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

Powerful, yet delicate, opening of the most awesome jasmine! Incredible, this is like smelling the first blooms on the vine on a cool day. Tea underneath only highlights the spectacular freshness. Although the jasmine eclipses the tea most of the time on my skin, when I do get a waft, it's the best aromatic tea, as if I just brewed a strong cup. I love this!

Initially, I was thrilled to discover that I could finally find a refill bottle for this discontinued fragrance. However, my excitement turned to disappointment upon trying it out. While the scent is somewhat similar, it lacks the depth and longevity of the original.

This is my favorite scent for spring. The Sillage is better than some of the other scents I wear. My daughter is very sensitive to scents and she prefers this one over all my other ones. I receive compliments every time I wear it.

simple is the best, not too fresh not too warm, everything is enough. Love it at the first spray but way too pricey compared to my budget. Maybe because this was discontinued so the price would be always high and higher

A true green jasmine tea scent. I didn't expect this to be sooo nice. Surprisingly Imperial Tea has a real perfume quality. It's not a room spray. I love it from the opening till the dry down.

A simple and gorgeous scent. A very strong and natural tea note is enveloped in white floral jasmine with citruses slowly coming out as it dries down. Beautiful.

Hey guys i'm looking for an empty bottle of this beauty. EU only :)

Upon spraying By Killian's Imperial Tea, I'm instantly reminded of a kind of bottled jasmine tea drink marketed under a Chinese brand, Kang Shi Fu(康师傅), which is not to say that it's a synthetic mess; on the contrary, the jasmine and tea leaves feel quite realistic to me. The jasmine here is decorated with a tiny amount of indole. Instead of pairing the jasmine with silky green notes like in Love and Tears, Imperial Tea doesn't hesitate to showcase the sweet, golden nectar of the flower, which, on one hand, makes the scent sweeter than a real jasmine tea, hence my brain interpreting it as a bottled tea drink. But on the other hand, this nectar aspects also grants the bitter, tannic tea leaves a somewhat more carnal characteristic than most tea fragrances. I also notice a somewhat milky aspect flowing between jasmine and tea leaves, but it's not to say that Imperial Tea smells like a milk tea. It behaves more like a subtle opacity, preventing the tea becoming too watery or limpid, a common trait of most tea fragrances that I encountered. Another common trait of tea fragrances being clean white musk, to be honest, I do detect it in Imperial Tea. But with the sweet jasmine overshadowing it most of the time, I think it's not excessive for a tea fragrance. Imperial Tea is mostly a linear fragrance on my skin with a relatively soft sillage for around 7 hours, and I can still catch traces of it on my skin even after 11 hours. Basically a dual of jasmine and tea, Imperial Tea is arguably a very simple fragrance. But the two notes being quite realistic, nuanced and vivid, the sum of its parts is much more than the mere two components. I was never a fan of so-called "asian" aesthetic of extremely clean green tea fragrances. Therefore, the hefty jasmine (in the context of tea fragrances, of course) is a lovely surprise to me. If you happen to share my dissatisfaction towards most clean tea fragrances, Imperial Tea might be a nice change. I'd recommend it as a suave and relatively friendly jasmine fragrance as well.

An instant love for me. I've been looking for the perfect tea scent for a decade and finally stumbled upon this rare gem. It's a really simple yet perfect brew of jasmine black tea. There's a slight touch of bitterness (tannins) accompanied by just a tad of jasmine's sweetness. The jasmine is light and not indolic at all which is very rare in fragrances. Once applied onto the skin, it sweetens just a little bit but I pull out more of the tea accord than jasmine, which is why this is my favourite tea scent. Very easy to wear all year round and definitely signature scent worthy. Please bring this one back.

This literally smells like having your head in a bell jar filled with jasmine scented green tea leaves. The tangy, slightly honeyed pungency of jasmine is a bit suffocating at first, the tea quite sharp, but eventually it mellows into something much calmer and more wearable. It's pure and natural smelling, like a fresh floral breeze. Wouldn't at all recommend this for a man due to the airy femininity of the jasmine, but for a sophisticated lady this would be a nice day scent, just be sure to spray it 30 minutes BEFORE leaving the house.

