Welcome To The Tea Party

Green or black, sweet or smoky… there’s really nothing like a bit of tea to set the world to rights. But I’m not talking a cup of the stuff, oh no. I’m talking about the wonderfully addictive world of tea fragrances.

Tea is one of my favourite notes as it’s just so wonderfully complex. Whether characterised as a deep, dark and heady fragrance or something much fresher and greener, it has a mesmerising aromatic character that really is quite compulsive. You just can’t help but breathe the aroma in as deeply as you can.

Despite tea being the brew of choice in autumn and winter, I actually prefer its fragrance during the spring and summer months. It brings sublime freshness during the day and aromatic warmth as the balmy nights roll in. What more could you want from a fragrance?

Here are my favourite seasonal tipples…

The Iced Tea Spritzer

Terry de Gunzburg The Glace Eau de Parfum

If you like your tea served tall, sweet and in a chilled glass, then this feel-good scent from Terry de Gunzburg makes for some sophisticated refreshment. Its thirst-quenching composition is crafted from a pleasing combination of icy verbena, lavender and grapefruit, together with solar white flowers that call to mind the rays of the French Riviera sun.

At the heart of The Glace is a smooth and slightly honeyed interpretation of black tea. It’s a sophisticated addition to the otherwise free-spirited juice, anchoring the icier top notes with surprising depth. It’s the olfactory equivalent of a long, cool drink, and it couldn’t be more fun to wear.

Notes: Verbena, Black Tea, Grapefruit, Almond, White Flowers, Lavender, Brazilian Mate, Moss, Musk

The Transportive Fruit Tea

Annick Goutal I’Ile Au The Eau de Parfum

When I’m in need of a euphoric fragrance, I turn to L’Ile Au The. This almost-tropical juice from Annick Goutal pairs its rich and smoky green tea hand in hand with a bouquet of notoriously uplifting osmanthus blossoms, creating a dreamy snapshot of the South Korean mountainside from which the scent takes its inspiration.

This rendition of the tea note is addictive, almost-menthol and satisfyingly hazy. When it’s blended with the sunny apricot tones of osmanthus and a pop of shimmering mandarin, L’Ile Au The becomes an absolutely compulsive aroma – you’ll be constantly going in for another sniff. I’d reserve this one for summer evenings when the mood calls for something appropriately sultry yet enlivening.

Notes: Mandarin, Tea, Osmanthus, White Musk

The Dark Infusion

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire Eau de Parfum

If you’re less fresh and zingy refreshment and more of an aromatic brew, turn to the shadowy depths of Guerlain’s timeless La Petite Robe Noire. This smoky yet fanciful confection appeals to my sweet tooth, calling to mind tart cherry bakewells enjoyed with a steaming cup of black tea.

The tea in La Petite Robe Noire reveals itself more slowly than the other offerings above, instead creeping in as a sensuous backdrop to the black cherry, almond and Bulgarian rose centrepiece. As the fragrance develops, the deliciously smoky character of the black lapsang tea leaves becomes all-enveloping, twisting in seductive tendrils around the more playful notes. Save this for something special.

Notes: Bergamot, Black Cherry, Almond, Berries, Bulgarian Rose, Turkish Rose Absolute, Liquorice, Patchouli, Black Lapsang Tea Leaves

Over To You!

Have you discovered the addictiveness of a tea fragrance?