Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan

Osmanthe Yunnan is a shape-shifting beauty, just like osmanthus and much like Yunnan as well. This perfume has been a treasure of my collection for nearly a decade and a half, and it's only recently that I finally have some thoughts written about it that I am happy with. Perhaps because it and I are finally at a stage in our relationship where its shape-shifting no longer catches me off guard, I know what it's capable of, and I look forward to seeing what side of its personality I will get this time - as opposed to scratching my head and wondering "where the heck did that come from?" First thing to note is that you cannot experience Osmanthe Yunnan on a blotter. It's never worked on a blotter, it only works on skin. Perhaps that's why the YouTube and online forum fame-sters, glad-handers, and wannabes are impartial to it, vague, or generally just ignore it. It requires time, patience, and attention in ample amounts - something we humans are very unwilling to supply these days. After several attempts on blotters, I've resigned myself to accounting for OY based upon on-skin experience only, and that's fine and as it should be; having a secondary method is an intellectual convenience, but it's not how perfumes are meant to be experienced. Secondly, OY will shape shift its character depending upon how much you spray whereas most perfumes will shift their vocal volumes a lot more than their character (if at all). OY seems to know if that if you spray a little, you want quiet accompaniment like a shadow, spray a lot and you want a partner with a clear personality. These two factors are noticeable from the get-go with a striking tea accord. Spray a little and you'll simply get a faint aldehydic volatility, almost like alcohol evaporation; spray a lot, you'll get a tangible feeling of steam rising up from a fresh brew of woody and rooty tea. Jean-Claude Ellena is no stranger to tea notes. He gave us the OG after all, Bulgari's Au Thé Vert, the tea perfume to launch perfumery into a tea-hunting frenzy that continues to this day (and still hasn't been truly olfactorily captured). ATV was launched in 1993, and OY in 2005. Twelve years seems like a long time, but all of the Hermessence perfumes were launched from 2004 to 2005, and, despite JCE's incredible skills, there's no way he did 12+ perfumes in two years - especially not Hermes' exclusive line. No matter how much Hermes want their perfumes developed quickly from a cost perspective, they wouldn't let JCE rush through their exclusive line, they would want the perfumes to be properly composed and made to stick around and buck trends. Therefore, work on OY likely started a long time prior to its release, and perfumers are not opposed to using old tricks in new perfumes. There are some vague but highly familiar characters in OY's tea notes. This also seems to be where it loses a lot people who smell it. The steam is palpable, the tea is bitter and woody and rooty. To some it smells like perfume alcohols off gassing. I get tea (when I apply the perfume thickly), and to me its striking and intellectually curious. Even when thickly applied, Ellena's signature style is still immutable: lightweight, airy and breathable, a palpable mist hovering over your skin. When the tea dries down a very light freesia aroma on the breeze makes an appearance juxtaposed right next to a leather note. The freesia is minutely sweet, floral, and fruity, and the leather is weird. The leather has a strange, oily, rind zest type quality that is somehow devoid of any citrusy aspects, and there is only the slightest hint of the smoky element that comes from cured animal hides and tanning, almost illusory. Relatively speaking to the rest of perfume's notes, this leather note is dense and fleshy - like a citrus rind - but it never dominates or growls like an animalic leather. In light applications the freesia and leather aren't juxtaposed, rather present as one form like the aroma of someone's new suede jacket as they walk by you. In the perfume's final dry down we are given beautifully smooth, fruity, and sweet apricot and clean soapy musks; spotless, legible, feathery, and just plain pretty. Over the years I've used two perfumes as reference points for every osmanthus perfume I've smelled, The Different Company's Osmanthus, and Osmanthe Yunnan. The Different Company's perfume is osmanthus in a naturalistic state, with each facet of its complex personality dialed up to the same vocal volumes on a level stage; DC's is a literal representation of osmanthus. Osmanthe Yunnan is naturalistic, sure, but not enough to be called so. OY is the spirit of osmanthus, connecting this beloved East Asian flower to the mystical persona of Yunnan: an expertly brewed cup of tea to warm the body and stimulate the mind; the scent of a flower on the breeze as you look upon a temple, and the smell of leather - the human touch in this mystical landscape; fruit and cleanliness, life-sustaining gifts from nature and a cleansed soul. Both The Different Company's Osmanthus and Osmanthe Yunnan were composed by Jean-Claude Ellena. He did DC's in 2000. Funny, that.

