Gruhme Cologne

Perfume Where You Want to be Kissed

Major Despard took a real disliking to Mr. Shaitana in Agatha Christie's Cards on the Table:  'He was too well dressed — he wore his hair too long — and he smelt of scent.'  This was enough to make 'the toe of [Despard's] boot fairly itch'. The beef Despard clearly has with Shaitana is that he's overdoing it, which is cause to arouse suspicion in the character of any man.

With scent, you don't want to overpower people. You want to attract, not repel. The scent should be noticeable only when someone is close to you — they say you should add perfume wherever you wish to be kissed.

The right scent has all the subtlety, restraint and balance worked out for you, as can be found with a superb fresh new cologne from Gruhme.

Gruhme cologne — a natural preparation — is described as a woody aromatic 'with top notes of juniper berry, organic black peppercorn, bergamot, lemon and lavender, a heart of patchouli and cedar, on a base of oakwood amber musks interlaced with traces of cumin, celery seed and petitgrain'.

There are two versions of the cologne: the original with a 10% concentration they recommend for the day, and the No. 14 with a 14% concentration they recommend for the evening.

I've been using the No. 14 — going for a sort of German expressionist cinema effect in the bottom photo below, as befits the black and chrome deco elegance of the bottle. The cologne is fresh and zingy and will be a wonderful scent for summer. (I shall certainly be packing a bottle for hols this summer.)

The scent lingers, but does not outstay its welcome. Mr. Shaitana certainly would not have offended the sensibilities of Major Despard had he been wearing Gruhme. In fact, I'm pretty sure they would have become best friends and Despard would have acquired a bottle himself.

About Gruhme

Gruhme is based in Birmingham, England. Their perfumes are manufactured in the UK. The company was founded in 2013 by Rob Hallmark whose mission was to offer a fresh and individual alternative to the mass-market offerings of the 'global conglomerates and creative superpowers' that dominate the industry. Rob sees Gruhme as a return to tradition.