Five O'Clock Au Gingembre Serge Lutens for women and men

The tea takes very long to come out on paper for me.
At first spray, this is very chaotic and "cloudy" - I typically expect tea scents to be astringent, simple, soothing. This one is quite the opposite - it feels crowded and complicated in the usual Serge Lutens way, and unfortunately I think it doesn't quite work for this scent. Unfortunately my skin devours this one and turns it into a pepper + honey scent.

It's gonna be a no from me, dawg.

I'd describe Five O'Clock Gingembre as equal parts citrus and spice with a "wet" or "damp" quality that I guess is from the tea. In full disclosure, I'll admit that I don't care for bergamot, nor cinnamon. But something about it reminds me of a care facility for the elderly, like a nursing home or something. The blend of disinfectants, the gentle holiday-ish scent... I can't quite place it.

Layering it with a drier, woody fragrance (in my case, Papyrus Moleculaire from Maison Crivelli) makes it more palatable, but I'll likely give this 2ML sample to someone else. (In my search for ginger, Ingenious Ginger is still the reigning favorite.)

Gosh, this was so unexpectedly nice. The sweetness of the ginger swings this to 'Christmas' sort of, but it's still sweet and strong enough that it'd still be a stellar summer fragrance too. I keep coming back to this- the drydown is so nice, so sweet and special with still that hit of ginger. It's also really tough to do something 'spicy' without the drydown getting that sour 'BO' smell- this has NONE of that, and it's so nice. Comforting but sort of edgy with that spice- this may be FBW. I can see how a spicy ginger scent says 'grandpa' but it's one of those unisex fragrances that would be heartstopping on a woman, you know?

Drydown goes down the path of woodiness, cedar/balsa wood. Yep, cedar lined drawers with a hint of sweet ginger. Very nice. Great longevity- survived a shower, faint but still there. It's just spicy and sweet enough to be head turning especially if a woman were wearing it.

Truly fantastic! This starts off quite fresh with a gorgeous realistic citrus, tea and ginger combo. The ginger here is A+. You definitely get a more sweet "candied" ginger. Leave it to Sheldrake to pull of this gem. The honey starts to peak through early on to my nose warming everything up. Come dry down the chocolately nuances begin but the ginger lingers on.

Definitely gives off holiday vibes but this could easily be a spring fragrance aswell. Smooth, elegant and cozy. Sergre Lutens is the definition of niche. You don't see many youtube fragrance "influencers" talking about them simply because Serge doesn't pass out free bottles. Outstanding fragrance!

Coming back to Lutens after forrays into the world of indie perfumery (rough and ready oil-based mixes , most of them), I am very much aware of the subtlety of this fragrance: multi-layered but smooth, like a well-oiled politician.

The reviews below rave about this fragrance's prowess.

But to extend the metaphor for a moment, you are left questioning, as the perfume's charms begin to fade with wear, what was the all the fuss about?

Diehard fans of Lutens, like the worst of political camp followers, do tend towards blind loyalty and expect their man to Do No Wrong, but I've found several fragrances from this house to be merely OK, rather than life-changing.

(This one is very good, though!)

Smells like holiday spices and warm tea. It might be one of the softest and most comforting fragrances in my collection without being sugary sweet.

I’d say this is perfectly unisex to most tastes, but I can see why some women might find it too brooding and some men might find it too cozy. It really just depends on you. I’m a man and I like it.

However, I do wish maybe there was a bit more oomph.

Compare it to L'Instant de Guerlain pour Homme EDT /EDP Guerlain?

All I want to say is that this scent makes me happy.

I reviewed it earlier, saying it was quite interesting, but reminded me of furniture varnish. But whenever I use it since... It just makes me happy and I don't care if it has varnish vibes.

Smelling it is a lot like drinking tea, in the sense that it's comforting and warm, and it makes me feel like all my problems are not so bad.

I really wanted to love this. I thought it might replace the void left when Poison Girl Unexpected was discontinued, but sadly no. This is more of a nuanced ginger and black tea scent, it's warming and spicy without being cosy.
The part that really didn't appeal to me is the beeswax note that lingers.
I'd say this is more masculine than unisex.

Perfect sweater-weather scent for the Holliday season. Smells like a spicy ginger cookie to me without being overtly gourmand.

Wow, I really love this. This is so nostalgic to me. This smells just like Roman Catholic mass. When the priest comes out with the thurible and fills the room with the very recognizable incense smell. Five O'Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens is that smell. Add a little ginger, a hint of cinnamon, and sweeten it just a tad with honey, and you have this fragrance. So comforting. The surprising thing is "incense" is not one of the notes, but the culmination of all the ingredients smells like it.

Anyone going to church on Christmas will smell what I mean.

So glad I got to try this. This is a gem. Well blended. Not loud and offensive (you could wear this to work every day).

Earl Gray, ginger and honey. At first smells like a cold cup of spiced up black tea, that was left on the kitchen counter on a winter morning in a hurry before work. Very subtle. A very European take on tea (which is quite simplistic). Later smells like the kitchen counter the cup of tea was left on. Reminds me of furniture varnish, not in an offensive way. Like when you spill some hot tea onto a varnished table and the varnish goes cloudy 😬

As an enjoyer of specialty teas, I always expect more from tea based fragrances. There's so much more potential in tea!

It's very unisex, but I wonder how it would smell on a man. I suspect, very nice and gentleman-like.

Tea and spicy ginger are the stars in this scent for me with cinnamon and pepper playing some backing roles. This is a very cozy scent. I really do get the spicy warmth of a steamy cup of tea. For me this is solidly a unisex offering. I don’t get a lot of sweetness (which I appreciate here) so I would not classify this as gourmand leaning as I have personally come to associate sweet with gourmands nowadays. (Just a weird personal thing I guess.) Amber, honey and wood warmly round this out for me in the drydown. Pretty damn gorgeous!

I just received a 50ml bottle. Sadly, I do not like this at all and can not return it. Message me if interested in purchasing it. Thanks!

A gourmand leaning, powdery and soft scent centred around green tea and candied ginger! My preferred type of ginger. While none of these two notes are necessarily my most favourite notes in a fragrance, I love Five au O’clock au Ginbembre! In a nutshell, it’s a soft, warm, fresh spicy, semi sweet tea with ginger, honey and cinnamon powdered on top.

I haven’t tried anything else like this, so for me it’s a unique scent. I love most of Serge Lutens’s contemporary creations to be honest.

I would not say that I detect much patchouli or woods in this fragrance but I am not bothered because I have enough fragrance with these notes featured prominently.

I prefer this fragrance as it is. I am not a big tea drinker but I love this suave note in scents. I find it so relaxing and comforting. The only thing I wish that this fragrance would have more is longevity and projecting power. It’s very moderate on me.

Price wise, I think it is a great value for money. You can get lots of Serge Lutens fragrances on discount sites for such affordable prices because this brand is not overhyped on social media like most of the more recent niche brands. It’s a very reputable French niche brand but it’s so overlooked these days. I really hope that my reviews would inspire younger people to give Serge Lutens scents a try because they are great.

This perfume, for years, has had me intrigued because I have yet to find anything like it. Think of having a cup of Earl Grey tea in your favorite cafe in London. Prismatic snowflakes dissipate in the night, only illuminated by the street lamps outside the cafe window. Bergamot, candied-ginger, amber, and pachouli are warming and welcoming with this cozy winter scent. After several hours, the ginger remains while introducing an indistinguisable smoky cedar, blending exceptionally well with the remaining resinous notes. I cannot recommend this fragrance enough. I have no other composition to compare it to; it's pure hibernal comfort concentrated in a bottle.

A sense of black tea with ginger and sugar is here, but I would not recommend buying it blindly. It is not a typical soft and rounded amber fragrance.

When it arrived via post, it was a dry and quite plain amber; the composition sounded like an old polished table and quiet reading room. Interesting, not typical, conceptual, and melancholic composition. Also, lacking a full body.

After several months on my shelf, the opening of this fragrance became sharply oversweet. After which I get a tea with ginger to a peculiar calm cabinet. Again, the composition is interesting and unique. But to my nose, that sharp sweetness is not comfortable.

These transformations during the shelf-life of this fragrance and separately sounding sharp notes in the opening make me think that something is wrong with the composition, it seems to be unbalanced.

While in Paris I visited the Rue Saint Honoré where most fragrances boutiques are . I went into SL store searching for MKK but the store clerk directed me to Chergui which I LOVED and this one, which I LOVED the same. Always wanted a ginger fragrance and finally found one worth having. It’s fresh and spicy. Like candy ginger which actually waters my mouth. I want a crystallized piece now! Well that’s what it smells like ;)
No MKK for me as it was almost identical to Kiehls

So sweet it might rot your teeth.

This is a unique scent. Spicy opening and dries down to a heavy spicy, woody, tea based scent. The spicy /woody ginger is the main player.

This smells like candied oud, if such a thing would exist. Sugary and sharp. Coniferous and spicy. Stays similar the whole time. Pretty interesting.

It reminds me of Tea For Two from L'Artisan Parfumeur, but minus the milk and plus the citrus.

The ginger in newer batches is amped up and much sharper with not as much cinnamon as I remember it. In my personal chart it's going down from love to like. Performance is still decent.

I’ve been aSerge Lutens fan for many years! They were the first niche brand I owned and I still have a few Bell Jars in my collection. Five O’Clock Gingembre is a wonderful fall fragrance with cinnamon in the forefront on me. I love the spices that round it out to make it a beautiful sweater weather scent.I also get cloves and ginger in the dry down.

As for longevity it’s stays around a while 5 to 6 hours and projects perfectly throughout the day. This fragrance will always have special place for me in the cooler months ahead! High recommended 9/10 can come of sharp for those who don’t like cinnamon!

Stashed away for cold weather and it's gingerbread alright but the aroma not the taste so the cinnamon ginger with the bit of clove really stand out and not drowned in fruit or sweetness. Love sniffing these spices on me and might layer with a fruity scent to lighten it up alternatively but it would also be equally nice on a male as is,

This is so beautiful. I can't get enough. It reminds me of this great ginseng & ginger gum.

I've had this for years (probably since 2014ish) and to this day it still confuses me a little bit. When I first bought this, I was put off by the strong opening. To me, it smelled like something an old lady would wear: strong bergamot and spicy ginger. I didn't necessarily get a tea vibe from it. Well, I put this one away for quite awhile, coming back only for an occasional wearing. I did eventually start to notice the earl grey tea vibe and loved the smell of this, but still struggled with feeling like it just wasn't for me.

I actually tried wearing this on a warm summer evening last year, while I was going to a friend's house. The entire time I was at his house I thought he had just finished baking some gingerbread cookies and kept telling him how great it smelled at his place. After I left I realized that it was in fact ME that smelled so great and started wearing it as a casual evening scent. It smelled great and lasted a long time with decent projection, although it does come and go a bit. Well this past winter every time I'd wear it I got a an odd "earthy" smell right off the bat, but not in a good way. Very little early grey tea, very little cinnamon, and very little ginger, nor honey. The winter and fall are definitely the perfect time to wear this, but that just doesn't seem to work well with my skin chemistry, so I am still perplexed by this fragrance. I love it, but I just don't know how many evenings in the summer I want something this "warm".

Sublime fragrance. Hard not to love. Longevity, sadly, is fleeting, like all beautiful things.

Serge Lutens is one of my favourite perfume houses. Combining French-style perfume tradition alongside progressive artistry, they have produced many masterpieces. This is a ginger-dominant scent, but is more nuanced than the likes of Twilly Eau Ginger for example. The ginger here is bolstered by tea, citrus, amber and other spices, making for a warm, spicy wintertime scent that manages to avoid obvious scented candle comparisons.

FOCAG opens with a lovely Earl Grey accord (tea and bergamot), with a side of freshly-grated ginger. The opening is fresh-spicy, radiantly bright, before becoming warm and cosy.

The prominent cinnamon note at the heart brings this scent to festive territory, adding warm sweet-spiciness to this scent. It complements the fresher ginger nicely. The ginger becomes softer and sweeter as it develops - alongside the cinnamon, it is reminiscent of gingerbread.

It remains ginger-dominant throughout the drydown, complemented by soft woody notes and a rich, sweet amber accord. Cocoa adds an interesting chocolate edge, and honey sweetens the amber. Some patchouli adds earthiness in the late stages, a logical progression from the tea note of the opening. It fades to a sweet amber skin scent, with ginger featuring prominently until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate.

A creative, cohesive scent built around a ginger note, FOCAG has a lot going for it. It is an olfactory artwork that showcases the multifaceted nature of ginger - freshly-grated and tart, warmly spicy, candied and sweet, baked good. The other notes serve to set off the ginger. A unisex, cold-weather scent, I think I'd enjoy this best on a man, personally. 4/5.

This scent is very warm, spicy with cacao dust lingering on the skin for hours. It immediately reminds me of christmas and holiday candles.

Absolutely magnificent scent 10/10! I'm in love!

Absolutely unisex, I totally don't get it why so many people say it leans masculine????? It smells divine on me and it would smell divine on any other women and it would smell divine on a guy!

Definitely runs more masculine, wish my man would wear it.

Warm, spicy, masculine leaning, a little bit woody.... If you like ginger mixed with citrus and tea, you're in for a treat. It's sophisticated and lasts well on my skin. My next buy!

Someone please alert any men I date in the future to either wear this or Uncut Gem. These bright, gingery concoctions are such a good balance of fun and intriguing spice (in this case cinnamon and pepper) sweetly dancing along a solid woody backbone.

