Imperial Tea

Bought a new bottle (blue version) during the relaunch event. Tea fragrances are hard to love for me, especially those that are based on green tea. I find most of them to have an amazing opening followed by a quick deterioration into something faint and sour. Dior The Cachemire, and Kilians own Bamboo Harmony fall into that category. Vilhelms Dear Polly came very close to changing my opinion on tea, but unfortunately it's eureka moment comes way too late into the fragrance lifetime. I don't want to endure 3 hours of boringness for a pleasant dry down. Then came Imperial Tea and finally pushed me over the edge for green tea. This stuff is GORGEOUS. It is a profoundly soft fragrance, and not in a thin or absent way. The minimalist duo of tea and jasmine blend in a way that is petal soft yet rich and bold, but not cloying or heavy, not thin or sheer, just a perfect soft touch. Picture a constant tender caress: never overbearing but never absent either, just a permanent soft presence. That's the vibe I get from Imperial Tea. I don't know what kind of musk or ambroxan-adjecent molecule they've used in the base, but it acts as the perfect primer for the performance. It carries the scent of the tea and jasmine outwards while remaining undetectable itself to my nose. Adding a touch of Molecule 02 underneath works very well for this fragrance and gives it eternal longevity. Cannot recommend this fragrance enough. It will be a delight to wear it this spring and summer.

This is a deeply earthly, beautifully floral jasmine tea with a hint of tannins and soap. This is, by far, the most authentic jasmine tea scent I have had the pleasure of experiencing. It makes me think of Gongfu tea service in a modernized shop outfitted in wood and brass surroundings or tea at your dearest friends' home with a crisp clean linen table cloth. An environment of minimalistic grace. The strength of this scent is in it's genius simplicity. The only downside to this is that it doesn't last as long as I hoped. 3-4 hours on dry skin in central heating environment. Sillage is soft at first (1-2 feet) and intimate in less than 30 minutes (skin scent). Beautifully blended and admirably authentic. Despite it's lack of lasting power, I'd still rather have this in my life than not.

One of the most beautiful green teas I've ever smelled, even though it's a big ol' cheater and I can swear to you most of the work's being done by jasmine and a little bit of osmanthus, rather than camellia sinensis (the true tea leaf). Really, really beautiful stuff, but as with all tea-mitations, the longevity could be better, and as with all Kilians, the price is terrifying. Hugely seductive though. Let's see what takes me longer - finding a better cheaper tea, or saving up the necessary for this one. Very much a want.

This is a great spring/summer scent for both men and women. If you’re looking for something different – as opposed to citrus-based scents – for this time of the year, you should sample this. I find it to be a really beautiful green fragrance with good longevity and sillage. If I close my eyes and ignore the fact that I know which notes I’m actually smelling, it’s like talking a walk in a lush forest in the middle of summer.

Like the perfumer promised, this is the most realistic green tea fragrance on the market (so far), yet I wish it smelled even more so, without all the sugary powder/musk, like walking into an authentic Asian tea house; it's soothing, naturally sweet, and floral, yet somehow sharp, bitter, and awakening. *The tea scent also doesn't last last very long, instead turning into an ambiguous fresh sweet mush