Blue Tea

I had the opportunity to hear perfumer Stephen Dirkes discuss Blue Tea during a Sniffapalooza event the other night. Before that presentation, the fragrance hadn't even been on my radar. On my skin, the opening immediately suggested a boozy rum butter cake accord, though that impression was fleeting. Within minutes, it transitioned into a beautiful floral heart where jasmine and gardenia took center stage. I was testing the fragrance outdoors in relatively strong winds, and every gust seemed to carry waves of the white florals around me. Throughout the wear, the lemongrass remained surprisingly prominent, providing a bright, citrusy backbone that kept the composition balanced and prevented the sweeter notes from becoming overly rich for me. The true highlight for me was the dry down. It instantly reminded me of the dry down of Kilian's Sacred Wood with its creamy cedarwood accord dusted with nutmeg and clove that evokes freshly cut cedar bark. The resemblance was striking enough that I applied Sacred Wood to my opposite arm for a side-by-side comparison. While they are certainly different fragrances overall, the character of the late dry downs shared a remarkably similar creamy, spicy woodiness. Also reminds me slightly of Jorum's Aborist in the dry down. Performance was equally impressive. I applied Blue Tea around 5:00 p.m. at the beginning of the online class, and by midnight the fragrance was still projecting its warm, woody base with little sign of fading. It was the lingering dry down, more than the opening or heart, that ultimately made the strongest impression on me. Edited to add this is small bottle worthy to add to my collection. I'm also curious to test their Suédois next! Listening to the perfumer discuss this fragrance sparked my interest. My neurodivergent brain keeps pronouncing it "Sussudio" as in Phil Collins' Suédois Sussudio. Edited again to add the perfumer, Stephen Dirkes, was engaging, charismatic, and highly entertaining. I believe he also offers perfumery workshops, and based on my experience, I would likely participate in future sessions. His enthusiasm and expertise made the Sniffapalooza event especially enjoyable.