My skin puts a spotlight on cinnamon, making this veer dangerously into home scent territory. It's also slightly too masculine for my taste but this will be a fun one to test again in warmer weather just to double check.

Such a great masculine, spicy scent. Another winner from Serge Lutens.

I was unimpressed by this initially, often the way with Uncle Serge’s creations.
Full blown summer heat has made this perfume bloom into an absolute winner.
Fresh and zesty then dry and smooth. I despise green tea, the tea in this is black, the pepper is black. I love it. The sweetness calms down after a time, the honey is muted but very noticeable
If you want a summer scent leagues above cucumber and green tea fresheners than give this a try.
Perfectly unisex.
Scent 7/10
Bottle 10/10 iconic

Having long passed the 300 mark on sampled fragrances there rarely is anything that really leaves a lasting impression anymore and even when that is the case it is usually bizarre or difficult to wear. Five O’clock is one of those special cases that are both exciting but also super easy to wear.

Funnily enough I usually don’t enjoy ginger, for example in Baruti Chai Extrait, with a very dry and somewhat astringent ginger that I find quite challenging. The ginger note in Five o'clock is nothing like that, it's a sweet portrayal like a honey ginger pastille or lemon drop with a spicy gingery undercurrent and this resonates very nicely with a woody aromatic tea backdrop with some tender ambery cacao undertones resonating throughout the whole composition detectable from the very first few seconds.

Sheldrake seems to enjoy using fresh accords to cut through heavy and spicy amber compositions, for example there is an almost minty green hay accord cutting through the powdery ambery tobacco of Chergui. In Five O'clock there is a similar effect of a fresh slightly green slightly aromatic tea accord (not picture perfect tea, just a general evocation) that cuts through the sweet warm spicy amber base that really hits a certain sweet spot between freshness and warmth. That being said, I can imagine the really young crowd to struggle with those aromatic facets and may consider it a bit on the mature side, 25+ seems reasonable to me though.

A pleasure to wear and a few sprays are enough to get it to perform.
Excellent scent overall, for me personally on the masculine leaning side of unisex. Unquestionable a top 3 Lutens fragrance for me.

This is the first new fragrance in years that I fell in love with! I’m late to the party for this event it has been out a while. But I am in love! The ginger is warm the tea is right behind…just steaming in the background just a little. There seems to be some cinnamon trying to show its head but the ginger fights him back to be the center of attention! I love this scent! It’s spicy warm ( I know people say ginger is cold but to me this feels warm!
This will now be a yearly purchase

why would I want to smell like anything else?

Masculine and spicy deliciousness at first spritz, which quickly settles into its true top notes - spiced tea and hint of bergamot. I begin to detect a sourness though which had me worried. I recently sampled Serge’s Feminite du Bois, which despite great reviews, turned into a sour mess on my skin, and I was hoping this didn’t go down the same route since it is of a similar genre. In Feminite I though it was the plum note, but in comparing it with Five O’clock the common notes they share are ginger and cinnamon, so it must be one of those notes reacting negatively with my skin.
Fortunately it ended up drying down to its peppery amber base with a hint of cocoa. Pleasant, takes you on a little journey, but not for my tastes.

In my quest to simplify and reduce the noise, there is something to be said for the comfort of small rituals. Taking a bath, listening to the rustle of the trees, slowly sipping each word of a poem, and a hot cup of tea to warm the soul, with some gingerbread biscuits to dip in the hot brew.

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is uncomplicated yet unfettered, redolent of Sheldrake woody spice "DNA" (wink wink), candied ginger and cinnamon mingling with the wet, round, somewhat green aroma of tea. It is argued that in lacking in the adventure of, say, creations such as Bapteme de Feu or Santal Majascule, there is no intrigue here. But who said that intrigue was always on the menu? Sometimes, on the contrary, what appears is comfort, a cozy reprieve; maybe a disconnect with something tasty and enveloping is needed.

This is when I have had enough and want a blanket type of fragrance. Hmm, should that be a new category? Top 10 blanket fragrances?? Something to ponder, but not too much, as the time is Five O'Clock Au Gingembre. Sip, sip, ahhhh....

This perfume smells a lot like Burberry London for men, but Five O'Clock au Gingembre does not have a (listed) tobacco note. Tea and tobacco notes often have a similar "water-like" feel to me. Although 5OCaG doesn't specifically smell of tobacco, it does have that watery smell (probably from the tea) though. It also smells like a spicier Tea for Two. As others have said, this doesn't have the best performance. I like this and Burberry London for Men about equally; I like both better than Tea for Two. The latter is slightly more summery and less autumnal than the former two. Five O'Clock au Gingembre is unisex, but leaning slightly masculine. I'm a woman in my mid 30s, and I do not find it difficult to wear. I enjoy this genre of perfume.
Like, not love.

The problem with this Serg Lutens fragrance is performance. I sprayed heavily on shirt and wrists and I can barely smell it. I have to stick my nose directly on my wrist to get a sense of the scent profile. It's a pretty nice scent profile. It maybe has a very slight similarity to the great Gucci Envy for Men, one of my favorite fragrances and the reason I was interested in this fragrance. But Envy is far better. Its richer, denser, spicier, woodier, more ambery and performs a whole lot better. Five O'Clock au Gingembre is almost like you take Envy for Men, add the tea and bergamot notes to introduce the 'fresh' accord, but at the same time destroy the performance. I have Serge Lutens Chergui and Arabie and of course those are Intense performers. Five O'Clock Au Gingembre would be a very nice fragrance if I could smell it.

Update: This has gone in my "office scent" collection because it has a very nice, very pleasant scent profile and stays very close to the skin. It is a very nice scent.

I was disappointed in this when I first tested it because I couldn't smell any tea at all. I also thought it was very masculine, and like smellworthy said, there's something about it that just smells old-timey. I guess I expected this to be a gourmand, with the tea, cinnamon, candied ginger and cocoa, but it isn't gourmand at all. The ginger is not candied and the cinnamon is not sweet, it's just spicy.
As I wore it though, I started to like it more. It got sweeter over time and it was definitely cozy, enjoyable and very autumnal. I enjoy wearing this. It's just a masculine leaning, very smoking jacket and loafers type fragrance.

I was looking for nice cozy tea scent with spices and I have found this perfume... I can't smell any tea, but it's not important, because what I can smell is Gucci Envy for Men vibes with its strong ginger incense combo! I love it!

I really wanted to love this as the notes and reviews make it sound perfect for me but I don't really know how to feel. There's something in a lot of the SL frags that I've tried that make them smell.. dated? Some can pull that off and feel more "cozy", but this one is giving grandma. In fact, it smells just like the ginger candies my own grandma would give away around Christmas time. I will wear it some more again once the temperatures drop though, so will update later

I was disappointed by the recent formulation of Chanels masterpiece Egoiste. The stars of Egoiste, the cinnamon, orange, vanilla and sandalwood, are badly blended. I was also disappointed by Serge Lutens Bapteme du Feu. Why did they put too much castorium in that one that could be the perfect tangerine, ginger, clove Christmas masterpiece without that horrible urine note. But now I smelled Five O'CLOCK au Gingembre and everything is fine because this one operates in the same category of cinnamon, ginger brownish spicy fragrances. I am so overwhelmed by this one. It has the delicious smell of the most luxurious tea party in a wonderful tearoom. The citrus, the cinnamon, the Earl Grey tea note, ginger, cacao, and pepper and the other ingredients are blended into an amazing stylish perfume with an unique gourmand twist. I notice in the opening a subtle but present woody incense note. This is amazing and excellent perfumery. I have a 2 ml tester but after this review I'm gonna purchase a 100 ml of this amazing Lutens. Yes, the performance is not topnotch but I don't care because I will spray this a lot this autumn accompanied with perfectly brewed cinnamon ginger tea offcourse!

This is an interesting fragrance. I definitely get the ginger and cinnamon, and I think the tea? It’s hard to say what I’m smelling. But something about it smells very vintage? I’m not sure what it is, maybe the amber? I’m certain I’ve smelled it before, but it’s not my taste. It’s definitely a nice fragrance, but there’s also something off putting about the ambery base. I wish I knew what it was so I could avoid it, because I do like amber usually. Also I think this comes across as more masculine for some reason, maybe the amber again. Smells a bit like a mature man’s cologne.

Now I’m reading other reviews. I’m surprised that people think it is sweet. I wouldn’t call it sweet or gourmand at all, it just has some spices. It doesn’t actually smell like something edible to me at least. I can see other people also find it smells like a vintage masculine scent.

Coming back to this after a long hiatus, I am stunned by the beauty of this fragrance. This is the equivalent of coming back to your hometown and meeting your high school friend only to (belatedly) realize what a gorgeous babe she is, and cursing yourself for being a fool not to see it. A seductive, classy, mesmerizing combination of ginger, honey, and cinnamon with a very light incense hovering in the background. I think Bentley for Men Intense was copying this and failed. Badly. This is a beauty, and like all SL frags, is supremely well-blended. Very versatile: I am wearing this on a warm summer day, but I have worn this on crisp fall days and a couple winter days also, and it has been perfectly suited to all of them. Truly a masterpiece that is accessible to all.

Similar to Tea for You, I am enjoying this but it's not changing my life one way or another. Lovely, spicy tea scent.

Move aside Chergui, this is the real crowd-pleaser of SL. Opens up with an invigorating bite of citrus, tea and ginger, with a powerful cinnamon note that follows it shortly. Fully encapsulates a picturesque autumn morning. Versatile, year-round fragrance. Unisex, masculine-leaning, as there are elements of "traditional male fragrance" vibes to this, most likely due to the fresh spicy nature of it.

I would have sworn there's a cognac (or other alcohol) note in here. Sampling it for the first time just now, and I do like it, but at certain points it has a slight "your dad's cologne from the 90's" vibe. That being said, for the most part, I do enjoy it, even though I find it to be heavy on the ginger (a note that I can rarely enjoy or even tolerate), and dry wood (by dry I mean DRY).

This could be BOMB on a middle-aged man. Or me, if I could pull it off. Time will tell.

PS Might be a wild idea but I feel like this is how Margiela's Jazz Club should have smelled? (I don't like Jazz Club at all).

PS2 Lol I'm just seeing now that according to Serge Lutens this is "Tea at Buckingham Palace"?? (on reflection this literally says 5 o'clock in the name of it, DUH, Kate) F afternoon tea, take me to the jazz club instead!

Wow this is quite the intriguing scent! It opened very very spicy and perfumey to me. Perhaps that is the tea note I smell. Anywho, I get a lot of black pepper and earthy patchouli, along with earl grey tea. At times this smelt like I was standing in a dark forest after the rain. The soil is wet and I can see a small wooden log cabin a head of me. They must be cooking. The smoke coming from the chimney fills the air nearby and all around. The aroma is thick with warm and comforting spices. Over time, the tea note mellows out and the sweeter notes in the fragrance come forward. The candied ginger is soft or just does not exist unfortunately. So much for five o'clock au gingembre

I had forgotten how addicting this scent was! It’s a delight and a unique gem in a perfume collection.

Previously I had owned the tan label/gold cap, and my current bottle is black label/black cap- I’m unsure if there is a reformulation, but it is much sweeter and mildly more gourmand than I remember!

Honeyed ginger tea and warm scones over a slightly woody base. Comforting, with a spicy kick!

Ginger beer! Good old-fashioned English ginger beer, golden and bubbly, slightly sweet, crisp and clear.
Golden but not warm, like a cold glass of ginger beer on a hot summers day, chilled so that condensation forms on the outside of the glass.

A very unisex scent, spicy ginger and dry wood, no sweetness at all, but with a warmth that comes from spices and cacao. A nice scent to wear around the holidays, not super projecting but decent longevity.

Serge Lutens Five O'Clock Au Gingembre (2008) - Ginger Chocolate Tea - this is such a delight to wear from #christophersheldrake Starts with a gourmand combination of Earl Grey tea, Ginger, and Cinnamon. Then transitions to this warmer accord of Chocolate, Earthy Patchouli, Honey on a woody base. Yet, it never wears heavy and doesn’t clobber my nose with a full-on projection. It’s radiant, light and wafts in the air similar to a tea you might be drinking. Superb!

104
I don’t like strong scents, but this is so weak…Too bad, as I love the citrus gingerbread and tea effect and even the mild barbershop dry down doesn’t bother me enough. But if it was stronger in the top-mid portion, I’d get a FB.

I was testing several samples and comparing their concentration, longevity, projection (not aroma) and this came on the chopping block. There are too many lovely scents like this on the market that are just too weak to fill up your closet. Instead, there are others with better strength that should be in your perfume collection. Don’t let the weak ones take up space. 7/10-very pleasant scent, but too weak. Maybe it would have a chance in warmer temperatures.

Got this wonderful fragrance for x-mas as a blind buy and I was wonderfully surprised with how amazing it is. I've loved all of the Serge Lutens fragrances so far and this one takes the cake BY FAR. I have daily worn Feminite du Bois in the past and I have absolutely loved it, however, this was instantly made into my daily once wearing it once. With such a deep and rich smell I can confidently say this is one of the nicest scents a man can wear. It might even turn me gay!

