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Browsing by tag: tea

Bvlgari Black perfume review

Posted by Robin on 22 February 2006 92 Comments

Bvlgari Black fragrance bottle

Black was launched by Bvlgari, the Italian jewelry line, in 1998. It was created by perfumer Annick Menardo, and the fragrance notes are black tea, rosewood, bergamot, cedar, oakmoss, vanilla, amber, sandalwood, and musk.

Black is one of those masterpieces of weird that you would expect to come out of an obscure niche design house. Bvlgari calls it a “supreme exponent of the metropolitan concept”, and the fragrance does have an edgy, urban, very modern feel. There is a short lived citrus top note; after that, the focus is on black tea, in this case lapsang souchong, which lends a smoky, almost earthy edge to the dry woods. It is mildly spicy, with hints of burning rubber and leather, and a whisper of something like tobacco leaf. The far dry down is smoother and softer, with an almost comfort-scent blend of vanilla, musk and woods…

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Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Rouge (Red Tea) fragrance review

Posted by Robin on 21 December 2005 42 Comments

Bvlgari Red Tea The Rouge perfumeEau Parfumée au Thé Rouge (Red Tea) was released by Bvlgari this month, and is the third in a series of tea-based perfumes following Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert (1992) and Thé Blanc (2002). It was created by perfumer Olivier Polge, and features notes of bergamot, orange, pink pepper, fig pulp, Roiboos red tea, Yunnan red tea, walnut and musk.

It starts with a heavy, rather sweet blast of citrus with a good dose of pepper. That calms into a sweet mix of tea, fig, and walnut. It is very well blended and none of the individual notes stand out; it smells vaguely figgy, vaguely floral, and has a subtle nutty undertone. The Yunnan red tea, which is simply black tea from Yunnan — in China, fermented teas (e.g., all black teas) are referred to as “red” teas” — is more noticeable than the Rooibos tea to my nose…

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Perfume review: L’Eau Rare Matale by Parfumerie Generale

Posted by Robin on 19 December 2005 31 Comments

Parfumerie Generale L'Eau Rare Matale

There are currently 7 numbered fragrances in the Parfumerie Generale line. L’Eau Rare Matale is no. 6, and features notes of sage, white fowers, bergamot, black Matale tea, Virginia cedar, Chinese cedar, vetiver, birch, burnt woods, pepper and musk. Matale, by the way, is one of the tea growing districts of Sri Lanka, and is also known for its spice gardens…

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Perfume review: Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan

Posted by Robin on 21 November 2005 53 Comments

hermes Osmanthe Yunnan perfume

Osmanthe Yunnan is the fifth and most recent of the Hermessence series, which debuted in 2004 with four fragrances: Vetiver Tonka, Ambre Narguile, Rose Ikebana, and Poivre Samarcande. Like the others, it was created by Hermès house nose Jean Claude Ellena and is available exclusively in Hermès boutiques. The perfume notes are tea, orange, freesia, osmanthus and apricot.

Osmanthe Yunnan opens with sharp, dry citrus; as noted in the comments last week, it is somewhat reminiscent of another Jean Claude Ellena fragrance, Divine Bergamote by The Different Company. As it dries down, Osmanthe Yunnan veers off in another direction, starting with the lightly smoky scent of dried black tea leaves and gradually allowing more of the osmanthus to shine through…

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She says/he says: L’Artisan Parfumeur The Pour Un Ete

Posted by Robin on 15 August 2005 20 Comments

L'Artisan Thé Pour Un ÉtéL'Artisan Thé Pour Un ÉtéL'Artisan Thé Pour Un Été

L’Artisan released Thé Pour Un Été in 1996. The fragrance was created by Olivia Giacobetti, and has notes of peppermint, lemon, jasmine, and green tea. Like Ananas Fizz, this was originally released as a summer limited edition, but proved to be such a popular scent that it was added to the regular L’Artisan line.

Marlen, one of the moderators from the basenotes forum, is joining me, and for once, we agree!

He says: My first sniff of Bvlgari’s Thé Vert left me a little disappointed. I was hoping for dreamy, soft and green, and instead, I got herbal, sharp and “where the heck did it go?” My prayers were quickly answered, however, with L’Artisan’s Summer Tea, a melange of jasmine and green tea with a hint of mint and citrus…

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