Burlington 1819
Roja Parfums (2020)

Where to begin with this one.... Let's start from the top, I guess. It's a melange of hesperidics: some grapefruit, some lime, some bergamot, some lemon, some mandarins, and probably something else as well. It's green, citrusy, sour, sweet, oily, and zesty. Those dry down quite quickly to a Venn diagram of cumin. On one side of the diagram is a vague material that is a bit citrusy and piquant. On another side of the diagram is a vague material that is a bit woody and strident. On another side is something vague with a lot of pungent spice and salt. On another side something vaguely animalic and musky. Lump it all together and what you have at the center of the diagram is one of the longest lasting cumin accords I have yet to encounter in a perfume. It's always spicy, always hot, always reeking of body odor, and salty sweat. Sure, cumin as presented as a Venn diagram is interesting... but really only for a little while, not the majority of a day.

Now, where I will end with this one.... It's all top and base, no heart, and the top lasts very briefly; you will need to be happy with a very linear perfume. Next, I call you back to a phrase in my third sentence: "probably something else as well." I found myself saying this a lot while studying 1819 because it is such a hodgepodge mishmash of nondescript synthetics that you don't really know what you're supposed to be smelling, but you do get an overall "effect" of something broadly as cumin. These synthetics are overtly synthetic to an absurd degree. Additionally, the synthetics are so poor in quality and so poorly handled that the entirety of the perfume is a lifeless, thin and wan, vapid, harsh and scratchy mess. When considering the price, this is highway robbery at gun point; you can find discontinued vintages of Amouage's original Opus VII on the aftermarket cheaper than 1819 if you really want a cumin-heavy fragrance that does what 1819 wants to convince you it is doing without making an effort - which says a lot, doesn't it, a vintage discontinued Amouage is cheaper. Crude, crass, and cynical towards us all, and a very firm pass from me.

On the initial spray, this smells similar to Nio by Xerjoff. Burlington 1819 starts to go it's own route after about 10 minutes or so, and especially when the base notes kick in. This is a citrus gem that is probably Roja's version of Nio by Xerjoff. Nice unisex fragrance that will catch attention from others in your vicinity. 8/10

Good god do I love this scent. Frugal buyers beware: this thing cost over $500 Canadian for a bottle, once shipping is included, and so it would certainly be best to proceed with a sample or split before taking the plunge.

At its heart, this is a layered, nuanced, citrus/spice blend. There are certainly other, similar scents out there, and for a much cheaper price; nothing, to my nose, has matched this. I started with a sample, and then simply went for a full bottle in 2020.

A linear, synthetic green-citrus that's a far cry from what the house used to be. They've been trending this way since late 2017, but this one may jump the shark. Disappointing for me and the last full bottle I purchased from the brand. For full disclosure, I'm a big fan of the brand's earlier work, and it's disappointing to see what they've become.