This opens with a sharp bergamot and what I think must be the tea note but to me it smells a bit like vetiver - dry, woody and a bit earthy. This pungent phase gradually becomes warmed by the ginger and spices but the overall impression remains quite dry. I get no sweetness, although the fragrance becomes smoother, the sharp edges of the opening being rounded off by spicy warmth. This does not remind me of ginger cookies etc. It is more reminiscent of drinking hot, savoury and spicy ginger tea whilst on a cold walk through a winter forest. It is a great perfume if that is what you are after, but not if you are searching for a sweet, ginger gourmand. Unisex, sillage and longevity moderate.

I have never been disappointed with a Surge Lutens fragrance. This house is so consistently beautiful, complex but very wearable in today's unisex, niche fashion. Surge Lutens created this fashion and still holds its place for artistic wearable fragrances.This was love at first sniff. 5 O'Clock smells like Coca-Cola in the best way possible.

When I learned that Serge Lutens wasn't going to be distributing in the US anymore, I began hastily researching their collection to try and snag one on FragranceNet before it became much more difficult to do so. My decision came down to Feminite du Bois or this one... I'm so glad I went with this one.

I'm with the other reviewers that think the opening is an icky, astringent blast. But it almost immediately settles into something warm, sweet, spicy, and complex. The candied ginger is delightfully sticky and not too sharp. The patchouli and honey are really present on my skin, giving a cozy depth. The dose of cinnamon and pepper is not hefty at all, which I'm grateful for. Definitely an amber fragrance, and ambers are hit-or-miss for me. This one is an absolute win. Leans ever so slightly masculine, but I think the warm sweetness makes it unisex. Smells like stepping outdoors on a cold and crisp Christmas morning after placing some sort of baked treat in the oven. If you're a Black Opium person looking to branch out into something niche, this would be a great place to start.

Outside it is dark and cold, it’s December, a time of celebration. You are in a room with weathered wooden furniture, and you can smell their scent and their history. You’re drinking black tea, you have left the teabag in for too long. On the table ginger and cinnamon cookies. A jar of honey, some black pepper. The fireplace is lit and fills the room with warmth and its distinctive smell.

Opening is never my favorite part of SL perfumes. In fact, I usually don't like it. After 20 minutes it's crazy love. Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is not the exception.

It opens balsamic, almost reminiscent of pine trees and their smell, between balsamic and resinous. Then there are strong woody notes, black tea, a touch of fresh bergamot - very light that lasts just a few minutes - and a strong dose of cinnamon. The opening is precisely the color of the perfume, dark. Over time, the scent softens with amber and honey and evolves into a game of cinnamon, pepper, honey, amber and woody notes. The strength of the opening is lost, now there’s sweetness.

A lovely scent of tea, ginger, honey, spices.. Also has some crispiness and freshness in it. Unfortunately the recent version I tried in the store yesterday is not too long lasting.

Warm and lovely. Definitely not a gourmand; to me, it's very masculine, something my dad would wear. The ginger is candied, but only just: a thin layer of crunchy sweetness over a sharp ginger shot. The tea and bergamot infuse it with a brightness that doesn't really fade even as time goes on, so it never feels engulfing. It makes me want to make ginger molasses cookies, a mean cup of lemony chai, and curl up with a good book. My feel-good go-to.

Despite the name, I don’t get a lot of ginger. If it weren’t for the name, I doubt I’d have observed any ginger in this at all.

The opening is coniferous to me. Almost like juniper berries or pine needles. Then enters the spicy cinnamon, the tea leaf and a very firewood type woody note (cedar?)

It’s quite masculine to me, not something I think I could pull off. I find the tea leaf gives it a bit of a soapy fresh smell, but the pine note and the cinnamon keep it from smelling like anything else.

It’s really unique, pleasant, and very winter holiday appropriate. It’s like a cute boyfriend you brought home to your parents on Christmas Eve. Strong like.

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is delicious without being gourmand, woody without being wooden, and down-to-earth without being earthy. It is one of the more realistic ginger scents I have smelled, paired with a delicious atmosphere of venerated dark woods. Although it's fairly linear and not particularly artistically groundbreaking, Gingembre is well-executed and artful candied ginger and wood.

I don't think of this primarily as a tea scent, but the color and timbre of the Gingembre is in the same general shape as that of tea, magnified by the other ingredients that make up the heart of the fragrance. In other words, this is not primarily led by tea on me, but it is dark, comforting, delicious, and meditative in the same ways that tea is, and is likely to appeal to tea lovers for this reason.

Right away in the opening of Gingembre, I'm hit by a ginger with more of a fresh bite than I was expecting. In warmer weather, it's not unlike the fresh pickled gari ginger in CDG's Rouge, piquant and slightly sour, with a suggestion of brine. This ginger is warmer and spicier, however, particularly on cooler days, softened by touches of sweetness and woodiness. It's more like the dried ginger in a spice container than a finished baked good or candy made of ginger. I can sense the faint sugar of the candied ginger softening the spice, but it isn't overpoweringly sugar-sweet, nor does it suggest a true dessert. The cinnamon pairs with the ginger to provide a warm, spicy softness, without the explicit suggestion of some true gourmand pastry or cake. These are spices and candies poured over a study table straight, like some kind of deconstructed gingerbread where the baker has forgotten most of the ingredients and kept just the garnishes.

Most of all, Gingembre reminds me of Tam Dao EDP: there's a shared vibe of warm and spicy gingerbread cookies finely crafted out of inedible aromatic wood. Gingembre is more than a gourmand: just as strong as the ginger is the aura of dark woods, of slightly musty library shelves and comforting fine furniture in a study full of books and green plush accents. The comfort of Gingembre is thus twofold: the sweet spiced ginger, unmarried to any oversweet pastry, sprinkled over the soulful dark fine woods of the room.

Simultaneously, there is a majesty that pairs with this solace as well as tea pairs with gingerbread. Somehow, this is the aroma of a church, tall and silent yet entirely imposing. It is a wooden church, possessed of marvelous vulnerability and strength. I am particularly reminded of the Borgund Stave Church in Norway, a dark chocolate-brown tower made entirely from wood without a single nail. It looks like a delicious cake in the same way that Gingembre smells like one: dark, broody, brown, and entirely wooden, yet with something that looks just a little tasty about it. Simultaneously, on the inside you can see the grounded, humble roots of the church, with its marvels of nail-less construction and cross-section designs that almost remind one of a barn. This is the down-to-earth grounded fresh ginger in Gingembre, humble and pure. Finally, one imagines a spirit of sweetness and spice inhabits the church, with voices echoing in the tall structure in songs of praise, else in the respectful silence of a visitor. This is the quiet majesty of Gingembre.

The tea shapes the dark, mildly green solace of the woods. I don't detect much bergamot, but can imagine it adding a touch of brightness to the ginger and connecting it to the tea-stained woods. The base notes provide more warmth and comfort to the blend of ginger and woods. A hint of pepper makes the spice more interesting and dynamic, and the honey sweetens the candied ginger. The cacao and patchouli highlight the grounded facets of the dry powdered ginger. The ginger gets softer, simpler, sweeter as time goes on, with the fresh sharp edge of its opening fading within the first few hours.

This is my favorite Serge Lutens so far: Chergui and Datura Noir were misses for me, too challenging and weird (medicinal and sunscreen-y, respectably), but this is far and away the most accessible and, to me, delightful of the three. The darkness and slight mustiness of the woods makes Gingembre unsuitable for someone looking for a simple gourmand ginger cookie without a dark side. Lovers of tea, fine woods, and similar quiet dark notes, however, are likely to enjoy this one. Gingembre is thoughtful and introspective without being too sour, earthy, or groundbreaking for its audience. Sillage is intimate from start to finish, but it lasts an impressive 14+ hours on me at that consistent light level of projection. It's a solid like for me, particularly in colder weather, and a nice comforting scent for days when one isn't particularly craving something else.

I have tried for several times ambre sultan, chergui, bapteme du feu, santal majuscule, fille de berlin, la religieuse, and 5 o’clock au gingembre, out of all these i have picked a full bottle of 5 o’clock . It was the most interesting familiar and natural, it has some incense flare to it, in addition to all of the above mentioned notes. I loved it, it is now one of the best in my collection.

This smells like glühwein and candied ginger! All over a super cozy woody base. Gives off a holiday vibe while remaining sophisticated and fancy. What a perfect winter scent; I might actually want a bottle of this when my decant runs out!

-i was curious to smell this because someone mentioned ginger cookies...
-This is not ginger cookies. It's musty licorice in a bottle.
-Musty. sour, dark..only an eclectic individual can pull this scent off. (-)

This smells like licorice next to a tea on a rainy day and patchouli heavy. Not offensive but real patchouli. Like this type of it compared to Muglers and other designer patchoulis.

Unfortunately, I really hated it. I tried it on my skin and I couldn't shake off the feeling I smelled of an old woman. In fact a lot of the SL perfumes come off a bit too aggressive and conservative for my liking.

At the risk of sounding banal, this is really nice!

I blind bought a 50ml bottle of Five O'Clock Au Gingembre. It seemed okay to take the chance because the notes were promising. The perfume turned out to be a success.

To my nose, the most prominent notes are wood, cinnamon, ginger and pepper. The tea is noticeable too and it blends together nicely with the previous notes to form a spicy chai scent. This fragrance is not overly sweet and has a tannin-like quality.

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is truly unisex. It smells great on my husband but I also adore wearing it. I purchased the bottle for autumn, which is perfectly appropriate…but I hate delayed gratification. I have been wearing Au Gingembre to bed with the air conditioning on so I can pretend fall is already here.

A large part of me hesitated to write this review because I don’t want everyone to buy up this perfume! According to Sebastian at Smelling Great Fragrances, Serge Lutens will no longer be selling fragrances in the US. My instinct is to buy a few more bottles so I will enjoy this perfume for years to come. On the other hand, there is beauty in savoring the moment while it lasts. Plus, it means more for you to try, which I hope you get to do soon.

I just received a vintage version of this frag from eBay and fell in love with it. Incense, smoke, ginger, and mystery... I recognized the scent as something I'd smelled before, a fragrance I knew and love. It took me a few hours before I remembered that it reminded me of goop's Edition 1 perfume, which Gwyneth refers to as "Church." This perfume can be rocked any season, day or night imo. Beautiful fragrance! Almost 7 hours later, I'm enjoying my arm's scent. 8/10

First impression

Opens with a blast of ginger candy. Within a few minutes, the candy sweetness mellows and the spices come out. It reminds me of drinking a cup of earl grey tea with a gingerbread biscuit in a good way. It's a dance between aromatic spices, ginger, tea, and honey. None of it is too cloying or too gourmand. Beautiful, warm, cozy, comforting.

Definitely more suited for colder months,

Shelter from the storm

Scent is tied very closely to memory, as such; warm, sweet and comforting scents can be soothing - aromatherapy even. This is such a scent. It is not what I expected, and is a fragrance I didn't think I needed. It is one I thought I knew what it would smell like before I did. It surprised me at how smooth it is and how sharp it wasn't. I am impressed if not confounded by the blending and the quality. You will notice, a sparkly but mild ginger opening tamed by the right amount of honey amber sweetness and the earthiness from a potpourri of patchouli and tea. The Woodiness is second to the resinous core of the scent. At times the scent is fruity, rich and deep - almost Plumb Japonaise like. As the aroma progresses throughout the day on skin it will continuously comfort you and does shine in the rain or the cold. Stunning, and worth more than it is priced at, especially if you can buy it at a discount. 4.73/5

"Safety isn't expensive, it's priceless." - Jerry Smith

As someone who doesn’t like cardamom in fragrances, this is finally one with spices that I can wear! It’s soft, for the more sensitive nose like mine. It isn’t feminine though; very unisex.

This is an olfactory shaft of light banishing shadows and sending the blues straight to hell.
Honeyed ginger tea with a dash of bergamot and a delicate infusion of spice and cedar in a translucent amber cup.
This reminds me of Tauer's L'Air du Desert Marocain; same cedar-dry airiness infused with honeyed spices in masterful balance.
It gets better and better as it develops. Patchouli appears in the dry-down in a fresh, chocolaty haze, creating even more depth and character.
It's wonderful and always brings me joy.

Distillation:
banish the shadows
inhale honeyed ginger tea
and cedar-dry spice

The opening is sharp, I don't get fresh ginger but the powdered spice. Then it becomes a warm, calm, well-balanced fragrance. It has a rounded aspect that to me was missing in Féminité du bois.

The drydown is soooo similar to a Mauboussin perfume my mother used to wear 12 years ago! I believe it was Histoire d'Eau (edit: it was probably Mauboussin for women) - woody sweet, almost plum-jam-like. It is a very comforting scent, must be perfect in autumn (I am testing it in spring).

I don't think it's a perfume for me because of the strong association it holds in my memory, but it is bottle worthy otherwise.

This is just a bit old school, like something your father might wear, not really what I'm looking for as a 20 something year old. I like the dry down better but the woods and pepper really kick up and it's definitely men's cologne at that point. I tried laying it with a vanilla scent (Atelier vanille) as another reviewer suggested and it pretty much buried it since the sillage is not very strong. If you're a grown man you'll smell good wearing this, but it's overpriced and nothing special for me.

Gingembre - I never want to be without you on a cold, cozy day. It smells light and airy on paper, but on skin, the woods come out to play. Look no further - this is the perfect tea scent for fall and winter, better than L'Artisan Tea for Two! Leans more feminine, but I would love it equally on a man.

You're drinking a cup of freshly grated ginger, lemon, and honey black tea at your spruce table in your rustic cabin, looking out at the winter landscape. You're reminded of the comfort of mom taking care of you when you were sick by bringing you the same warm tea. Chef's kiss!

