Pumpkin Spice Cathedral

[LizziesLuck]

Pumpkin spiced incense smoke!

Not a huge pumpkin spice fan, but I like the idea of it with incense.

Wet: OK, this smells amazing. First of all, the pumpkin spice is a million time better than I ever expected. I thought it would just be a blast of cinnamon, but it's really well rounded. The pumpkin note is rich, buttery without being cloying, and slightly earthy is a "realistic squash" sort of way. Having never tried the Lab's other pumpkin spice scents, I have NO CLUE how much of the Cathedral is coming through. I have tried Cathedral on it's own, but can't remember it that well. My notes say it was a woody incense with a lot of Frank on me. I don't really smell much of that. This is sweet and creamy and yummy. I want to eat it.


Dry: About the same! Lots of spice, a hint of rich creamy pumpkin. If Cathedral is in there, it's maybe serving to ground this and add dimension (which it has). I really like it, and am excited to compare it to the other PS scents I snagged.

[strick9]

Wet in the imp, this smells lovely. It's incense smoke with a touch of baking spice and creaminess.

 

On, its a whole other story. How I wish both this and traditional Cathedral didn't turn into hamster bedding/pencil shavings on me. But this one get's weirder. The addition of the PS note is super... fake. Like a pumpkin spiced rubber ball or pumpkin spiced caustic chemical. I'm not into it. Into the swap/sale pile it goes.

[mistressfizz]

Cathedral is one of my favorite GC scents. The addition of pumpkin spice imparts an interesting texture. This is mostly my beloved woodsy rich incense, with a swirl of creamy meaty sweetness. There actually isn't much spice. I like how strong and bold it is, like fresh pumpkin and fresh dark woods carved together. As it dries, it settles into the almost sandalwood-like, peaceful dusty notes which I love about Cathedral. Great if you're a fan of woodsy, sweet incense!

[LiberAmoris]

Another Cathedral fan here. Of the 'Pumpkin Spice Whatever' blends I've tried this year, this is the one with the most prominent pumpkin spice note. It's an interesting mix with Cathedral's ecclesiastical resins, and I may ultimately prefer my Cathedral without spices. But I'm going to set this aside for some agin because there's something really compelling about the dusty woodsy resiny notes in Cathedral mixing with the pumpkin pie spices. Reminds me a bit of some cinnamon-laced woods that were burned to add flavor to a cocktail I tried once.

[zankoku_zen]

Deep woodsy incense that smells almost like cedar and patchouli mixed together. No spices. Only a deep woodsy incense. Very masculine. Medium throw and wear length.

[doomsday_disco]

I am going to be a heretic and say that I am not a fan of the original Cathedral. It is just too strong on the frankincense and myrrh for me, and I prefer my resins accompanied with some kind of spice or sweetness. I decided to give this one a go since the previous reviewers mentioned it being one of the more heavily pumpkin spiced GC variants, and to see if it would go well with my Amber Pumpkin HG.

In the decant: It’s unexpectedly sour. Like pumpkin spice and pickle juice? I think one of the resins is combining with the pumpkin spice and making me think of pickles for some reason (maybe a lemon-y frankincense???).

Wet: It’s still somewhat sour, but more tolerable on me than it was in the decant. I get lots of pumpkin spice, especially cinnamon, accompanied by a deep resin and that sour aspect that I mentioned above. After a few minutes, the sour quality becomes fainter but continues to waft in and out, and the pumpkin spice increases in strength.

Dry: Unfortunately, once the pumpkin spices calm down, I’m left with sour resins tinged with spice. The frankincense in this is too sharp for me.

Verdict: This was a fail on my skin chemistry, sadly.

Edited November 6, 2018 by doomsday_disco

[clockworkcrypt]

This is a deep woody pumpkin spice that dries into mostly pumpkin spice with a hint of incense. Maybe some Frankincense in there too? It's pumpkinney and woody and quite interesting. However, this gives me a super pumpkin spice barnyard for the first half hour or so on me, to it keeps this blend tied down in decant land. 

[starbrow]

Five years of aging has rendered Pumpkin Spice Cathedral a truly stunning beauty. It is a whole lot like the GC Cathedral - the same old woods, heavy frankincense and dripping myrrh - but cloaked in a dark shroud of smoke, almost vetiver. The question with Pumpkin Spice is always, of course, how much pumpkin and how much spice. I can't detect any pumpkin note; no trace of the Lab's buttery pumpkin or the richer roasted pumpkin. And I can't pick up much cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger, three of the classic pumpkin spices.

 

What I *can* smell, especially in the drydown, is a beautiful blackened clove. The years have smoothed it out into a very gentle darkness. I don't know if it was this gentle when it first came out, but now it is silky-smooth and dry, like black silk and clove cigarettes. I wouldn't have expected Pumpkin Spice Cathedral to smell like a clovey incense, but that's exactly what I'm getting. There's the ghost of ashes and smoke, so beautifully blended that they just add to the ambience of darkness. And there's the gothic whisper of roses from what I think is rosewood in the original Cathedral, but it's really brought to light here in that classic combination of clove and roses. 

 

This is certainly for fans of the original Cathedral, but I think those who enjoy any of those blends that tread the line of churchy and gothic - Wander Darkling, Divinities Implacable Doom-Laden - would like this one. What it's NOT is gourmand or traditionally Pumpkin Spicy at all. You will be getting a spooky clovey-smoky incense, and you will love it.

 

I would wear this while: existing. Seriously, I've worn it for the past three days. Obsessed!