Since I started to have a interest in perfumes, I knew Hermès was my favorite house. I love the Jardin line and many others. There is something enigmatic about each of their creations, and even the perfumes I would never wear or buy, I somehow admire. But I'm a person who unfortunately get sick of perfumes very easily, so it's hard for me to finish a bottle (I always buy the 30ml size, but still). Also, I don't like perfumes with sillage, I tend to prefer colognes and edt's and like easy going perfumes. They can be green, citrus, florals, even woody and vanilla I love. I would say I like all "families" of perfumes. BUT I like very, VERY few perfumes. I'm the kind of person who can NEVER blind buy. So I decided to buy a box from Hermès with 4x15ml, from any scent of the brand. I picked up Sur le Toit, Monsieur Li, Jour d'Hermès and... I could not decide for the last one! Then I decided to get one from the Hermessence line, but I didn't like any of them enough to buy. Until Osmanthe Yunnan! I'm in love with this scent. I cannot describe it in notes, but I get the floral, the fruit and the green and the same time. It has a green roughness that I love, but it's still delicate. It's floral, but not in a vintage way. It's fruity, but not sweet. Yet, it has so much PERSONALITY! I've never smelled anything like it, so it's very distinctive. It's not a scent that could be anything, any brand. Yet it's not invasive, not intoxicating, it could be wore by all ages, I believe, but it tends to the feminine side in my opinion. I would also wear it the whole year, it has freshness for summer and depth for winter. Would not recommend blind buying.

Chinese tea houses - the old ones - have a particular scent to them. I think it has to do with the old wood tabletops, chairs and floors that have had tea spilled on them through many years. It also has to do with the people and the variety of fabrics not to mention the variety of tea on display in wooded cubbies. This fragrance doesn't duplicate that smell but it almost suggests it. Which makes my brain fill in the blanks and almost makes it more real than real. I went into a Hermes shop to buy another bottle of Eau D`Orange Verte which I ran out of and ended up walking out with this one too. This was literally love at first sniff as well as being teleported 1200 miles in a milisecond into the past. It is dried white tea fresh and the apricot is beautiful. Nothing artificially sweet about it. It's moist and has a bit of citrus. When you sniff it for the first time you can feel the fuzz on the peach skin just before you take a bite but it's sooo much more. It has this strange acidic milky quality wafting in the background - familiar to anyone who has smelled the evaporating liquid while homemade mozzarella cheese is being made. But, in a super fresh, subtle and silky sort of way. This is a fragrance I wear to transport myself - even for a split second - to a foreign place and time. This is a fragrance that smells so unlike anything else yet conjurers up memories of specific & familiar scents. This is more magic than wearable fragrance to me, although it is absolutely wearable.

The pellucid beauty of Osmanthe Yunnan may elude those who favor bravado to that of nuance in their fragrance. The notes of osmanthus and tea, by their very nature, cannot be bold and highly diffusive. I truly believe any perfumer worth their grain of salt knows that any attempt to give either muscle would collapse the limpid beauty of each, rendering them into something harsh or even grotesque, or, depending upon opposing forces, buried and indiscernible. Be that as it may, Ellena's creation here is full of presence, and his minimalism works to his benefit here. The osmanthus uses the natural absolute with other materials to broaden and exalt the accord, and the tea is a natural pairing—I do love to sip osmanthus tea, with its bittersweet, floral, apricot flavor. There are citrus and herbal facets that come through as well, and hints of that smoky undertone that we come to expect from black tea. I also praise Ellena's restraint with the leather as this transitions into the heart, seamlessly, appearing to use Suederal or something similar in a way that I can appreciate, nuanced and clear. This is a perfect fragrance for a space of reflection or introspection. Apply some of this, write in a journal, read some poetry, or just let your mind meander. If worn for others, having intimate company and your willingness for others to lean in will result in others potentially appreciating it as well.

