FRAGRANCE | Amouage Opus VII EDP (from The Library Collection) celebrates green in all its deep, dark glory (and then some)

My little library is slowly taking shape, having added Amouage Opus VII some two months ago. I initially thought the bottle was black but turns out it's a very dark green. Much like how the sparkly, ombre red of Opus X reflects that fragrance's metallic rose profile, the color here perfectly captures Opus VII's overall vibe. 

At its core, Opus VII is a green frag but is unlike most that I know. Unlike Sisley's Eau de Campagne, or even some of Hermes's Un Jardin selections, it's hardly vegetal, nor is it grassy like Carolina Herrera's 212 Men. I wouldn't say it's along the lines of Rogue Perfumery's Fougère L'Aube either. It's just different, its greenness deep and dark. 

The opening is a strong, peppery-spicy concoction with something cumin-like in the mix. That alone signals that this isn't a mass-appealing frag, and whether you like it or not, it doesn't seem to care. I'm actually surprised that it's co-authored by Alberto Morillas (with Pierre Negrin), who I may have unfairly associated with safe crowd-pleasers because I see it as something a lot of people will find challenging to wear. 

The spiciness may be sharp but I don't find it as stinging to the nose, perhaps because there's a counteracting mild sweetness. The ambery sweetness begins to show itself after several minutes, shy at first but slowly and steadily builds up. While it effectively softens the sharpness, it still respects the fragrance's spicy character and doesn't try to eviscerate it at all. As all this happens, a leathery and woody facet underscores the scent but isn't particularly noticeable in the air. Also, it remains inherently dry despite the sweetness coating the base.

Like most Amouages, Opus VII is unapologetically strong although it understandably mellows a bit after a few hours. Needless to say, longevity is without question. Because of its cumin-like facet, though, Opus VII is best left to colder days or in temperature-controlled environments. By contemporary marketing standards, I see it as a little masculine-leaning although of course there's no stopping a strong and confident woman from pulling this off. It's not a common scent but it is arguably an acquired taste, so it's wise to always try before pulling the trigger on this one.