I love drinking jasmine tea, especially if it's steeped perfectly. Imperial Tea however fails to bring the Imperial element to the table. The tea is black and tannic on opening--a little oversteeped. The scent fades quickly and leaves a very diluted trail of jasmine water. Along a similar vein is Guerlain's interpretation with a few more notes in perfect balance. If you like this but desire a little more complexity, spoil yourself with Les Voyages Olfactifs 03 Paris-Tokyo.

Opens with a gorgeous, sweet, realistic tea and jasmine burst but quickly becomes fairly soapy. Even though it's a pretty light, green fragrance there's something milky, as if it's a jasmine milk tea. There's also an underlying, tart, peachy (?) grape-y (?) fruitiness. Not transparent by a long shot but not as heavy as other Killian's I've tried; there's a buoyant greenness that lifts the sweetness up. Overall, an enjoyable fragrance.

Pro: finally a true tea smell. It's photo-realistic jasmine tea fragrance, with reasonable sillage & longevity, not those f*ing citrus or white floral or spicy fake tea. I mean, seriously, if you advertise for a tea perfume, you better f*ing put tea in it. Con: There is nothing else. Not too much depth. In fact, none at all. Frankly speaking, I'd expect Demeter make this type of linear, realistic scent.

Nice enough while it lasts, which isn't long at all. It's not even making it an hour on me. Not the biggest fan of the ozonic/aquatic thing happening in the open, it obscures what's otherwise a very nice jasmine tea scent. The ozone burns off quickly, thankfully, but then, so does the rest of the thing not soon after. Pity.

Beautiful hyperrealistic jasmine green tea without much nuance. Almost savory, very aromatic. Dry down is mostly pure jasmine. Longetivity is 2~ hours on me and it feels waaaay overpriced, won't be buying the full sized version anytime soon.

Realistic jasmine green tea. Brilliant. I can taste the tannins in the tea and the sweetness of the jasmine. Longevity is very short and the price is too high, but this is the most accomplished and interesting Kilian so far.

Quite strange, intriguing and unusual. Not for everybody but definitely worth trying comparing to many other Kilian copy-pastes.

its straight up jasmine tea, sweet but aromatic! cool! photorealistic!

Big fan of Kilian but I can't stand this. It's vile. The only detectable note in the opening is Napthalene (moth ball odor). I cannot understand how this fragrance ever made it into production. I sprayed to sample and automatically my face made that grimace of repulsion, before I could even discern the notes..

Tea and jasmine. Probably the mixture of green and black tea. I wonder if there are some sugary notes with slightly bergamot there. I like to drink tea and am not sure about smelling like it...

i get tea, no jasmin. i thought it’s kinda hitting u like a wall for a second because it has this painful sweetness(?) like some meat that’s gone off smells. but after that it’s nice

Absolutely vile smelling "perfume". Smells like moth balls.

I am not a jasmine dominant fragrance fan, but I love a tea note and the mate in the opening is really nice but very short lived for my liking and the jasmine becomes almost like a soliflore. I would have loved for the tea to have been a bit stronger. I am sensitive to jasmine and it is about all I can smell...but this is actually a very smooth and delicate jasmine, not piercing at all...about the most easy going (yet prominent) jasmine I have smelled. There is a tiny touch of guaiac that gives Imperial Tea a very slight smoky woodiness to it but it is ever so slight. The bergamot lightens it up just a bit but it is only an enhancer to bring out the freshness, The violet is a bit green and watery and spring like. A fresh violet, not a dusty one. The overall effect of Imperial Tea is bright, clean and fresh and this is most definitely a spring and summer fragrance. But make no mistake, Imperial Tea is all about the jasmine. But it is a very clean, gentle, almost fragile jasmine and for someone sensitive to the sharp edges of jasmine, this isn't a bit harsh. It is very delicate as is the entire fragrance which fits perfectly with the Asian Tales theme. I just wish I could experience the scent a bit longer as it only lasts about a half hour on me then it becomes a real nose presser (same with Bamboo Harmony, Water Calligraphy, Flower of Immortality). For the money, I really wish Kilian would amp up the oil a tad. So many from this house are just far too weak for the price (not all, Back to Black lasts all day on me and A Taste of Heaven lasted 24 hours). For this kind of money, I expect 2 sprays to last a solid 5 hours. I used half of a spray vial (4 sprays at least) and within a half hour I can barely smell anything. I would prefer less bottle (and case) and more oil. Otherwise, for a non jasmine lover, Imperial Tea is one of the nicest I have smelled.