I would probably never buy this perfume for myself. Or at least that's what I would have said based on these reviews. First off it isn't a perfume that I like note wise. I'm more into woody, deep, rich scents. Also I like perfumes that project and hang around. Once again looking at these reviews, this isn't one of those. Let this be an example to me of changing my mind I was going through a wardrobe and found a big sample of this and another from the collection called santal massoie or something like that...I read about both here, thinking to myself, well this isn't something I'll like, but I'll give it a try. Boy was I wrong... I love this light, bouncy, cheerful tea smell. It's made for either men or woman, and this really seems to go between the two sexes...one minute it's light and flirtatious, the next it's a little smokey and more masculine. It's just really pleasant. And boy does it last! At least on my skin it does. Sprayed two blasts on my chest before bed and woke up the next morning with it still flooding my head. Projection seems mild. At the price this costs, I still probably wouldn't buy a full bottle, but I'm very glad to have found a few millilitres. And I'm also glad to have a perfume that has caused my perception and assumption to vere from reality Scent 8/10 Projection 5/10 Fortitude 8/10...contrary to many reviews here, it lasts well on my skin

This is heartbreakingly gorgeous, and the tea is so genuine, so photorealistic, it feels like I'm cradling a hot cup of golden tip yunnan under an apricot tree. Serene, balanced, inviting, warm - osmanthus blossoms floating in fragrant steam for teatime of the soul. I can honestly forgive the price tag for this one, and I'm planning on saving for the largest bottle I can get my hands on, it's that glorious. Osmanthus/apricot opening, underscored by golden-black swirls of rich, malty black tea, dancing and softening and weaving in and out of perception like sunlight playing on the surface of warm dark wood. Aaron H's comment about tea houses is so spot-on! This perfume really does transport you. The main complaint I see here is regarding longevity and sillage, and to that I say pish posh! I think Osmanthe Yunnan is necessarily intimate and close to the skin. Sometimes it's not about ostentatious fragrance clouds. Although, if that's what you prefer, stick to Tom Ford, and take a gander at THOSE price tags. To each their own! Osmanthe Yunnan is ultimately very refined and tremendously personal, in the same way a cup of tea can be used to enhance one's solitude. Meditative, soft, beyond beautiful. Peace and contentment in a bottle.

Ethereal and meditative scent. Freshly picked tea leaves married with the apricot-like fruity fuzziness of osmanthus. It's as if you were being served coldly iced osmanthus tea that is being brought to you, carried on an antique leather tray. That sulfuric sourness that I associate with most of JCE's leathers is noticeable; it boosts the natural leathery aspect of osmanthus blossoms that were just mere traces in texture to me. As a person who lives near the southern coastal region of North-East Asia, osmanthus is not hard to find near the sea between late October to early December. Those little, orange coloured, delicate flowers give off a pungent, distinctive, stone-fruit-like scent into to night breeze. Compared to the natural flowers, Osmanthe Yunnan gives off an almost aquatic interpretation of osmanthus. Almost like looking into a clear, deep well where an osmanthus tree overshadows, so the fallen leaves and flowers float on the water's surface. It does not project at all and disappears into your daily life very quickly, but lovely while it lasts. You wouldn't want a osmanthus-infused tea service to scream a high pitched shrill note all day. Calming and relaxing à la Hermès.

Exploring my sample of Osmanthe Yunnan for the second time around and I must admit my first attempt at this got an immediate NO WAY and thumbs down. It smelled green and vegetal with a bit of weird citrus zest. It just didn't seem cohesive. I love real osmanthus (my massage spa keeps them in a bowl) Several months later Im trying it again and at first sniff I was still not feeling it but within short order I got this fresh orange zest, not juicy or edible. Next the lovely sweet osmanthus petals appear, quite realistic I might add, sending the orange into the background but not gone. OY continues to evolve and finally the gourmet tea leaves brings it all together into this lovely sweet uniquely fruity-floral tea delight. I dont' get any noticeable leather or freesia. This is not at all like the typical fruity-florals we've all come to expect and many cases enjoy. I can't believe I didn't experience this the first time around but I'm glad I gave it another chance. It now is a LOVE and on my "must have" list.

