“Tea is the elixir of life.” – Lao Tzu
What Are Tea-Based Fragrances?
Tea is said to have come into being five thousand years ago, when a leaf floated into a Chinese emperor’s cup that was filled with boiling water. Japan is known for their tea rituals, as is Russia and Great Britain. Cooling, calming and cleansing, tea as a perfume ingredient can be meditative and Zen-like. Tea-based fragrances are ones that consist of a type of tea to help promote a sense of tranquility and restoration.
Best Tea Fragrances
Bvlgari Au Parfumée Au Thé Vert
Despite its widespread popularity around the world, tea is relatively new in fragrances. Master perfumer Jean Claude Ellena’s Bvlgari Au Parfumée Au Thé Vert was the tea fragrance that started it all in 1992, using tea as the main note of a fragrance. Casual and classy, this minimalist green fragrance is crisp and clean with notes of smoky green tea, hints of floral jasmine, and a burst of bergamot. One of the bestselling tea fragrances of all time, it is a scented haiku to the art of perfumery.
CK One
Another tea icon is Calvin Klein CK One. In 1994, it was a game changer both in terms of using a green tea accord and marketing to both men and women. This unisex tea fragrance is a clean, citrus musky scent is still as modern and fresh nearly thirty years later.
Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Lavender
Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Lavender is a fresh tea fragrance that opens with the soothing and gentle scent of citruses and the note of green tea. This makes for a soft and delicate opening that becomes a little more herbal over time. After the opening, hints of mint and lavender start to appear, giving the fragrance a bit of weight and making it more aromatic. In the dry down, a clean touch of musk is added, blending in beautifully with the florals and citruses.
Creed Silver Mountain Water
Creed Silver Mountain Water suggests the streams running through the snowcapped Swiss Alps, an icy landscape in which Olivier Creed, a championship skier, found relaxation and renewal. It might have been created to celebrate winter, but it smells like spring. Green tea is the dominant note in Silver Mountain Water and blended with a citrusy combination of bergamot and mandarin that rests on a clean musky base.
Replica Matcha Meditation Cologne
Matcha tea is made with highly concentrated ground green tea and is the inspiration for Replica Matcha Meditation Cologne. Although serene notes of citruses, florals, woods, are present, it doesn’t smell like most tea-based perfumes. With base notes of moss, cedar, and the surprising addition of white chocolate, Matcha Meditation has longevity and sweetness.
Kilian Bamboo Harmony
By Kilian Bamboo Harmony perfume is an extremely beautiful tea fragrance that combines crisp watery bamboo with white tea. A lovely blend of bergamot, bitter orange and neroli) is surrounded by the sheer and elegant trio of gentle white tea, cool bamboo, and sunny mimosa. The finish is green and grounded as fig leaves, mate tea and vetiver add earthiness while remaining utterly refreshing. Bamboo Harmony is elegant and long lasting.
Where there is tea, there is paradise’-Russian Proverb
Masque Milano Russian Tea
Masque Milano Russian Tea is a tea fragrance unlike any other, with a mix of raspberry, mint, smoke, and tea that smells unique and different from all other tea perfumes. The inspiration behind this remarkable scent was drinking tea in a bookstore café in Leningrad. Pouring the boiling water over the steaming leaves, the aroma of crushed mint is enhanced by a spoonful of raspberry jam, a traditional addition to Russian black tea. Leather, incense, a touch of oud and spices at the base add to its mystery.
We have finished taking you through the best fragrances. Now it is time to head over to Perfume.com to choose your favorite.
Fragrance advice and recommendations from Perfumista. Perfumista offers fragrance guides published often for every season and occasion, and well as extensive knowledge in the fragrance industry.