I was lucky enough to get a free sample of this and Sacred Wood in the mail yesterday and I tried this one first. Now, my skin doesn't always react well with jasmine and it can become very soapy on me for some reason. I sprayed a little of this on the card that came with the sample and it was just beautiful. Tea and jasmine, light as air. A very fresh and soothing scent. But then I sprayed it on my skin and I got... soap. The tea started to peep out slightly after a couple of hours, but apart from that, just soap. I was so disappointed (but also not that surprised given my body's silly reactions to jasmine). So, I sprayed some on my mother, who wears jasmine beautifully (in fact, her signature scent is Gelsomino Nobile by Acqua di Parma). On her, this smelled exactly how I wish it had smelled on me. Crisp, green, with the sweetness and body of the jasmine lending a weight and tone to the tea that complimented it perfectly. I feel a lot of thought went into this creation as one whiff conjures up instant images of a Japanese tea ceremony. Going by how it smells on both the card and on my mother, I love this. I just can't wear it myself :( Sillage is very light and longevity was 4 hours on both me and my mother.

Fragrance Review For Imperial Tea By Kilian Notes: Jasmine Tea This is like a perfumed jasmine tea aroma, like the fragrance of actual jasmine tea but with a distinct Oriental character. It made me think of an ancient Chinese Emperor and his family (the Ming Dynasty) having tea. The atmosphere is calm and soothing, despite the fact that outside the Forbidden City there is chaos and war. It's a Buddhist perfume. It smells of bitter green and white scents, it's spicy and floral and herbal. It has a green tea, herbal and white floral body. The jasmine is really throwing up it's muskiness, it's spiciness and it's unisex personality. It's a jasmine both male and female like the jasmine in Alien by Thierry Mugler. This is a really great scent and it should have had a longer life. The problem here is that this great scent has no base notes. It comes and goes like a tea scent that wafts into the air from another room you're not in. It smells like being adjacent to a tea room or tea house. It's not bad though. I layer this with jasmine floral scents like Indian Night Jasmine by the Body Shop and even Mitsouko Guerlain.

I live in the South (TN) and have a field of black locust trees right across my driveway. There is NOTHING better about Springtime than the smell of these beautiful, sweet blossoms! When I first was sent a sample of this about a month ago, I completely loved it and realized there was something very familiar about it. Well, on this rainy day I stepped out on my back porch and realized what it was. This GORGEOUS fragrance is IDENTICAL to a Spring rain and black locust sweet smelling blossoms!!!! OMG!!! I AM IN HEAVEN!!!! The sillage is moderate and the longevity is about 8-10 hours! Like most Kilians it is extremely high quality and you pay for what you get! I know there is a very hefty price tag on this, but it is the ONLY scent I have ever seen that put this heaven into a bottle and not smell synthetic or cloying!!!!! DEFINITELY A GOT TO GET!

I have to say I'm very impressed with this particular fragrance. There're so many fragrances out there claiming to be about tea and naming themselves after tea, yet I had yet to come across one that truly smells like tea (it's usually some kind of citrus concoction, which gets old fast) - until I came across Kilian's Imperial Tea. As an avid tea drinker, I'm especially critical of any fragrance that is touted as such, so imagine my surprise when I spray this and lo and behold, a fragrance that smells like REAL jasmin tea. What's even more incredible is the fact that this has great sillage without being overpowering, and the longevity of this scent is incredible (most parfum lasts at most 3 to 4 hours on my skin, this one is still there when I wake up 8 hours later). Definitely one of my favorite fragrance by far. Well done, Kilian!

