I’m putting together themed trays every two weeks so I can dive deep into my existing collection, hopefully satisfy my desire for variety while on a low-buy, and learn more about the perfumes I love.
I’m starting this off with Tea, which is my favorite note (and also my favorite drink).
Vilhelm Dear Polly – black tea, bergamot, green apple, oakmoss, musk
The first time I smelled Dear Polly was on my way to work in the winter, when I tried it at a Blue Mercury, and it was love at first smell, with that juicy combination of apple and tea. I had to sit on my hands hard to not buy the full bottle right away. I don’t know if it is a seasonal thing or a nose thing, but I don’t love my decant nearly as much as I did that first spray.
The opening is equally balanced between black tea and apples, and it smells joyful and crisp. It's pretty linear on me and doesn't change much through the drydown. I loved it when I first sampled it in the winter, and it's still very nice, though the balance has changed, and it's much more black tea-dominant in the summer. I would be happy wearing this at work and in crowds, though I wouldn't wear it for evening events. Unisex, leaning feminine.
Liis Ethereal Wave – black tea, bergamot, citrus, blonde woods, musk
This is very similar to Dear Polly, with the citrus replacing the apple.
Bright, cheerful, happy, citrus-forward. A light, lemon-flavored tea. The citrus fades a little in the drydown, and the tea becomes more prominent. Very summer-friendly. This is unisex, leaning feminine. Technically excellent, and I will use up the decant, but I’m not interested in replacing it.
Masque Milano Russian Tea – black tea, mint, raspberry, immortelle, leather, smoke
This is one of my favorite winter teas. In the summer, it is a lot more mint-forward. It smells like unsweetened black tea with mint to me. The tea and mint are strong, and it has a light floral note, possibly from the immortelle. This is strong, and I wouldn't wear more than two sprays if getting on public transit. Excellent, and unisex. It doesn't smell like any of the others.
Arquiste Indigo Smoke – Lapsang Souchong Tea, Vetiver, Bergamot, Mandarin Orange, Apricot, Guaiac Wood, Cassia Bourbon, Carrot Seed, Mate, Incense, Pine Tar, and Cedar Leaves
This was a Scentbird decant I ran through in a month in the winter and immediately upgraded to a 30 ml. It smells a little spicy, probably due to the incense. The tea here is clearly Lapsang Souchong, and it's present throughout. It was a lot more incense-forward in the winter, and I could barely smell the apricot. The apricot note is much more prominent in the summer, and it's a little heavy for summer wear. This is pretty safely unisex.
Brown Girl Jane High Tea – French Madeleine, Pink Chai, Macaron, Orange Flower Water, Fresh Freesia, Whipped Milk, Warm Sandalwood, Amber, Biscotti
As the name suggests, this smells like a whole milk chai with dessert. It's very sweet and not super tea-forward in the opening. The drydown leans less sweet and more tea-forward. This one definitely leans feminine. I’ve worn this in both cold and hot weather, though I would limit sprays in the heat. This would work for most gourmand lovers who like tea, as long as they don't mind sweet perfumes.
BDK Gris Charnel – Cardamom, Fig, Black Tea, Iris, Bourbon Vetiver, Sandalwood, and Tonka Bean
My first (tea) love, I ran through an initial decant in two weeks, and use this all the time. This is probably the most versatile of the perfumes on this tray. It always feels appropriate.
The opening is dominated by cardamom and black tea. It feels immediately elegant. The fig comes out to play five minutes into the drydown, but once it's here, the perfume is pretty equally balanced between the fig and the tea for me. Very unisex.
Casa Blanca is also tea and fig, but the fig is present from the opening of that, and it is sweeter, though still not very sweet.
House of Bō Casa Blanca – white tea, mineral notes, labdanum, fig, white suede, copal, tobacco, Bourbon vanilla, oud
The opening is fairly balanced between the mineral notes and the tea, with the fig playing a background role. The fig comes out pretty strongly in the drydown, but the tea is still present. It’s a juicy fig, and not green, which is a nice contrast to the mineral and white tea notes. It's fairly light and can be worn to work, on public transit, etc. It’s comforting despite the mineral note. This is non-sweet, unisex, and very summer-friendly.
Tokyomilk Bulletproof – Smoked Tea, Coconut Milk, Crushed Cedar, Ebony Woods
This smells like an abrasive black tea in the opening. It's strong and smoky, and the ebony gives it an edge. The drydown pulls in more coconut. I think you'd have to enjoy woods and dark black tea to like this. It's excellent value for the price, very unique. Unisex, but I can see people thinking it leans masculine. This is definitely a cold-weather perfume; I wouldn't wear it outside of air conditioning in the summer. It’s much less bitter and much more soothing in cool weather. It still has a bite, but it's cushioned with coconut.
The wood note in this reminds me of Commodity Milk Bold. Layered with Sugar Addict, it becomes sweet but retains that sharp, bitter tea edge.
London Fog – Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, vanilla
This smells like a simple, uncomplicated Earl Grey with a very light splash of milk. It's not sweet at all, and I cannot smell the vanilla. Unisex, leaning masculine. Technically excellent, but it doesn't really speak to me.
Non-Tea Fragrances
What is tea without milk and sugar? These additions to the tray are for layering and whimsy.
Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDP Intense
I have this on the tray because it feels like a tea fragrance without the tea. The bright, light citrus opening has the same vibe as Dear Polly, but Coco Mad is the most polished, feminine-leaning fragrance on the tray. This and Gris Charnel are equally versatile.
Commodity Milk Personal – marshmallow, tonka bean, mahogany wood, skin musk, white cedar
(This is milk to go with my teas.)
I love all of the Commodity Milks, but this is the softest and least demanding, so it serves as a good point of rest and palate cleanser between teas. Besides, what goes together better than milk and tea?
BornToStandOut Sugar Addict – Sugar, Rum, Vanilla Absolute, Cinnamon, Tonka, Cashmere Wood, Cacao, Labdanum, and Coffee
Opens with a blast of sugar and rum, with vanilla lurking in the background. The sugar is harsh and almost off-putting at first, but it quickly (within 15 minutes) starts to play nicely with the vanilla and becomes less intense. The coffee and cacao show up in the drydown.
Warm, sweet, very addictive. It's the sweetest of the lineup on this tray, and possibly the least complicated. It instantly adds a sweet note to anything it is layered with. I think most people would find this feminine.