Try pairing this with Hiram Green Slowdive (more honey) or Guerlain Ginger Piccante (more ginger).

Notes according to my nose (in order of prominence): ginger, citrus, dry wood, pepper, honey sweetness

Ok, so ‘Five O’Clock au Gingembre’!
Where do I start with this one?
As I sit, close my eyes and try to relate my life experiences with the complexity of this fragrance, I’m transported back to the early days of my apprenticeship, as a shipwright in the wood store of a Glasgow shipyard.
My morning started brewing the tea for my journeymen. Rich dark tea served with McVities gingerbread.
As the morning progressed and the wood shop slowly sprung to life the scents of resinous woods filed the air. Then there was lunchtime and the scents of pepper, mixed spices and rich sweetness of the preserves that my mentors loved so much.
As I explained before, I used to believe the smells of the shipyard were all stale sweat, tallow and engine oil, but slowly, fragrances such as this are starting to make me realize that the more subtle scents that surrounded me as a youth registered with me subliminally, more than I ever realized!
To cut a long story short, this fragrance is for me (as the salty old tar that posted before), a wake up call that perfumes are not all about attracting the opposite sex, but invigorating the senses and in this case my memories as a youth.
Five O’Clock au Gingembre is a masterful piece of work...just like the boats I used to build... and just like my journeymen, Sheldrake is a supreme master of his trade!
MacIain!

Serge Lutens Five O’Clock Au Gingembre is absolutely my cup of tea (pun intended)! Its warm yet fresh spiciness is invigorating, a pick-me-up on a cool or rainy afternoon. And yet, it may work just as well on hotter days — I have yet to see.

The perfume has a brisk opening, spiced ginger tea with a splash of lemon (bergamot according to the notes list), and a dash of cinnamon. It is a little brash upon spraying but mellows down soon enough to a refreshing fragrance that is not the typical tea scent I’m used to smelling. It becomes woodier as it settles, but never aggressively so. It also smells resinous to me in the dry down, with an incense-like quality. I find the fragrance finely blended without any rough edges.

Five O'Clock Gingembre comes across as a perfectly unisex fragrance to me, though I understand how it may lean masculine or feminine to others depending on their taste. I find it easy to wear as a woman, and I imagine I would very much enjoy smelling it on a man as well. It is another very successful blind buy for me, based on previous reviews. It is just as I imagined it would be. I'm so happy to have this in my collection!

This was a no for me at first on the testing strip and in the air. It smelled like something for women 60+ (I’m in my mid 20’s so this isn’t a quality I enjoy). Thank god I was pleasantly surprised with how it smelled on my skin. It smells like ginger/lemon tea with a biscuit on the side. Perfectly cozy and refined all at once. Definitely unisex. It’s also really lovely layered with linear vanilla scents.

By C Sheldrake, who crafted my signature scent, Gris Clair. This opens characteristically "Lutenesque" in that there is a sweetish, slightly harsh artificiality to it on initial application; or perhaps another way of putting it would be a cold and bracing astringency.

Despite that, it is a pleasant fragrance, with sweet, resinous, clean and tangy qualities. I detect ginger (stating the obvious!), fruity notes, and pine – the latter adds "zing" and boosts the overall cleanliness of vibe of the whole – and a combination of cloves, orange, honey and cinnamon.

Becomes mellower and deeper during the dry-down. Almost a sea-side smell, still clean yet paradoxically earthy-herbal; faintly spicey. Sillage is moderate-good, just one or two drops per pulse point suffice for me, lasting for several hours overnight in a moderate, room-temperature (or just above) indoor setting.

After the cool astringent opening, what now emerges is a warming sense, a kind of golden-orange liqueur-like synaesthetic effect, very pleasant above all. I won't buy, but do enjoy. Would love to smell it on others!

Nice! Ginger tea, followed by a soft, cinnamony amber. It's difficult not to like this, the first half hour of it is especially lovely. I wish the opening lingered a bit longer, because while the drydown is very pleasant, it's more generic than the beautiful top notes. Still, a lovely fragrance for an atutumn day.

I can’t really add much here that will be new. So I’ll go with my overall feelings. This is a stunner. Throw the note breakdown out the window and just enjoy it. When you’ve tried tons of scents - and begin to find repetition among many, you graduate to this scent - which is extremely unique, unusual and amazing. This should be on your shelf.

I'm very meh about this one. Based on the notes and the descriptions, I wanted to spend the day smelling like a yummy warm cinnamon chai tea. What I got wasn't bad, it is mostly ginger woodsy with something keeping the two notes mellow (I suspect that is the tea note, but it is a light tea, it isn't dark at all). It lasts about 5 hours. I have a suspicion that (on me) this will be better in very warm weather to warm up the notes and bring out more than my vampirish skin temp can. I think I'm only disappointed in this because I expected something warmer and spicier, which isn't the frag's fault. I'm going to try again in a few days and will update. Maybe nothing would have been good enough today after the fun I had yesterday with the chimera Vetiver Oriental.

This comes together somehow to smell exactly like an episcopal church after the censer swings by. No such note is listed, but It’s dead on church incense.

I sprayed it an hour ago and I smell like a whole cathedral—paneled walls and polished wood pews and stone floors and everything, but especially the incense as retained by velvet seat cushions and red wool carpets.

If you like Gucci Pour Homme II try this one, they are very similar. You have the tea, cinnamon and bergamot that are the same as in GPHII. This is the unisex version of GPHII, without the tabacco and with added sweetness from the honey.It's also similar to Hanae Mori HiM for obvious reasons.

Also, I am not really sure, but there might be some violet leaf as well even if it's not listed.

I agree that this is leaning a little masculine, (woods & pepper) and somehow reminds me of Christmas around Chelsea and Mayfair. Going into Fortnum Mason, Harrods, Winter Wonderland, King's Road, Christmas lights everywhere, dark by 6 pm, smelling all the festive teas treats and spices. Not sure how I managed to miss this one, but it's pretty damn good especially for this time of the year. I have ananda chai on the other arm to compare...it's a spicy tea evening for me. This one wins for smell, but Micallef lasts longer and nicer on the drydown.

** UK sample swap - get in touch! **

Totally smells of delicious cinnamon tea. This has ginger cinnamon, chocolate honey and bergamot each of these ingredients are indeed tea notes. The patchouli gives it depth and oomph as well as a long life. It's aromatic and very exotic. I think it smells like a tea house. On me the honey is always present as is the tea. The scent of chocolate is there but I wish it had been stronger. I would call this a very well made gourmand fragrance. If you like these notes and have experienced in other fragrances you're sure to enjoy this. I think it's the most gourmand of all the Serge Lutens fragrances that I have in my collection. I wear this to places that match up with the fragrance: coffee houses, cafes, teahouses, restaurants that serve desserts, but it seems to smell much better in the later afternoon. The name is dead-on. Five o clock. I have worn it at that time before and it works :)

This is a ginger, woody bomb! By an entire fault of my own, I thought that this would be a lighter, fun ginger tea but this is a deeply rich cup of heavy heavy ginger tea rooted in woodsy notes.

This is very very unique and maybe not something I would have bought a full bottle of, had I known. That being said, I am happy to have it. It is really pretty and I'm excited to try this in colder weather.

Also, this changes so much. First 15-20 minutes, I hate this. It smells like alcohol. Then after that settles, it turns into creamy ginger woody heaven and then after about 3 hours, it turns into like wood (I smell teakwood and oak, for some reason).

The notes and main accords are right up my alley and I look forward to getting to know this.

Longevity is 8-10 hours, awesome, and silage is heavy - sprayers beware! I'm currently wearing one spray on each elbow crook (my fav place to spray frags) with a sweeter, lighter vanilla (Think Eau Duelle or Vanille Insensee) right in the centre of my chest. LOVE.

Overall 4/10.

Nice, just doesn't light my fire.

I was expecting this to be along the same lines as Tea for Two, mimicking the smells of an afternoon tea situation. However, the ginger in this (which dominates) is not a soft mellow ginger which you might find in gingerbread, it is quite a spicy ginger you would find in the fresh root. For this reason Five O'Clock Au Gingembre comes across as a fresh spicy rather than a warm spicy.
The tea is herbal and refreshing, and also packs a decent punch. Cinnamon, pepper and woods play supporting roles, but some of the sweeter, creamier notes like honey and amber are nowhere to be found. This results in a very, I would say overly, sharp composition with nothing rounding out the edges of a very spicy ginger and green tea.
While I like my citruses sharp, I'm not a huge fan of that fresh and raw ginger smell, so for me this is a pass. Going with the brightest iterations of the notes listed is an interesting move by Serge Lutens, and may well satisfy those looking for a unique fresh scent. This fragrance may well also satisfy tea lovers but be warned - if you hate the smell of a freshly-sliced ginger root, this is the type of ginger you are getting with this one. There are no baked goods to be seen here; this is not a gourmand.

Like, but not bottle-worthy.

(dislike/indifferent/like, but not BW/like a lot, potentially BW/love, definitely BW/masterpiece)

What a beautiful fragrance. Serge Lutens manages repeatedly to make some of the most complex, interesting, and artistic fragrances I've ever tried. It's a lucky scent, since I just decided today that I will test fragrances on my skin and on paper from now on for the first time. My god, this is divine on paper. On my skin it's a bit less gingery, and the tea notes are more muted -everything on my skin just melds together. It's still lovely, but on paper it's a noticeable improvement which means I believe it would be noticeably better to spray this on clothes or in the hair.

This is really a cozy, warm, bit citusy, tea scent. It's a bit sweet, but nothing that takes you away or puts you off. A dainty pastry kind of sweet. Everything works so well here, there is a bit of spicyness and a bit of honey that really blend so in such a lovely manner... and a woodiness that makes the whole thing feel very warm and inviting. I really adore it. A great rendition of tea. A soft, delicate, very light tea with gingered cookies to eat along side it. 8.5/10

Warm spicy gingery amber opening. As it dries down the harshness of the ginger calms down and you get a calming cinnamon to give a sweetness which counteracts the peppery ginger. Also a tea leaf / hay vibe. At first smell the gingery opening was too harsh, but the scent becomes a masterpiece in the dry-down. Smells like a beautiful cinnamon gingerbread man fresh out of the oven. 8.5/10

I wanted to love this perfume so badly, but unfortunately it smelled a kind of plastic for me.

Fresh ginger tea and cinnamon biscuits. Would fit wonderfully in the Bvlgari thé series. I love the first 15-20 minutes while the tea is fresh and deliciously piquant, and barely stand the rest which smells like a schizophrenic eau de cologne that is stale, fresh, metallic, sweet, tasty and undrinkable.
**(***)

I can't believe I slept on this fragrance for so long. I think I always read the name as "Gingerbread" or sometimes even "Ginseng" so it look a long time for me to realize that this is a tea fragrance. It also took some time for me to realize I LOVE tea fragrances. This reminds me a bit of Gucci Pour Homme II - both wonderful tea perfumes with gentle spices, like cinnamon. This one is more woody, and of course has ginger, the key player. It's a bit masculine but I definitely feel comfortable wearing this. It's such an attractive scent. Ginger tea + woods. So cozy, so comforting, so sexy.

The ginger is so good here, barely sweet. Tickle your nose, simultaneously sharp but smooth ginger. Tickles your throat, too. Love it, instant love. May need a bottle ;)

Great stuff, love it
Nice blended fragnance...love

明明是我平常巨讨厌的肉桂，和生姜放在一起就变成了我闻到停不下来的五十姜香。尤其喜欢中调，刚喷出来的时候味道有点强，有一点酸。突然被拉入卤蛋家的大坑。
I hate cinnamon in any kind of food, including apple pies and cinnamon pumpkin donuts. But I love the combination of ginger, tea and cinnamon.

Testing this on a 50F morning. The scent upon first spritz smells of fresh ginger tea with amber and wood. This scent does not zap you with its opening. It is smooth and gentle and doesn't waft much. As it is developing, the cinnamon and the woody elements begin to reveal themselves and the amber starts to warm up. The honey element is definitely there, but just a drop, this doesn't turn cloyingly sweet. This fragrance is so balanced. On dry down, the ginger tea accord is much less pronounced, the amber has toned down a bit, but the patchouli is now more pronounced and lends an herbal, dirt-like nuance. I love this scent. However, I would have liked a bit more projection and intensity. I think this would perform excellently in summer as a warm weather gourmand. Descriptors for this fragrance would be - fresh spicy, amber woody, tea.

The ginger note is the obvious centerpiece here. It's rendered as a kind of aggressive, fresh, spicy element here: think biting into a freshly peeled piece of ginger root. Where you might usually associate ginger with sweetness, here I feel that it's playing up the heat and intensity of the raw ingredient.

The supporting players are nicely done, again bending away from the sweet gourmand direction. Decidedly more woodsy and spicy. There again you get some piquant notes, though I'm not sure I really identify cinnamon or peppercorn, that's definitely the right family and certainly the association.

I was unfortunately disappointed a bit on the performance side. This feels like it would be a nice fresh daytime scent, but I found it just about completely faded after a couple of hours, which means you're either reapplying or only really wearing it for a morning. Projection was also gentle, just a bit beyond the skin.

I really like this. I want to love this, but i can´t and i don´t know why.. Its a nice masculine gourmand and i love those, but for some reason i don´t go for this that often, maybe when the weather gets really really chilly i can have this as my cozy scent. Will update this in the winter. Back again so i really like this and so does the lady. Its very sensual and is much more fitting in the cold nordic winter.

