Tea

Yesterday I was feeling somewhat inspired to hit the local rack stores after watching Ross on TLTG talking about having found Dark Cherry & Amber, as well as Tobacco & Tonka from Banana Republic’s Icon Collection at a Burlington location. I had been unsuccessful at finding the Dark Cherry & Amber so I figured why not? It had been a while since I’d been out looking for finds in the wild. After finding the ever elusive Dark Cherry & Amber and adding that along with Metal Rain and Gardenia & Cardamom to my collection, I figured why not hit the TJX stores while I’m out? I’ve been watching their apps and have seen new niche selections added and sold out pretty regularly so why not give it a go? I’ve got to say I’m quite thrilled to have found this at TJ Maxx for $34.99! So excited was I that I completely forgot to use my $20 in rewards or it would have been $14.99 before sales tax. This is a really outstanding fragrance imho. Initially I was confused as I’ve seen that there are 2 iterations of Tea by Commodity - one that is a women’s frag and one that is unisex. Luckily after inspecting the notes, I saw that it was the unisex. This smells magnificent. I don’t have much in the way Commodity offerings, just this and Vetiver (which was also a TJ Maxx find several months ago. I don’t have much to offer in the way of a review, and certainly not much likelihood I could add something not already relayed by others below. This is just an initial reaction posting. I would def recommend, and heck for the price, I would say this is a safe blind purchase. I see someone else felt some connection / similarity to Vetiver and I caught that same vibe. Not sure if that’s generally thematic of a “Commodity DNA” that resonates through their line, or several of their releases. I’m not sure if this one came from the original line of fragrances or if this came after the relaunch and/or where on the timeline of this house this falls comparative to the women’s Tea. There is no date on fragrantica with respect to when this was released and I wasn’t able to locate it on their website or any other sources online (though I’ll admit I didn’t look too hard). All in all, a great fragrance. Can still pick up hits of it from having sprayed it about 16 hours ago. Great fragrance, and at the price point, couldn’t imagine nearing being disappointed even if I didn’t fancy it so much on first sniff.

A phenomenal creation. While I’m aware there are currently 2 interpretations of Tea circulating, I was biting my knuckles hoping that the one I will receive will be the Oolong version, and lo and behold my prayers were answered. This was the last sample in my Commodity discovery set, and they truly saved the best for last (I unlike most, was impressed by neither the powdery Gold nor the pickle-juice Book). Tea is masterfully blended, it comprises a palatable quality in which you can actually identify the individual notes; sweet (albeit low-key) tobacco, honey-glazed fruit brewing in a warm cup of oolong, and even the basil adds a unique, slightly herbal and masculine touch. Sweet and spicy, sharing some DNA with Vetiver by the same house. It is definitely uniquely unisex, and I could not be happier that rose does not steal the spotlight here. Despite being sufficient on its own, it’s friendly for layering, either with other Commodity scents like Vetiver or Nectar, or my go-to BR540 Extrait. I truly hope when Commodity restart their production in full gear, they will retain this gem. Besides the mid-level longevity and sillage, I have no reservations about this signature scent-worthy juice. And because it is more soothing than invigorating, Tea speaks leisure, not business. 9/10

Like several of you, I found this at TJ Maxx and snatched it up with hope. As as coincidence I had been looking for a non-minty tea scent for quite a while. This did not disappoint. It's literally like sitting on an outdoor patio bistro, enjoying a cup of tea with a touch of honey added to it, a basil leaf is floating in it, and someone is smoking a pipe around the corner. The oolong and honey dominate, yet all of the notes are subtle and perfectly blended. The dry down is still true to the initial spray with even the orange lingering but absolutely not overpowering anything at any time. Commodity did really well with this one. I own nearly 150 bottles of perfume and this is currently in my top 5. It's office safe, friendly, and sits close unless oversprayed. Get a cup, I mean, a bottle and relax.....

Saw this at TJ MAXX today...$24.99. I grabbed it. This is actually a very nice surprise to me. Citrus/honey/herbal /tea opening....then mid-way thru I get the basil/patch vibes followed by a dry tobacco/powder...and a touch of "soapy". The dry down is musky/cashmere vibe with the citrus/honey still wafting around. Performance is pretty good, as I was expecting it to become a total skin scent, to be honest. And...hmmmmm....???....I somehow "get" the Dior Sauvage-ish touches with this. (?) A nice "everyday" type scent....but it is not,IMO, a typical freshie . The aromatic/herbal/tea vibes do shine thru. Pretty good !

Norell II is an obscure vintage fragrance that has not yet been added to the Fragrantica database. (Edit: I just noticed as of September 2023 it is now in the database.) The first time I smelled this latest iteration of Tea: I immediately thought about Norell II, a gem with honey and herbal (tea) leather effects. My mom had a bottle. Even way back then I thought it was incredible. When I used a bit of my 10 ml Tea today, I had the same reaction. More than nostalgia, THIS specific (most recent) iteration of Tea is a gem that the new owners of Commodity should consider bringing back.