There’s a kind of fragrance that especially intrigues me: it’s the type that reads as warm and cool at the same time. This kind of fragrance’s notes are warm — leather, spices, wood, for instance — but its overall feeling is thin and cool, like a splash of scented water. Masque Milano Russian Tea is that sort of fragrance.
Perfumer Julien Rasquinet developed Russian Tea. Its notes include mint, black pepper, raspberry, black tea, magnolia, everlasting flower (also known as immortelle), leather accord, incense, birchwood and labdanum. If you’re thinking this sounds a bit like Annick Goutal Duel, you’re right. Russian Tea might be Duel’s tougher brother, the one who came straight from the stables to lunch.
Russian Tea kicks off with an intriguing blend of fresh mint and pepper with a quick animalic tingle like a passing whiff of body odor. These notes don’t stand alone, though. They’re infused with rich birch tar and leather mixed with tea — the notes of Russian Tea’s spine. At this point, the fragrance smells like an oiled motorcycle boot that’s tromped through a mint patch.
Immortelle’s curry-like scent and dank incense creep into the composition over the next quarter hour. Although these are robust notes that can dominate a scent, they’ve met their match in Russian Tea’s leather and tea one-two punch. They do rise to the top, though, as the leather starts to fade, a good hour into the fragrance’s wear.
When Russian Tea reaches cruising altitude — at least an hour from first spritz — it retreats into a quieter waft of immortelle, incense, and tannic black tea with a smoky, leathery feel, rather than blatant leather notes. Russian Tea doesn’t pack the spicy, cinnamon and clove notes that some tea scents, do. Instead, immortelle provides a touch of sweetness and character to cut the oily smoke. At its most genteel, Russian Tea reminds me of drinking Lapsang Souchong in a leather club chair with the smell of the high desert evening through the window.
For all Russian Tea’s thick notes and sturdy sillage, the fragrance feels cool and thin, almost cologne-like. It lasts a solid four hours on my skin and is easy to wear as long as you welcome smoky notes. For me, Duel fits this slot in my perfume collection, and its quieter presence suits me better. But if you daydream about Russian highlanders (is there such a thing?) galloping through the steppe to settle by a campfire, you’ll want to give Russian Tea a try.
Masque Milano Russian Tea Eau de Parfum is $215 for 100 ml. For information on where to buy it, see Masque Milano under Perfume Houses.
I chanced upon a bottle of this at Scent Bar, tucked among some other “tea” fragrances. The only thing I remember is a blast of that curry-like immortelle. It was just a little too, too much for me.
Immortelle is a real deal-breaker for a lot of people! I don’t find it too strong in Russian Tea–in fact, to me it’s subtle–but I have a high tolerance. Did you get the chance to try any of the rest of the line?
The answer is…maybe? I always go into Scent Bar with the best of intentions and a mental note of which ones I definitely want to sniff.
And then I get dazzled and my eyes glaze over and I forget why I came and probably even my own name. Such is the power of Scent Bar.
I completely understand! I’d be in a daze, too.
I liked this one, easpecially the opening ten minutes, and can easily see that it might be the best-seller of the line. The one I’d buy is Montecristo, but given the “smells like a dead rat” comment on Luckyscent, I imagine it’s more polarizing. 🙂
I’m very curious about Montecristo, but Russian Tea is the only one I’ve tried so far.
It can be tough to find these smaller niche lines to sample. The one drawback for me of Montecristo is that I always think of the sandwich with the same name…
I’ve been hearing a lot about it here and there. I bet you’re right, and it’s the hit of the line, although I also like Montecristo a lot. It definitely does have something fecal going on, though, especially initially.
So glad you reviewed it, as it’s one of my favourite recent discoveries. My perception isn’t as nuanced as yours, I just get leather and sweet black tea with a touch of smoke and some fruityness that makes it less tough than it seems on paper. I don’t mean fresh fruit, it’s more like mixing some raspberry jam into your tea, as one might do where I come from. It’s not quite cologne-like on me, but I find it easy to wear. I’m seriously considering a bottle.
I love the idea of mixing a spoon of jam into tea! I’m definitely going to try it.
Are you thinking of the Cossacks?
Yes yes yes! Thank you.
Great review! I like this one and in fact wish I got a little more immortelle from it, even though it’s a note that can be “too much” for me in some perfumes. I think Russian Tea is a nice contrast to chai-like perfumes like Tea for Two (which I also like).
I agree–I like it that it’s an alternative to the baking spice teas.
I got a decant of this before realizing it had one of my two dreaded notes in it, Immortelle! (The other one is melon) So I just knew I’d blown it and that it would be a scrubber for me if I could even get it on without gagging. Well it just goes to show ya, there are some ‘noses’ who are magicians and can turn even hated notes into something gorgeous.
Thanks to Russian Tea I may be able to approach a few other Immortelle fragrances I’ve avoided, though I doubt any of them will be as lovely as this one. It is a definitely fbw for me.
Immortelle is in fact a problem note for me, too. Have you tried The Afternoon of a Faun? It was the first fragrance where immortelle worked for me and I still think it’s a wonderful scent.
I agree. It’s one of my favorites.
What a nice surprise! Now to see if there are any melon fragrances you might dare…
I’ll have to give Afternoon of a Fawn a try, though the name could be problematic since it gives me the giggles 🙂
Now if I should find a melon note that doesn’t make me gag I’ll know it must be a blue moon for sure!
How about Frederic Malle Parfum de Therese? If that one doesn’t work for melon, then it might be time to give it up.
Yes, I was also thinking of LPdT. And one should also try Auntie Diorella, of course. Just stay well away from the Parfums Delrae giant honking melon, whichever that was. I’m basically afraid to try any Parfums Delrae after being traumatized by that one. 😉
I bet you’re thinking of Emotionelle! It definitely sports some melon. (Don’t worry, the rest of the line is safe!)
Right, that sounds too rough and robust for me. (My credit card is sighing with relief.) I have a sample of Duel on the way, partly because of your mention of it a few posts ago, and if that suits me, I’ll know not to bother with Russian Tea, intriguing though it sounds. There is quite a buzz around at the moment about this line.
I adore Duel, and, as I say in the review, thanks to it I don’t feel any need to add Russian Tea to my collection. (Plus, Duel is a lot more affordable.)
Haven’t tried anything from this brand yet, and it sounds like it’s worth sampling. I already have a decant of Duel on the way, though, probably because of your earlier mentions. I finally figured out why I kept feeling confused about it: it’s because there is also Diptyque Eau Duelle. 🙄
(That’s supposed to be the eye roll emoticon – not sure these new emoticons really do the job – although I really need a specialized of embarrassed eye roll.)
I’ve given up on emoticons, so no worries here.
I didn’t even think about the confusing Duel(le) names! You’re right. If you find you like Duel but would prefer more smoke and attitude, then Russian Tea will be right up your alley.