This is Serge Lutens version of chai tea with a chocolatey twist. I'm in love. It smells fabulous. I would wear this year round when the mood for afternoon tea strikes. I smell green tea, which doesn't usually agree with my nose, but it's accompanied by a variety of notes that blend well with it, so it's not mainly a tea scent. Maybe the citrus tricks my nose into thinking this tea is green.

Lovely fresh and spicy perfume that smells like bergamot, ginger, tea, cinnamon and a dash of chocolate and a teaspoon of honey to sweeten the cuppa. Delightful. A bit fresher and brighter than Tea For Two by L'Artisan. I decided after wearing both from samples that I like the Serge Lutens better because it's more fresh and I'm not a fan of tobacco. -

Tea with lemon, and ginger cookies. Warm, cozy, pleasant, and uplifting. The ginger is prominent, with a touch of cinnamon. The tea note stays with me. I get moderate sillage and good longevity; this will keep me good company for most of the day with 3-4 good sprays. I have a bottle made in 2015 and one made in 2017. The 2017 bottle smells a tad less robust overall to me, but comparable.

Now I'm thinking of homemade ginger snaps....

Crystallized, candied ginger over a bed of warm spices. Slightly sour and astringent in the top, with the characteristic Lutens "sheen" and dried fruits. I don't get much of the tea to be honest, but as the fragrance dries down, I do get the cacao, honey, and amber. I was recommended this because of my love for L'Artisan's Tea For Two, but I think that I still perfer Tea For Two. Still, this is a pleasant fragrance, and one that I wouldn't mind owning, though not in my top 5 Lutens fragrances. I also second what another reviewer said about wearing this fragrance on a warm day - try it! The crystallized ginger and bergamot become more prominent, and this sparkles quite nicely.

7.5/10

To my nose, this scent leans more masculine than feminine. I purchased a sample for myself but ended up gifting the sample to my boyfriend. It smells amazing, perhaps a new signature fragrance for him! It's spicy, woodsy, with a touch of sweetness from the honey and tea notes. It smells very "classic" and is not overpowering at all. It turned into a fresh skin scent on my boyfriend. I definitely really enjoyed this one and feel like the notes and comments here are very spot on to how it actually smells. Love.

So, I ordered this online as a "blind buy." I've heard lots of good things about Serge Lute's fragrances, in fact I own and love Un bois de vanille. But when I tried this one...OMG. I watched numerous YouTube videos and wearer reviews of this fragrance before buying and it was just terrible on me. Way to strong and spicy for a women's fragrance. It leaned more cologne-like on me. I didn't get any softness in this fragrance, all I smelled when I sprayed it on my skin was ginger and black pepper. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE ginger and spicy things, but this fragrance didn't do it for me. I don't smell any "baked cookies" or warmth and coziness, no honey or cacao. It was sharp and so strong it kinda made my eyes water at first spritz. My experience with this fragrance can best be described as one of those times when a man with really strong, noxious cologne walks by and you stop dead in your tracks to pause and catch your breath because you just basically choked on his cologne. I don't know. I wasn't expecting it to smell so offensive, even with the spicy notes. I wanted to like this one, but it just didn't work for me personally.

First time testing this today.

I sprayed on and my instant thoughts were that it isn’t what I expected and also a little disappointment. It smells initially like tea, but then as fast as you like it changes, darker, dryer, woodier. It invites another sniff, and another, and another. It conjures up a flashing image of walking in the dark with someone sexy, but in an unusual way. The wearer of this is understated, works with wood, likes quiet.
I’d like to spray this on my sheets before bed and dream of bat watching or something in a forest clearing.

I can’t describe the smell exactly. It just smells green, masculine, slightly sweet, and kind of sweaty. It’s not exactly what I would imagine reading the notes pyramid, which is why sampling is so important. It’s very much a wintertime perfume. The projection is close to skin.

This reminds me of something else, but it's not anything on the "smells like" list, so I don't know. I really like it, but it doesn't blow me away like some others, so it has to be a "like" for me.

I figured it out. If you want a super-powered, linear and ridiculously cheap version of this, buy Al-Rehab Superman. If you like this scent but it's too mellow for you, try layering with Superman.

Really pretty. Just doesn't really go anywhere for me.

Super comforting, cozy, spicy scent, but also, super restrained. This is a fragrance for yourself. There's no performance at all. On me, it is a skin scent the moment I spray on, and stays like that for few hours. Such a great warm fragrance, but its weakness is sort of a let down. Good blind buy. Too bad I need to reapply often to enjoy it.

Very nice spicy gourmand fragrance, not too sweet, not too heavy, not too light either. Tea, ginger, spices linger softly around me all day with just one spritz. And the dry down is heavenly and resembles that of L'Heure Bleue! I have worn this about 10 hours now and I suddenly got a strong LHB vibe coming out of nowhere. I guess it's when the cocoa note reveals itself. Very soft cocoa powder. A fleeting moment; then the ginger comes back again. Anyhow, beautiful. All in all, this resembles Penhaligon's Malabah a bit more, but Five o'clock.. is much better in my opinion.

A delicious deep spice compote that manages to be restorative and refreshing without being cloying. Warming and calming. Perfect for reading a great book on a rainy quiet afternoon. So glad I am experiencing it

I'm so fickle when it comes to this scent. I have wondered MANY times why I ever bought it. I think I just solved the mystery. I always try to wear it in the winter or fall thinking it is a warm scent - with little success. Just sprayed it on myself on a warm summer day & recaptured the green warm spice I first enjoyed.

Cooling biscuits, tangy honey, chamomile tea, mellow ginger, drying flowers, and old books.

This is a interesting a dynamic fragrance that is one of the best complex, yet harmonious fragrances I have smelled.

I get 4 to 6 hours longevity and weak projection, but fair sillage.

This is my library fragrance and early spring and fall love.

Highly recommended and better that Tea for two in my opinion.

25 plus age minimum here

This is the most realistic and natural ginger I’ve ever smelled in a fragrance. It makes L’Homme smell like scratch-and-sniff and Tabarome smell like a salt mine. This invokes long-lost memories of the pantry with all its mystery to a child’s mind. I love it.

Serge Lutens is one of my consistent respectable perfumers.

Artemiss below mostly sums this up for me.

I desperately wanted a left field Fresh Ginger smell and whilst interesting did not find this quite lives up to the usual for SL for me. I bought it on previous experience as a "what the heck" buy. Infact it smelled like it had a common base with most SL I've tried.

A bit of sweet lemon tea, honey, bit of spice on the dry down.

A Ginger and Fruit tea cake dialled down sums it up for me on the dry down with poor silage and longevity compared to anything at that price or as an EDP in my collection.

I have had Chergui, Jeaux de Peau. Fille en Aiguilles is easily one of my top all time scents - completely unique and still blows me away for its power and longevity/silage.

Sadly this is not one of them but it is good quality and it made an awesome gift to a colleague whom when it was shared around at work was met a lot of oohs and aahs (male and female) by EVERYONE and "can I spray some more" - its easy to forget that sometimes we are way too spoilt...

If anyone can suggest an uncomplicated scent with a prominent Fresh Ginger in it please contact me - Cheers

EDIT 4th June 2018

I tried it again at work and ginger tea fruit cake definitely sums it up (and my colleague agreed it was spot on) but I stand corrected - it had above average longevity and projection from 2pm until 8pm and even then after I washed - its just not an in your face scent - again respect earned my dear Serge Lutens!

یه کار خاص، باحال و خوشبو که کمی کم جان است
جزو معدود سرج هایی که آقایون میتونم استفاده کنن
و جزو معدود سرجای به نسبت همه پسند و بی آزار
-----------
Scent & Qualiy: 9/10
Longevity: 6/10
Sillage: 6/10
Creativity & Uniqueness: 8/10
Affordability: 6/10
-----------
Overall: 7/10

5/10

On tester: This smells like a really delicious cocktail along the lines of an Old Fashioned. Nothing fruity or sweet, just deliciously complex. I normally hate boozy scents, but this is really nice.

On skin: Dry cinnamon. Skin scent only. It's nice I guess, but hardly worth $130+.

Probably better in a scent locket than on skin for me

This opens spicy and masculine on my skin, akin to a vetiver-spike Spicebomb with a side of lemony tea. I really thought this was going straight to my husband, but as it dries down, the the sunnier tea and bergamot notes shine through the cinnamon and ginger.
It is not terribly long-lasting on me, nothing by SL is, for whatever reason, but it is cozy.

I discovered this in a small perfume shop in Seattle, but I think Five O'Clock is a safe blind buy scent from the Luten's house .... if you are a fan of spice, woods and ginger.

Perfectly unisex with decent longevity. It's not a big compliment-getter but it is comforting.

I'm down to about a third of a bottle. I will miss Five O'Clock, but won't replace it.

(Review from a sample)

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is a lovely and pleasant warm spicy perfume, with its star being tea, surrounded by quite a bit of ginger, for the whole journey. At the beginning I also smell bergamot, which fades after a little while and gets replaced by cinnamon and woods, with a tiny bit of honey. Maaybe some patchouli, but I found no trace of cacao. Strangely enough I smell also something flowery, but it may just be the tea.

On me this is a skin scent with moderate longevity, suitable for most seasons. It is really pretty, more feminine-leaning, and I think it can be worn for many occasions because it is basically a people-pleaser. It doesn't have a wow factor for me, so I don't think I'll buy it, but if you want a comfy and polite tea scent, look no further!

A solid and lovely offering from the house that has produced the most consistently likeable and unique niche perfumes. This one is a lovely gingery amber with a host of other eclectic woody gourmand notes including are tea, bergamot, cinnamon, cacao, honey, patchouli and pepper. The perfume is unisex (bit feminine leaning) with moderate sillage, projection and longevity. Not the best offering from this eclectic line but beautifully blended maintaining a very natural, delicate and realistic ginger and amber vibe that softly purrs on the skin. Enjoy!

Five O'Clock Au Gingembre isn't my favourite by Serge Lutens, but that's no surprise - dominant spicy accords just aren't really my thing, and I agree with the reviewer below me: pleasant ginger tea with a hint of honey is exactly what this smells like. I don't dislike it by any means, it's a very comfortable scent, well-balanced and not too heavy. Almost as cosy as its lovely name, but sexy in a quiet way as well: really nice, actually. It's just that it isn't really "me", and I would have liked it a whole lot more if the note pyramid would have been the other way around, and it would have smelled like honeyed tea with just a hint of spices instead. So not bad, but not for me.

Pleasant ginger tea with cinnamon and honey. Very feminine for a unisex perfume.

Sometimes you just want simple daywear. Is that so hard to come across these days without gimmmicks and pretenious notes? 5 O'Clock Au Gingembre is as simple as it gets. Elegant, earthy, bright, clean, simple. A lot of Serge Lutens fans find this too simplistic and like to dive into the rich deep pools and live their elegiac which is fine. This fragrance is straight to the point which is where I will finally go with this review:

Upon uncapping, I immediately smelled liquorice and that turned me off in the beginning. I thought perhaps it won't be bad to spray it on. On initial spray I felt metallic, like copper (perhaps that was selected to paint you a portrait of a kettlepot?). I was starting to think perhaps this is a mistake but as soon as I was about to regret it, a BIG aroma was lifted up. WHAT IS THIS? It was sweet, it was delicious. It was biscuit-like. It was...balsmam fir? My mind was picki, ng up a christmas tree sap (I guess because days ago, when I cut down a dead Balsam branch I remembered the sticky sap). Isn't it funny how people think "Fille En Aiguilles smells like pines but never said the same for Au Gingembre (which I personally don't smell pine with Fille on Aiguilles, I smelt plums and encens)? This fragrance is going places the notes are changing fast as my skin is it warms up to my body temperature. It went fro sap, to earthy. Cold, damp, mossy, I felt this warm steam like quality approach my nose. You know when you just poured a cup of tea and you get close to smell it and that steam from the cup is just tickling and warming up your nose? THAT FEELING. I can't believe a fragrance can touch all senses of me. I then smell the tea. Ginger is absolutely present, but this was a very dry ginger. I picked up oolong, earl gray, ginko and an anise star floating in the cup. This was quite an exotic blend. This was in the lines of oriental. One can call this fragrance "green" but I would categorize it as a gourmand only because there is a very warm, delicious, cozy quality about this. When spraying, my mind went to Deborah Turbeville photographs.

The longevity is moderate. Yes it is not a projectile as the rest of Serge Lutens' lines, but when I took a seat next to a friend, they smelt it right away. This is an intimate fragrance and even when you are not going out in public, and plan to stay inside for the weekend, I would recommend to spray this and be lazy for the rest of the day. Clearly a unisex fragrance. A I had said above, "daywear", however I am now thinking "afternoon to evening" as soon as it's dusk, layer it with an amber.

Serge Lutens is a genius at creating imagery and visuals all around fragrance. That is truly hard to do these days.

still life with green lemon by lucian freud 1947

While I do love this fragrance, I find once you get into the middle notes, it brings out a little more of the sweetness from the ginger and honey combo. I do not get as much cinnamon. I find this would of been a better scent if they added some more spice. Even like a tobacco note or something along the lines of à TF Noir Anthracite vibe (for those who have smelt that one, you'll know what I mean. Very earthy and not a hint of sweetness.)

Even with about 2 sprays from my sample, it has almost become cloying. Almost too sweet in my opinion. Certainly not an office setting fragrance at all. More suited for nights out in the fall or winter.

