrs consistently.
dmitrii1975 – :
Of course, I finally found my perfect holy grail cardamom perfume, and it’s way out of budget! This is so delicious, with the incense perfectly melding into the cardamom and amplifying its sweetness. Yet it’s also light and citric enough to avoid smelling too literally like a church or a bakery.
titkas – :
” XJ 1861 Zefiro Xerjoff ”
Its opens with a cloud of sweet Incense that include harmony of smoky spicy boozy fruity touch mixed of (wine and cinnamon) surrounded with little flowery powdery senses of the soft Iris in the depth with an fantastic moderate sweet amber-ish honey musky woody vibe in the base .
“Zefiro” Its a Seduction its an art ! its a blast of beatiful Comfortable & Elegant composition of Incenses in a modern perfect way and well blended with other notes , its an upper class of quality luxury and sophistication that wakes up the sense of the soul !
A Favorite
The luxurious in a bottle !
10/10.
alogism – :
My first impression upon spraying was, “I have smelled this before!”. After a while it hit me. The incense in this is somewhat resemblant of the cypress smoke opening in Eau des Baux. Think of Baux sans the vanilla and darker, spicier thanks to the cinnamon. I am not saying they are exactly the same, just saying they are similar but this creation is much more complex. Xerjoff perfumes are after all, a luxury, and just like with any other luxuries, you are paying a lot more for that little extra notch in quality.
Update. If I were to live in Scandinavia, Canada, or Russia, one of those places where it is cold most time of the year, I would definitely wear this. I just can’t seem to find a good occasion in the tropical country I live in. Once I tried wearing it in the afternoon and I nearly gagged due to how heavy it was.
Ykka – :
Good sweat incense kind make me think of tauer 02 lair du dessert marrocain tone down!
8/10 well done. nothing new!
Xeroxlbwma – :
incense incense incense!!! reminiscent of a church! On my skin its all incense, too bad its not my thing
77777 – :
This is a beautiful incense fragrance that has an equal amount of sweet incense and spices. Its easy to like and elegant. Does remind me a little bit of Encens Satin but here you have more spices along with some sweetness in the background.