I was so excited about this there was something super floral aromatic about it just sniffing the sample. I was surprised it only had two notes, and that there were no yellow or exotic florals in there. Just the jasmine, which unfortunately for me dominates the whole frag. It is hyperrealistic, so jasmine lovers will really enjoy this and I have to say I respect a realistic note. But there is a slight overdose in here a little rubbery which I get sometimes when jasmine is overpowering (may just be my nose, which I have been firmly pressing to my arm.) There is a subtle green tea in there but mostly the jasmine is the star of the show. I think i just prefer my jasmines to be subtly wafting in the air rather then this up close.

Okay so I was really looking forward to both sacred wood and imperial tea but I'm left feeling a bit underwhelmed. This fragrance is mainly jasmine and that's not a bad thing it's a lovely thing but I had expected the bitter, metallic, dryness of tea and although it's there it's not nearly enough to satisfy the name. This is a clean fragrance in which the tea note balances with the jasmine nicely but kind of removes the sweetness a little which to me is the whole point of jasmine. What you're left with is just a vaguely floral scent with hints of tea. The main problem with imperial tea is the longevity, not very good at all. Pleasant fragrance but I was expecting a really special tea and as such am a bit disappointed.

Nice - if you are a fan of Jasmine. Just like the description, it very much smells like Jasmine tea, but was surprised to see only two ingredients, because I thought there was a vanillery/milky element thrown in. Like fragrant Jasmine tea with milk, vanilla and spices. Something comforting about it, kinda transports you to remote part of India, watching people pick tea leaves from a crop. Thank you Mr.Killian for the lovely samples you send thru to me each time you have a new product - makes me feel spoilt ;)

A true tea scent that had gone under the radar for too long! I am very happy that I rediscovered this fragrance today. It reminds me of a hot cup of high grade Genmaicha tea - roasty, smooth, and vegetal. Almost detect delicate licorice. The Jasmine notes aren't cloying as they sometimes can be. Very comforting. Perfect scent for this autumn weather - warm sunny days with cold nights. If I put this on with a cashmere sweater and a pair of boots I'm set!

I never tried the original version. This new version is a smooth floral green tea scent. It smells like jasmine green tea, with a faint smoky note. It is a little soapy. It has at least a micro dose of citrus, somewhere. It is very nice, clean and completely unisex. I would say this is overpriced, it is simple and linear. Projection is intimate, office safe.

I personally feel the the sweet smoothness of the jasmine makes this a more feminine scent. The tea scent is so fresh that it serves as a cool refreshing scent that is perfect for the warmer weather. I am Not into florals at all, but love the refreshing blend that I get from this. Very long lasting and soothing!

It's a realistic jasmine english tea perfume. The opening is very well balanced and it doesn't change for about 30 min, then it starts to become a subtle skin scent. (Maybe the projection is the exactly amount of time to boil the water, make the infusion and drink the tea).

It is just straight up jasmine tea. It is unique enough that it interests me, but I like it for an hour and then I get sick of it. It is very linear and lacking any zing, no reprieve from the sweet softness. It is for me like being stuck in a bed that is too squishy.

this has jasmine all over it...the tea element is mute and only really a background element. the tea itself is quite earthy and and bitter whereas the jasmine is sweet and quite aggressive. a little on the feminine side and too sweet...

It’s not showing up in the “reminds me of” section but one of the reviews for Jasmin de Pays by Perris Monte Carlo says it smells a lot like jasmine tea. If you like this fragrance, you might like that one too.

Nice, simple, clear and light fragrance of Asian Jasmine Green Tea. lo Long lasting. Jasmine is tender and real. Very pleasant and aristocratic. I would buy it for Summer. Can be wearable in office also.

A somewhat candy-sweet jasmine that smells very similar to the way Hongyuan's Jasmine Miracle Candy tastes. This one's nowhere near as indolic as Lush's Lust.

Nice, but my wife and I agree that this is way too feminine for a guy to wear. It's very floral, with some green notes. The tea note is almost nonexistent.

I only found out about this perfume after it was discontinued. So I am very happy to hear that it is coming back in June 2024 in a blue bottle.

This scent is very simple yet natural, it consists of of realistic green tea and jasmine. A very relaxing aroma.

If anyone is interested in this: contact me. I have refill kits for sale BNIB Vintage/ first release 😊

Smells like jasmine green tea. But I find the jasmine gets a bit unpleasant.