Tender, gentle, almost lulling ginger tea with a hint of lemon - for me it's a gently spicier and less woody sister to Feminite du Bois. Definitely one of the quieter Lutens offerings at the spicy end of things: it doesn't scream or shout, or caper about going "look at me I'm so outrageous!" - it just settles you in for a relaxing and calming frame of mind.

Despite all the talk about it being a gourmand - and yes, there certainly is plenty of cinnamon in there too - I find it's refreshingly *not* full of foodiness. Even though the beginning is positively zingy with lemon/citrus, there aren't many tangs of buttery/sugar/honeyed/caramel things, which would make it a full-on slice of ginger loaf cake. This is much more restrained than that, still warm and delicious but somehow much lighter on the virtual calories. You will definitely not smell as if you fell into a giant bucket of Christmas-spiced anything at Starbucks.

It's hugely reassuring, classy, well-balanced and well-controlled, nothing to scare the horses here. The sillage is really, really discreet but longevity better than I was expecting - up to 5h, but not much more - and it plumps up again nicely with a respray.

This may be one of my favourite Lutens fragrances. I've tried it several times and never been able to work out why I like it so much. There's two others I'd buy before this, but this is on the list.

Ginger can sometimes be a risky thing to use in fragrances, but I'd consider this brand exempt from that risk because the fans who love this line are those that would buy something like this - it's not aimed at those who chiefly buy the big scents of the year. I'm guilty of doing that occasionally, so I can't judge.

It opens not dissimilarly to a Andy Tauer fragrance and continues in that vein for quite some time. Once it dries down, the tea really becomes noticeable. While this isn't necessarily a wrist nibbler, it's not exactly lacking in a delicious quality either. Does it smell of the ginger bread I thought it would? Nah, but who cares... it smells like something I love and something I'd wear.

Kind of a 10/10, kind of a 7/10
Depends on the day you ask me, really.

Gourmand but not too much, light enough to wear it in warmer months but still consistent and full of comfort, it literally blooms in rainy days. Five O'Clock is a happy autumn creature. Understated but never cold, it goes on giving you a friendly aura and, don't know how, it manages to be even biscuit-crunchy-chocolatey-sexy. Can't ask for more. I'm not fine with Lutens changes at all: the discontinuation of some beloved ones has put me off, I don't like the new bottles, I dislike the new font too, I really don't care for larger formats and obviously the new prices don't appeal to me but I can see me invest in this scent, I know I will use it often and love it. Hope the repackaging won't imply a change in its formula: I like my tea as it is (the Queen said).

The one that has disappointed me most from the Serge Lutens' perfumes I've tried so far.
I was eager to try it because of the ginger and cinnamon notes, but they are very bland, well behaved.

The longevity is scarce too: I couldn't smell it anymore after 10 minutes.
Can't talk about sillage, as for me it has almost none.

Of course it's not a "bad perfume" at all, it's very discreet and polite. It's just not my thing.

Arabian Knight's review and description is spot on so anything I can add is merely subjective based on a sample very generously gifted to me by a perfumista who knows I like Dior's Dolce Vita (vintage and reformulated both). I can see why she thought I might like it. It is perfectly pleasant but Serge's scent is far subtler, sitting close to the skin instead of wafting sillage trails; more foody/gourmand and free of florals. It is understated whereas Dolce Vita is blousey and loud. It is chai and ginger tea made fleeting cologne.

I'm delighted to have had the chance to experience it, but I won't ever want to wear it.

Five O`Clock Au Gingembre is a cozy oriental with a subtle sweet & chocolaty twist. The first impression is a just-out-of-pot ginger lemon tea, through there's something eastern and mystique as well. Progressing to the mid notes, once again Gingembre feels like a dialed down version of Amouage's Fate, tenderly spicy in an intriguingly comforting way.

Imagery: Following a ginger beige cat, you accidentally encountered a spice shop at the end of the alley. The owner smiled and murmured a greeting in his own tone, but somehow, you understand what he said.

Inoffensive projection with decent longitivtiy. This is one of the comforting and savoury spice scent. One mild problem is that, being on the more masculine side, ladies at daytime should consider matching apparel, like French cuff shirt and beige trench instead of printed dress or pencil skirt.

8/10，for its atmospheric ease.

'5 o Clock Gingembre' has a zesty opening, with a notable bite to the bergamot, pepper and ginger. It's warm, bright and tingly in an invigorating 'mens cologne' type way. The cinnamon melds with something vaguely vanillic, giving it a sweetness that stops just shy of bubble gum or Cola. However, not too long afterwards, it changes again and suddenly I'm smelling dry incense and a soft, papery powder, haunted by that sweet, tingly spice.
It stays like this, hovering close to the skin for an hour or so before fading away.

A delicate fragrance, transparent and softly spoken, with a clean, composed character, neither masculine nor feminine.

The closest match to this I would say is 'Tea for Two' by Atelier, if you discount its weird smoked-plastic accord. '5 O'Clock' is fresher and the tea note less literal, so it's much more pleasant to wear and may even be a good option for summer. If you like chai spice scents, this one is a must.

Subtle without being boring, distinctive but won't frighten the horses.
Soft tea and baking spices. A great anytime fragrance, but especially for work where it won't offend any colleagues because of it softness and moderate sillage. Warmth makes it more of a fall than summer scent. I can't concur with those who say it's sexy and exotic; however, my partner disagrees with me...

I bought this for my husband but have started wearing it too as it's perfectly unisex. For me this is a winter walk through pine trees rather than tea and gingerbread. In fact, I don't get any gourmand or foody vibes from this perfume at all- it's fresh and aromatic, just like being in the woods on a sunny cold day. It's perfect for winter or the holidays.

A great semi gourmand oriental spicy with a twisted modern appeal. Opens up with a blast of black pepper, cinnamon and citruses which is quite refreshing. The powdery dry ginger comes up backed a medicinal but classic patchouli note and the acidic tarriness of black tea. A bit of pininess is added by some woodsy accords alongwith a touch of dry incensy amber. This is a hit or miss fragrance. You love it or hate it. Definitely for mature noses and can be worn in all weathers. Decent performance with a soft projection. This is not a compliment getter. Its a self comforting scent. Great job Serge Lutens.

Spicy, sensual, a little sweaty, and sooo sexy. Yes, please.

I especially enjoy the way the notes evoke tobacco and humous. This is a spicy oriental, but it has nothing to do with Opium (gag) or Cinnabar. It's actually quite soft and easy to wear.

This is one of my favorite perfumes, or maybe my favorite so far. It has a warm and sensual scent.
I am really bad to find each note in a fragrance, but it is like a good red wine. I know a good fragrance when I smell one.
I don't smell ginger, but I actually can smell a warm, deep tea scent. This mixed with some warm herbs. The lady who sold it to me said it is not sweet and can be worn in summer. I think, however, it has a somewhat sweet scent, but in a good way. I normally don't like too sweet perfumes. And I could easily wear this all year round.

It wakens something inside me on the sensual side. I can't wait to hug women now - give them a nice warm and tight hug:)

It has good longevity.

I definitely recommend it!

Update 23/2-17:
I can smell the ginger, however, it's not fresh ginger. It is more like ground dried ginger, and it is not a dominant force - it lures in the background. The ginger scent comes more evident in the drydowns.

There's ginger in here? If so, it's subtle on my skin. This is a labdanum-forward composition with resinous woodsy elements. Five O'Clock Au Gingembre exudes a similar aura as:

1) Miller Harris La Fumee Classic- (sandalwood, labdanum, spices) mixed with
2) Diptyque Bejoin Boheme - lacquered wood on a grand piano (styrax, benzoin, sandalwood, patchouli)
3) Zoologist's Bat
4) Agreed with below reviewer who named TF Plum Japonais

Very warm & woodsy likeable scent that wears close for a Lutens, precisely in my comfort zone. While linear, it sounds like Gingembre manifests itself very differently on different people. For me, there's no gourmand elements here. If it wasn't in the name, I wouldn't have pinpointed ginger, out of the mix of spices.

This went on with a blast of citrus. Looks like not many can smell that. It's there. Then it got a little sweet then a dry ginger spice not like gingerbread. Like smelling powdered ginger. Then in the dry down it turns into almost incense. I think it is the amber, pepper and honey. Just lovely. Very much a skin scent where you run your nose along your arm. Blind buy and glad I did.

This is the 2nd time I've tried SL Gingembre and now it's finally made an impression. Well, enough to warrant an opinion. I definitely get a good dose of ginger then the cinnamon and tea like everyone else. It is borderline gourmand. It's not sweet enough to have turned the ginger into sticky ginger cake if that makes sense.
A lightly sweetened chai with a ginger heavy masala. I could easily imagine some buffalo milk in there.
I get the comment about the addition of Arabie to the mix. That lovely spicy mix starts to come to the fore after 30 minutes. The perfect unisex lightly sweetened and spiced ginger/wood fragrance. Moderate silage and moderate longevity.

I'm almost certain I caught a whiff of vetiver in the palais label (not the SL label).

Five o'clock au Gingembre feels like Lutens' Arabie mixed with lemon and ginger on my skin. More lemon than ginger even, and the hesperidic accord persists till the drydown . I find the contradiction of the warm with the tart notes interesting, with the composition balancing the scales a bit towards the masculine side. The tea note is somewhat obscured by all the lemony spicy heaviness, and the transparency I was anticipating is lacking for my taste.
Very true to its name; gave me the impression of a Lutens without even knowing what I was sampling. Overall not a tea-centric perfume, but nice on occasion

Tight;-)

Resinous potpourri, not heavy on ginger nor is this gourmand or bearing any resemblance to gingerbread. Like the smell of shops at Christmas, if that is your thing.

It is similar in its ginger-pumpkin autumn spice feeling to Noel au Balcon, without the honey that makes Noel very stuffy and heavy on my skin, whatever the weather. Five O´Clock is therefore lighter and more unisex.

A warm but almost cologne-like fragrance; food-y without being nauseatingly sweet. It's an apparent contradiction; a light oriental, the sweetness of the spices balanced by bright citrus. A salty, dry oriental. Also, it smells like Christmas. It's a lovely, wearable fragrance with an interesting edge. I can see myself wearing this, especially around the holidays. :D

To me this isn’t a traditional 5 o’clock tea in England - where is the milk that is so loved by the English people in their tea?

Strangely enough, this fragrance takes me to our countryside house in Russia where I spent all my summers growing up. It’s 5pm on a summer weekend, and I just came out of our Russian sauna (banya) and sat down in the kitchen to drink some black tea with ginger jam that my grandma made. I’m looking out of the kitchen window while drinking my tea and I can see a beautiful sunset over the wheat field, that's so still as there is no trace of wind, but I can just smell the wood fires that are being lit in the neighbourhood. I’m so relaxed, warm, calm and happy.

Thank you Serge Lutens for bringing back these wonderful memories with this beautiful fragrance.

An amazing scent with ginger and tea! Perfect for the fall and rainy days. Leaves you and those that can smell you with a warm feeling

You rock rhythmically, a prisoner to the fury of the midnight sea. Your sole comfort in this madness is a chunk of your once beloved vessel – lost to the rage of an unforgiving sea. Night turns to day and day to night….on and on you drift in the endless nothingness. Somewhere in the unrelenting maze of the troublesome sea, you catch moments of reprieve from the wood you cling so desperately to – it unfolds in numerous facets with the smell of scorched oak and cedar, the gentle cinnamon char pouring from its cracked surface. Its majestic scent reminds you of the wonders you had seen whilst a wanderer on its bow. All was lost when your greed guided you to a forgotten cove where nothing but ruin waited instead of the wondrous treasure countless fools had promised. Now you suffer in your folly. You realize that the world has ceased in its rocking…you open your eyes to see an emerald sun rising to greet you. Its bergamot rays jump the sea’s waves to gently kiss your sea-worn face – you follow the rays shooting across the shore to an intimidating cliffside towering over you. You catch the glimmer of gold in the depths of one of the higher caves – it calls for your touch. A foreign fruit glimmers in the corner of your eye – you take a massive bite and drink in its honeyed juices, stumbling over the ecstasy of its nourishing essence. Your strength returns and you are pulled toward the mysteries above, so you climb the treacherous mountain in search of yet another foolish possession. The sun lights the way as a thick wind lifts you toward your desire. Many moments pass before you pull yourself into the cave – a lone chest resides within, a dull beat echoes gently throughout the cave. The chest’s gold hinges catch the rays of the sun and dance along the walls of the cave and ignite the water the trickles slowly underfoot. You dust off the ancient wood, the scent of cacao and ancient tea scents the air in plumes, you slowly pry open your prize…in it resides a beating heart. Your mind recalls the musings of the sea as it whispered for you to seek the heart of your long-lost lover…you have found it at last. If only she would accept it once more…

Day 87 - As the Sun Rises
Listening to: The Weeknd - Prisoner

Notes: This was my first Serge Lutens and it was what ultimately set me up to buy 8 of his fumes...that's the most niche (or otherwise) from any brand I own! I hold the SL brand in high regard...one of few niche companies that I feel is worth the money. That aside, this fume opens in a stunning swirl of juicy bergamot and sweet cinnamon...comforting and nearly mouthwatering as it is quite foody! These top notes quickly fades to present an elaborately spice-saturated oak note that is quite dry and it is a tad smoky from the tea and ginger powder. The scent enters a sort of standoff between a smoked wood and a dusty honey and amber...and it is lovely! The only facet left to enjoy is a soft and woody vanilla that appears after the smoke fades...and that is the story the scent has to tell! Reading reviews points to a lot of variation on duration - I can say I get a consistent, yet reserved, 8 hours out of this fume. It is perfect for anyone who enjoys a sweet and centering woodscent and doesn't want their presence to scream their arrival. Despite its "flaws", it's still a treasure to me!

