Ron Pascuzzi, a 40-year-old sales executive from Raleigh, who spends his weekends training for triathlons.

Can't live without product: "I travel a lot so whatever fits in a 3-ounce package is what I cannot live without so I don't have to check luggage. Unfortunately, I cannot be choosy."

The dilemma: Before I jumped in and gave Black Walnut a try, I first had to understand why people feel the need to wear so much. I found out that it takes six minutes for your sense of smell to become numb to a scent (I read this in a crime novel so it must be true). After six minutes, the smell disappears to the wearer; therefore it only makes sense to apply more, right? Wrong! So I needed to remember that while I can no longer smell it, it's still there.

Cologne is a product that you need an objective, honest, third party to evaluate. You see, I am not married and I don't have a steady girlfriend, so I did not have a neutral nose to give me an honest smell. How many dates do you have to go on before you can ask her to smell you and give an honest opinion? That left six minutes to trust my own sense of smell.

The test: Then Black Walnut arrived at my door. The first thing I noticed was the packaging. They definitely put some thought into it, so without a doubt I had to consider that in my review. I was certain that it would not disappear from sight after six minutes. The cologne itself is in an attractive, square, industrial-strength glass bottle with a round, metallic-looking cap that holds tight and pulls straight off. More impressive was the masculine dark hunk of wood (black walnut, I assume) that houses the glass bottle. "Green" it is not; built to withstand a three-foot drop from a countertop, maybe; looking good on a dresser or counter top, absolutely. The downside of the packaging is that for frequent air travelers like me, this cologne had to stay home. Even without the industrial strength wood box, it was too big to fit in a quart-size zipper-top bag. However, if I were to check luggage, the box would allow it to withstand the worst in baggage handling.

Final thoughts: Black Walnut has a masculine scent that I like, not too perfume-smelling like some cologne. Banana Republic describes the scent as having an aroma of cognac, tobacco leaves and cedar wood. I am not sure I can identify those scents in this cologne, but I would not let that stop you from buying this product. Perhaps that's for the best. Does anyone really want to smell like cognac and tobacco? I liked the scent and would recommend it to anyone looking for something new. And yes, I'm still wearing it and will buy it when I run out.