If I could stuff my mattress and bed pillows with one fragrant material, they would not be stuffed with rose petals, powdery sandalwood dust, dried herbs or even beloved vetiver — they would be stuffed with delicious-smelling black tea leaves. A favorite black tea of mine, Kalmi Gulabi, comes from India, and I get as much pleasure from sniffing the tea box containing it as I do sipping the brewed tea. Whenever someone mentions a “great tea fragrance,” I run — to the store or to a perfume sample supplier — and try it.

For those of you familiar with my perfume tastes and longings, pardon my mentioning ONCE MORE the late, great Comptoir Sud Pacifique Thé Eau de Parfum (its black tea note was rich and true). I would do almost anything for a bottle (or two…or three…) of Thé. I continue to mention Thé on this blog in the hopes I’ll open my email one day and read: “I have a case of the stuff in my basement; how much do you want and…what’s it worth to you?” I would reply: “All you have! Where do I ship my kidney?” Comptoir Sud Pacifique reformulated and renamed Thé…

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