When I wore this the word that came to mind was... Invigorating. Pleasant smell, its fresh, a little herbal, a little sweet. Its got a lot of things going for it. I was expecting it to be more of a tea fragrance based on some of the reviews, but wearing this, tea never really was the first thing that came to my mind. There, but again really nothing that stood out. I didnt find it as foody as some others to. I guess in general nothing really stood out to me in particular about this other than just how well... invigorating and pleasant it smelled. Nice mix of a little of everything I guess.

Dont feel compelled to own it by any means, but I guess if I had a disposable income I might. Worth tying I think.

Another very sweet fragrance from this house. This is a cute rendition of a spicy scent. Almost fresh in its vibe, it remains pretty the same for a while but then all of a sudden you get the most glorious dry down! Just the right balance of sweet, spicy and freshness. Wow, what a delight! I'm going to have to continue testing this one!

ginger all the way, with moderate sillage, one fourth of the bottle for a real performance..disappointing !
the gone bottle won't be replaced!

Sweet,fresh and gentle. Remember the English afternoon tea, it's raining outside and gets Cold weather may be good in the Christmas holiday periods... the beginning is fresh and spicy thanks to tea. Slowly evolves becoming almost gourmand, as it comes into play and ginger well it pronounced cinnamon that sweetens perfume. The sillage on me is moderate, good longevity. Serge Lutens has created quite a versatile fragrance, not complex but satisfying. Very English,i like!

Sillage: 7./10
Longevity: 7.5/10
Scent: 8.5/10

Overall: 8./10

Five O'clock Au Gingembre was released in 2008 and its name means "Five O’clock with ginger". This time, Serge Lutens comes out of Morocco and goes to England, where the tradition of the afternoon tea (17h) is known worldwide, since 1662, and gained strength from the 19th Century. The tradition was taken by the Portuguese Princess Catarina de Bragança, but the ritual became more known thanks to the Duchess of Bedford, Anna Maria Russell.

Serge sets his inspiration by saying: "Tea at Buckingham Palace. Centered on candied ginger, this fragrance is a ritual ceremony. It caters to the quicksilver in us, to our imagination dressed in white gloves".

In its composition, Five O'clock Au Gingembre carries notes of bergamot, candied ginger, honey, patchouli, pepper, cinnamon, and bitter cocoa, plus tea accord.

On the skin, the result is divine! The honey comes, from the beginning, with its sweetness, covering the citric nuances of the bergamot, which is an essential part of any good Earl Grey tea. It's the same feeling of using honey instead of sugars to sweeten tea or other hot beverage. The ginger is spicier than citrus and is present from the beginning to the end, sometimes burnt, others sweet, like that ginger used in recipes for gingerbread. The cinnamon also walks through all the evolutionary phases and seems to get denser, as time goes on as if it were the tea getting cold on the table. On my skin, the patchouli presented more sweety than earthy nuances and the cocoa gives the final touch as if it were sprinkled on top of the drink.

Five O'clock Au Gingembre is a perfect oriental scent, which remains comfortable and stable for hours, exuding magnificently. It's unisex, but I think its fragrance combines even more with men.

In my opinion, it is one of the best perfumes of the house of Lutens, besides being one of the most versatile and adaptable within the whole line. Some people complain about the lasting, but I can't complain about it.
It is five o’clock and we have fresh cookies, honey, ginger, cinnamon, and cocoa. Please, sit down. The tea is served.

Tea time fragrance. Totally smells of delicious cinnamon tea. This has ginger cinnamon, chocolate honey and bergamot each of these ingredients are indeed tea notes. The patchouli gives it depth and oomph as well as a long life. It's aromatic and very exotic. I think it smells like a tea house. On me the honey is always present as is the tea. The scent of chocolate is there but I wish it had been stronger. I would call this a very well made gourmand fragrance. If you like these notes and have experienced in other fragrances you're sure to enjoy this. I think it's the most gourmand of all the Serge Lutens fragrances that I have in my collection. I wear this to places that match up with the fragrance: coffee houses, cafes, teahouses, restaurants that serve desserts, but it seems to smell much better in the later afternoon. The name is dead-on. Five o clock. I have worn it at that time before and it works :)

I find the Lutens line to be rather strange, in that I've tried several of them now, and I always think I'm going to like them, because I tend to enjoy strong, animalic, spicy, gourmand, rich, heavy, etc. scents, yet I never seem to like these all that much. I can wear Ambre Sultan on rare occasions, but the amber is a bit too much (the herbal element helps balance it out), though this is true for all scents of this type (for me). Now this scent may be the worst Lutens composition I've encountered. It's all over the map, with different notes coming and going with no rhyme nor reason. However, I like this scent more than any of the other Lutens, with the exception of Fumerie Turque (and I tried that one so long ago that I can't say I would prefer it to this one). It's woodier than I thought it would be at first, but that doesn't last long and then I think it is better-balanced. A lighter scent that is somewhat similar is Courvoisier EdT. I obtained a bottle in a swap, and I intend to keep this one, because I like the smells it generates, but I find it amusing how chaotic it is as a composition. My major disappointment is that the base isn't as strong as I thought it would be - even in a "celebuscent" I would more strength with that list of base notes!

I have no words to describe how much I love this one. I have encountered many disappointing fragrances lately, but luckily Five O'Clock came to the rescue! It proved to me that there are still good things to be found. This perfect combination of freshness and comforting warmth fills me with joy every time I wear it. FOC starts with an invigorating blast of ginger tea and the glorious drydown adds a tad of smokiness into the mix. There's actually some chimney smoke and that, combined with the cacao note, is pure bliss. So cozy!

It's magnificent. That's all I can say.

I pretty much agree with Black Russian about the performance: at least 6 hours with full force and then 3-4 hours closer to skin.

When I learned of this perfume, I was looking for one of the two kinds of ginger -- a sharp smell of freshly grated ginger that one would add to a juice (or a cocktail) or the dried ginger powder in freshly baked seasonal cookies. Everyone has their own interpretation of 5 o'clock, right?

And I got neither.

I had some ginger tea that was sitting around for a bit, and, when steeped, it would give off just the faintest bit of ginger -- this is what this perfume smells like.

I can see that many reviews mention spices -- sure, I get some cloves, some cinnamon, some nutmeg; but all of it smells... stale. Like if you had some ground spices sitting around for a while, and you can still tell what they are, but they are not potent anymore.

And what makes it quite confusing is the sharp green, almost herbal notes -- what is that meant to be? Ginger leaves? The intention there is quite puzzling. It stays there in the dry-down and feels almost chemical -- like some weirdly scented wood wax that maybe also has a hint of orange in it.

I don't have a anything negative to say -- a lot of work went into this perfume; it just over-promises with a name and under-delivers with execution. I actually think I would have liked it better if the name were not so lofty -- had it been sold to me as, say, 'December,' I would probably be quite excited about it.

I want it to be *more* -- more ginger-y, more holiday-like, more festive, more winter-y, more spice-y, more gourmand. More *something.* But there are some great deals to be had online, so if you find one, making do with 'less' is certainly fine for this warm and comforting perfume.

It doesn't really last or project on me -- that's why I think they could have got away with making the spices more prominent; would not be overwhelming with such minimal projection. Great for the fall or the winter.

It's billed as unisex, but I cannot imagine it doing much for a man -- maybe that's what the green leef-y sharpness is for?!

This is what truly unisex perfume should be like: it performs slightly different on male and female skin! I notice it after I test spray it on my skin and paper.
On paper it smells like your average (but high quality) unisex juice, maybe slightly on too feminine side. On my skin, however, it smells like unquestionably man's masculine scent. I decided to investigate more on this topic, and let my GF to use it too... You probably already guessed what was result... Yes, this is true chameleon of highest rank!
It projects softly, but very decisively. It doesn't screams "rich", but confidently stating "expensive and classy". Many people also describe at as sexy. I had a lot of compliments like "You get your sexy on today!" while wearing it, from both genders.
It maintains arm reach projection for about 6 hours, and after that 3-4 hours more as skin scent.
I think it would made very safe blind buy, I really don't see how and why anyone could hate it.
Verdict
Scent 9.5/10
Longevity 7/10
Projection 8/10
Silage 7/10
Price to quality 8/10

EDIT:
As much as I love it, I had to give it away because it gives me rush on my skin. This is 3rd Serge Lutens perfume out of 5 I had. First time I paid no attention to it because I have this problem with 1 out of 20 perfumes I try, 2nd time I still haven't worried. Now I'm really disappointed and will have to stay away from this house. Just buying trial samples wouldn't help as allergies start not immediately, but after 5-6 applications. What a bummer, I really loved all 3 SL perfumes that I had to give away!

ah i definitely smell tea and ginger. it's a bit spicy at first but calms down after a few minutes. it's somewhere between green tea and black tea i think. a spicy cinnamon comes in after a bit, mixing with the ginger and now honey is apparent too. it's a very calming scent, tea does that for me. i feel like i'm getting something *mildly* animalic but i'm not sure what it is. it gets more beautiful as time goes on. i am really loving this.

It's a pleasant, warm sweet ginger spice scent but it reminds me of the scent of Biselle handheld pet stain carpet cleaner detergent we use at home...

Earl grey tea with a slice of lemon,a drop of honey stirred with a cinnamon stick... and chopped fresh ginger. Doesn´t last long though. Perfect fall fragrance

Oh my goodness I adore this perfume!

After finding my signature (by accident) I really did not think there could be room in my heart (or erm..nose?) for another scent, one I could love just as much, however it has happened.

I see a lot of people writing this off as a "masculine" scent- I urge you not to do this as you will miss out on an incredible scent! Yes the opening, for the first 5-10 minutes is VERY like a cologne, there's an almost mentholated lime scent to it. Don't get me wrong - it is delicious and fresh, that cut of citrus, at first I too thought oh dear - this is more something my boyfriend should wear, but this "masculine" cologne opens up and softens down to a delicious, very fresh spicey sweetness, that is more rounded and delicate.

Ginger is indeed prominent throughout and though I normally hate patch, this patch is light and green cut through with fresh ginger spice. The dry down to my nose is sweet, but again not like the cloying fuitchouli sickening sweetness of LVEB for example or Angel ED Sucree, not an overly sweet vanillic fragrance of which there are so very many these days.

This scent is indeed great on its own but it is truly wonderful to layer with other fragrances. It makes any other fragrance I own even better! I layered with with Chloe and it was just phenomenal, giving the fresh rose an extra needed dimension and depth of spice.

Sillage is low to moderate but longevity is moderate - a few hours, and on clothes over a day.

I would bathe in this juice and cannot wait till my FB comes, i am been pouring my sample all over me for days now! I imagine this is one perfume that I will not only use, but go through several bottles of. Fabulous.

I am very new to this whole perfume thing, and reading some of the other reviews, I feel like I am really out of my element doing a review. So I'm doing this for any other newbies out there. First of all, I love ginger scents. Love them. This was suggested on this site when I was looking for other fragrances with ginger. and I really wanted to love it. I bought a sample from "A Perfumed Court " (thank you Prince Barry for the suggestion for samples). And for the most part I absolutely love this scent. It is wonderful, and I feel, long lasting. The fresh ginger,the spicy brisk smell and then the lovely, lush woodsy scent. And if this were on my husband, I may have spend my whole time sniffing his neck! :) Alas, he does not share my fondness for fragrances, so I'll have to find something else. Because this, to me, is more of a masculine scent. Not very feminine. Now, ordinarily, I would say the hell with that, scents are scents and they are not masculine or feminine. However, this seem like it would just suit a man better. I know I just contradicted myself. But I just get that vibe when I smell this. And yes, I spent the whole afternoon sniffing my wrist when I sampled it! I need some other ginger offerings!

Why is it that all beautiful things in life fade away so fast? Upon sprits... i'm in the 7th heaven... a few minutes later.. all gone!

Wonderful juice.Five O'Clock is one of the more easy going of Lutens/ Sheldrake creations. A slight citrusy Tea to start, then mostly ginger and cinnamon. Fades into a sweet base of honey and amber with hints of spices. Moderate projection of about arms length and longevity is around the five hour mark.

Perfect for the monsoon and winter out here, smells like watching the heavy rains come down in the twilight while sipping a cup of hot, spiced tea with honey on your porch! Love it.

PS- I agree with Houdini below. The first thing that came to mind when I sniffed this was DnG's The One although 5 O'clock would be a far more complex, well rounded, glorious version of it.

On me this is fresh wild spicy, more like fresh ginger than cozy warm gingerbread, this is less sweet and hotter than that, very unique, smells like a trade ship in a jungle port, spices drying and tea and old wood

Good Lutens fragrance.

Although it is a spicy oriental, this fragrance has a fresh opening as if this were an invitation to take a nice afternoon with lemon tea accompanied by rich gingerbread cookies dusted with cinnamon.


Among other things, once it left to the surface so that seems ideal for daytime use.

Rating: 6

This is another shocker. Very strong ginger and woody bomb!
A think it's more for men than for women.
If this was a tea drink, I would have already drank it. Smells good in an edible way, I would say. But I guess as a perfume, I wouldn't like to wear it. Too strong and masculine for my taste.
This is one of those fragrances that is fun to smell and try, but I could never actually wear it.

