Blog post by Gwen
Tea for Two – fresh and smoky and sensuous
Photo: perfumeniche
I grew up in a family of tea drinkers. I mean, the kettle was on the stove year-round. I’m not much of a tea drinker, and I could probably never drink a cup of tea again, but the smell of brewing tea always warms my heart, and when it comes to aromatic, fragrant tea notes in perfume, I’d hate to have to live without them.
Which brings me to Tea for Two by L’Artisan Parfumeur. Now, this is the way I like to enjoy tea – out of a perfume bottle, not in a cup – fresh, spicy, smoky and sensuous.
Signed by the incomparable Olivia Giacobetti, Tea for Two was inspired by the aromatic scent of Russian Lapsang Souchong tea. This black tea originated in the Wuyi mountains of China and is made from lapsang souchong tea leaves, smoke-dried over a pinewood fire, yielding a tea with an intense, smoky, resinous, woody aroma. It’s the key component in Russian Caravan tea blends, a reference to the camel caravans that transported tea from India and China to Europe via Russia during the 18th century. Along with tea, the caravan carried supplies, spices and medicinal herbs. Over time, the tea absorbed the aroma of the campfires along the route.
From this, Giacobetti created an exceptional fragrance that quickly garnered a loyal following, and I am proud to count myself among them.
On me, it opens bright and fresh, from bergamot that’s linked to a note of bitter, herbal gentian. Together, they create an airy, Alpine-cool, subtly medicinal start to the fragrance, contrasted with a note of sweet, floral, heady orange blossom, derived from the bitter orange tree, which originated in China and India. Green anise seeds follow, herbal-tinged; their sweet, spicy, licoricey aroma adds depth and complexity to Tea for Two. It also brings forward spicy warmth from notes of fresh, succulent ginger and woody, spicy cinnamon, bridging fresh, floral notes to the main event: a curl of smoky tea that sensuously unfurls on my skin. It has a tarriness to it that gives Tea for Two a hint of that same smouldering rubber vibe as Bulgari Black. This is a fall-on-your-knees smokiness that weaves through your psyche, taking you places you can’t get to any other way. Just when you think you’ll unpack your suitcase and stay awhile, the smokiness settles back a little onto a base of sticky honey and creamy vanilla, so that the smokiness never becomes acrid or sharp. Guaiac wood, vanilla’s good friend, is balsamic, smoky, and resinous, with a leathery undertone that finishes the fragrance.
Tea for Two dries down to an elegant, sensuous skin scent with a glowing gourmand warmth. The beauty of it lies in the contrast between fresh and warm, and between spicy and smoky that suits both women and men beautifully.
This being Olivia Giacobetti, the fragrance has a transparency and lightness, and the ingredients are singular yet harmonious.
Tea for Two was launched in 2000, during L'Artisan Parfumeur’s golden era, and it’s still an exciting piece of perfumery.
Check out Two for Tea in our Shop.