Freshly ground ginger powder blended with sweet spices and stirred into black tea. And then a genuine soft leather note. Sensual and consumable. Instead of spraying, can I hose this on instead? Phenomenally perfect.

Typical Sheldrake blueprint is in the exciting and comfy notes, Quality materials - and then the car crash of an introduction.

Usually, you're gassed with ashy smoke or totally wrecked with a pile of pungent, sharp greens, herbs or woods on 1st applying pressure to the stopper.

If you're a Happy High St Hippie and like me, like those sort of scents; well SL can easily pass off as the Dark side of the Force.

5 o' clock maybe tries to buck the SL 1st spray trend (a little) yet still sadly fails at the forefront to give you the Signature orientals, spice, refinement and traditional rose/powdery/ambery sweet notes until inevitably in the drydown. Fails pretty flatly, in all honesty.

If you're after even the slightest hints of warm, chewy gingerbread, doopy honey and bun-spice at the start; forget it! This after all, is a Serge.

The top begins with a powerful citric (not lemon or orange) blast and the intro can come off a unsatisfying or uninviting overall, especially if you're thinking 'warm, sweet gingerbread and chai'.

The key here is while it may be a dealbreaker for me, as many other SL intros, it may not be an insurmountable mountain for others this time round.

So, unconvincing; the citric bergamot lends a sour, limey feel here and the ginger that comes in is overpowered by this; authentic but any warmth and spice is totally absent; it's raw and fully unsweet, as how the bergamot is rendered too.

Bergamot is a note that is akin to an exact mixture between a lemon and a lime with a drop of orange oil that tends to 'flatten' out as a citric note instead of 'radiate', like lemons (so, not very aromatic).

It just doesn't work for me like this and through several attempt it does not vary much at all with any of the sweetness peaking. It remains decidedly citric fizzy-sour, brisk, a touch spicy and even quite peppery from the 1st spray and then for a good half hour.

It is pretty undefined; neither coming out as an all out ginger, or pepper or lime and I don't get any 'tea' at all. Maybe only the greeny leaves but certainly not the addicting grains themselves.

I don't get any honey until a good 2-3 hours in, even then the citric-green top persists.

For the drydown, I get what everyone else is eulogizing about; more of the sweetish, gourmandy goodness of a honeyed baked gingerbread.

The spice and woods (cinammon) later are real stars - SL is my go to 9/10 House if I based my reviews on dry-downs alone!

It tried but it's another unconvincing effort from the House of Shock Lutens.

Rating: 5/10.
Scent Quality: 8/10.

I bought a decant from a fragrantican friend and immediately knew I needed to get a whole bottle of this! A year and an empty decant later I finally have my bottle!
I love 5 o'clock gingembre because it's spectacularly blended and well rounded. I enjoy all of it's phases. It's fresh spicy and earl grey tea beginning, it's sweeter candied ginger and biscuit middle, and it's deeper, richer end.
The fragrance is miraculously easy to wear and I never have a bad time wearing my favorite 5 o'clock tea time scent.
As others have said this fragrance truly is a delight for spice and gourmand lovers.

Wow! Five O'Clock Au Gingerbread opens with a pungent punch of clove, cinnamon, and smoky bergamot, followed by cedar and black peppercorns. The base notes alternate between tobacco leaves and incense. This intoxicating elixir conjures up images of tufted leather sofas in an elegant cigar lounge, fine Kentucky bourbon, and hot Earl Grey tea. Will probably give this one to my husband, though. Overall: silage is strong; longevity is 4+ hours!

Very intense at first, but after a while, when it settles, it's really pleasant, deep spicy scent. Lots of teasing ginger, but well tamed by sweeter cinnamon. Very interesting, elegant, mysterious scent.

Another Sheldrake masterpiece! From Chene to Borneo 1834 to Gris Clair to Chergui, Chris is my favorite perfumer. I won't go into detail about the scent as I don't have much to add to what's already been said but this is the perfect cozy scent for cooler temps. Great for cuddling up and watching a movie, or a chilly walk downtown during the holiday seasons. Perfectly unisex and a joy to wear. Priced wonderful as well, right around $60!

I takes time until the fragrance “opens” and starts to smell nice and wearable. The beginning is harsh, herbal and slightly alcoholic. Brownish-green dry herbs with a generous dose of lemon juice, very spiky, difficult. The ginger seems to be dry, pushed in the background by bitter and sharp citrus notes. After about 20 mins finally I can smell black tea sprinkled over a base of leather; slightly smoky (nothing spectacular) , still overpowered by the citrus notes and herbs. Five O’Clock gets spicy in the drydown but it is hard to tell what these spices are – a mix of everything dry and edible you will find in your kitchen, soaked in ...you guessed it - lemon. Not much tea in Five O'Clock …
Smells like a spiced up version of Penhaligon’s Malabah ;)

From a sample, I smell the spices but not good enough yet that I can pick them all apart, but what I AM getting, oddly, is Tuscan Leather! It hit me right away! Something, something, I just don't know what. The same feel and note of sweet leather that's in Fendi, Fendi for women! Either way I think it's very very pretty and LOVE the spicy tea aspect. Haven't gotten to the dry down yet though...

Wow, this is a powerful blast of ginger and cinnamon. Which i like, kinda like some have mentioned a mens aftershave. Then after a while i find it sweetens on me. Then all i am left with is a smokey whiff of spices. I swear there is a similarity to Queen Latifahs Queen of Hearts in the drydown. I appreciate this scent but it does nothing for me.

Tea and Ginger Biscuits...

This is a very refreshing tea & ginger fragrance. It's really well made. It opens up with very fresh bergamot and then the ginger and cinnamon tea vibe starts to creep up and it takes on a sweet, very smooth and sheer effect. It's a really nice experience.

Five O'Clock au Gingembre is meant to evoke the ritual of having tea in an English country house at (exactly) 5 O'Clock in the afternoon, served with ginger biscuits. The ginger here especially reminds me of stem candied ginger used in cooking, almost like a crystallised sugar coated ginger. Although the fragrance is not too sweet either, it stays fresh and juicy. I also love the use of honey here, almost like ginger tea being sweetened with honey. There is no smoke or heavy notes, everything is kept sheer and light and playful (which is very different for a typical Serge Lutens fragrance). I like this one a lot. It's not groundbreaking, but I guarantee you'll like it. A very warm and cosy scent which I suspect would do just as well in summer as in the cooler months. Tea has a relaxing effect for me, and this is one which makes me feel happy. I get a good feeling from this... if you like tea, honey or ginger, then try it!

I smell almost 100% fresh ginger root in the top notes. This is why it does not smell like gingerbread cookies, as the raw root is totally different from dried ginger powder, which is very hot and spicy. Soon enough, some smoky black tea and bergamot creep in. The notes all blend nicely together to create a comforting tea fragrance.

I have not read all the reviews, but I can’t help but wonder if anybody notices the similarities between Five O’Clock and Aziyade by Parfum d’Empire, which also features intense, fresh ginger.

My like for this perfume waxes and wanes. After some time, the lovely tea and fresh ginger smell muddled, honestly like they have been watered down with dishwater. But some time later, the honey, patchouli, pepper, and strong woods catch my attention yet again. The woods are so strong that for a while it is all I detect. I don’t detect cinnamon on my skin whatsoever at any point.

I enjoy the perfume on the whole, but not enough to want a full bottle. Sillage sits right on the skin. I prefer Aziyade.

It's a chilly 56 degrees in Miami today so I am wearing Five O'clock au Gingembre. This is one of my favorites from Serge Leutens. It opens with a ginger/cinnamon spiciness and I love that. I think it leans more to "gourmand" than "oriental." Either way it is a lovely fragrance that lasts and lasts on me. To bad I can only wear it during the very few cold days in South Florida. When I do wear it I enjoy it to the max.

This fragrance is very aptly named. The ginger spiciness was lovely, and surprisingly delicate. Sits very close to the skin. On me, this was a fairly linear fragrance, but quite lovely in it's simplicity and softness.

This one was an instant like for me. You get a very fresh blast of lemon, tea and peppery ginger that's made sweet with a clean and hefty dose of honey. As it dries down it warms up a bit through the amber, cinnamon, and patchouli. The patchouli's restrained here in the sense that it never hits that stereotypically, heavy hippie level that can get annoying and detract from an otherwise good fragrance. The cinnamon plays the background as well, and I like that, because this one's all about the tea, ginger, and honey. I think Five O'Clock is a pretty safe bet, and you're unlikely to receive many negative reactions from it. It's kind of along the lines of Burberry London and Eau des Baux as far as its impression and context, something to be worn during the cooler months, especially around the holidays. As far as Lutens fragrances go, I feel like this one has a little more mainstream appeal than most. There's something about the sweet woody amber aspect of it that feels familiar, however this by no means common in quality or overall smell, it's just not weird and unusual. Projection is good, a little on the close side, and longevity is about 5 to 6 hours. While it may lack a "WOW" factor, that's not always necessary as far as I'm concerned, and I'm completely happy to own this very pleasant, ginger-tea concoction that's easy to reach for and throw on whenever the mood hits. Thumbs up and a safe blind buy if you like the sound of the notes.

Imagine you are drinking lapsang souchang tea with milk and someone inadvertently adds ginger to it, this is what you get with Five O'Clock Au Gingembre. I love the smoky spiciness happening in this tea. Definitely a cousin to L'Artisan's Tea for Two but less sweet.

Strong, fiery ginger steeped in sticky, honeyed amber, wound with wisps of smoky lapsong souchang. Yet for all this deep, dusky luxuriance, it is surprisingly sheer...as if a silken scarf had been dipped in this concoction, and hung in a sunlit window to dry. The scent clings to the fabric and is lightly released as one knots and folds it about ones throat.

Hmm, the tea note is really strong on me and makes it smell kind of masculine at first. I really like it otherwise, but I so wish my skin amped up the cinnamon and ginger instead. I get hints of that sometimes and it's perfect! But then the tea note comes along. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that it adds a lot of freshness, which isn't a bad thing, but I was really hoping for a spicy, warm, winter scent. I think this smells like spiced black tea. I was hoping for gingerbread, but black tea is nice too. It would make a great spring scent in my opinion.

I've had a sample of this all summer that I've been sniffing but waiting for cooler weather to actually try on because it smelled so warm in the bottle. But strangely, when I actually put it on, it smelled so cool on me there was almost something ashy about it.

This is an odd one. It's beautifully spicy and the ginger is gorgeous, but there's something so cold and woody about it that it doesn't quite satisfy my hope for a warm, wintery spicy perfume.

I don't get the honey at all. I could swear there's none in it. To me, this is ginger and woods.

It's unisex, but I'd say it veers to the masculine side of things.

I don't know, I'm torn. It's partly beautiful gingerbread and Christmas, partly cold and uninviting.

Soft sillage and around 6 hours longevity.

As someone else pointed out, my skin also amplifies wood notes. It turns into a wonderful sandalwood smell accented with a pinch of spice and a sweet touch of ginger. I don't get the tea at all. Very pretty and wearable. Certainly unisex.

I do not like this!
Too woody,
too cold,
too coarse,
too masculine.

I love this!
So smoky,
so cinnamony,
so subtly fruity,
so uplifting.


Five O'Clock Au Gingembre is for me a scent of pure ambivalence, as in the first 10 minutes he almost knocks me out with a blast of rough and almost icy woods, with a prominent Aftershave effect.
But yet Five O'Clock Au Gingembre reaches out and helps his victim back to its feet, maneuvers me to a wooden bench, rekindles a fire to warm me up and offers a smoky ginger tea with cinnamon and dried fruits to me.
An adjective what fits the the overall experience best? INTERESTING.
The cool wood and spice notes take my breath, not just metaphorically. Behind this rough attack onto the senses the scent reveals much more, a soft and lovable coziness underlying its interesting fresh breath.

A truly special scent, wich makes me think of colder seasons and snuggling up with a blanket, some tea and a good book to enjoy this demanding scent.

This is a happy kitchen that plays on the skin. I enjoyed the smell on my wrist, but only after walking around for a small while and allowing this darling to develop, did the cinnamon, the chocolate, the pepper become more pronounced, and the over all toothsome yumminess began to coalesce. After some more time again, the bergamot and patchouli stir to the fore. Still very pleasant, as the more gourmand aspects are still present and sparkling.

Wearing this to a date might be very good if you aim to enchant your suitor. ;)

Like the rest of the line - A+ - high quality, above average lasting power, offbeat and fun, attractive and wearable. There are some fragrances out there best suited to a room spray or a candle. NOT something to be worn.


The only thing stopping me from purchasing is that I own Ambre & Santal by L'Occitane, and Volutes by Diptique, both of which share similar traits with this one.


If you want to buy a foodie in your life a present, this would be perfect.

Starting from middle note, a black currant smell emerges.

StealthAngel's review convinced me to give this a try in warmer weather, and it is a TOTALLY different perfume on me. I usually like unisex scents, but this is really awkwardly dudely on me in winter -- like a little kid who stole dad's aftershave. I can only wear it layered with something sweeter and richer. But I tried it today and this is SO much better with my chemistry in summer! Fresh but a little cozy. So even though everyone says this is a winter/fall scent, if it seems like notes you usually love but pulls a little funky on you, try it out for the summer.

This review is based on a decant. Ginger cinnamon tea with some woodsy notes. The scent is thick but ethereal at the same time with below average projection. Longevity is moderate on my skin. Reminds me of T42 a little but without the spicy tobacco note.