This opens on a beautiful, juicy, sour-sweet, sort of boozy orange that almost smells Grand Marnier-inspired. The tea is quick to appear: it's herbal and light, and it takes this perfume into a more refreshing direction. The soft leather and jammy apricot round it up and warm it up slightly, so this isn't just another easy-wear summer scent. In my opinion it's that added body that gives the scent its true character. I can't smell freesia or osmanthus specifically, just rich floral notes not unlike what you get in high-quality white teas (which, now that I think of it, also frequently feature apricot in their bouquet). As usual with Ellena, this is a sheer, sparkling scent with a good dose of poise and class. It skews a bit more casual than some of his other perfumes but it's still elegant and refined. This scent won't wear you, but it will make you want to spend these extra ten minutes in front of the mirror so you look as crisp as it smells.

The opening is a mist of sweet orange (the best orange note in perfumery in my experience) and dry, almost dusty osmanthus tea. Unlike many "refreshing" tea scents, this is not iced green with a sprig of mint, this is a steaming pot of golden yunnan whose scent rises in curls from the cup. In the heat it retains more of the juiciness from the orange and apricot notes, while in cold weather it projects more leather and black tea. I actually find it lingers well on clothing, especially on sweaters. It's also a very versatile, quiet, almost introspective scent- great for warm sunny days, comforting on rainy days, and excellent for museums, outdoor walks, or any time you want a calming, earthy scent. While many say this vanishes instantly, I find that it doesn't disappear entirely...rather it fades and then wafts in and out unexpectedly, more like hearing a song in your head than carrying a boombox on your shoulder.

What a lovely osmanthus. This is what I wanted Dries Van Noten Fleur du Mal to be. Don’t be fooled, even though this is a light and airy EDT it still evolves and has complexity. It opened as a light osmanthus/apricot on me. The leather quickly came in and was noticeable for a while (probably for the first hour at least), but it’s not a harsh “car seat” leather, it’s instead like the soft leather of an expensive purse. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure about it at this stage. But as I moved around, I kept getting whiffs of the most delightful apricot. As time passed, the leather and tea blended smoothly with the apricot and enhanced it. I wore this on a sunny spring day and it was a perfect fit. And as for lasting power, I didn’t actually find this to “disappear” on me. While it’s certainly not a powerhouse, I was getting soft whiffs about 4 hours later (I used just 2 sprays). It’s present but stays close to you.

What a glorious perfume! It is the first "tea" scent that I've tried that actually smells like tea but not in a bland way. It opens with a blast of orange tea; really, the smell is delicious, makes you want a cup on a cool night. After an hour, I sense coconut--not in the listed notes--maybe its the osmanthus or the freesia, can't be sure; to me, it's coconut, like a cupcake. After three hours, there is a lovely fusion of fruit and flower. The apricot is prominent at this time, but the orange tea is still there, as is a soft floral. Wow! This is fantastic. I think its unisex, but I'm very old and don't know what young men wear these days--in my youth, it was that gag-worthy English Leather. Anyway, I wish I could afford a big bottle of this. Can't, so I'll get samples from Surrender to Chance. Right now, I can't tell about sillage or longevity, but at 3 hours, it is going strong.

I love this scent because it is exactly its name: true osmanthus flower (imagine fully ripe apricots soaked in booze for 3 months, minus the alcohol smell) plus a not-too-dark black tea note. Doesn't smell like anything else I've tried. Unique, without being weird. As I've found with other Jean-Claude Ellena creations, it's so balanced and blended that my nose gets intrigued--I keep trying to sniff deeper into the fragrance to find the bottom! For the better part of the year, this "bottomlessness" made the scent seem to be missing something...a strength or gusto I kept wishing were there but couldn't find. Then I finally wore it on a very warm summer day. Oh, it just bloomed and bloomed so beautifully! It's NOT a fall scent as I had always thought it was. Osmanthe Yunnan really needs well-warmed skin to bloom properly. I will never waste it on a cool day again!

How to describe this beauty? I can't do this fragrance justice. Gorgeous. Instant love. It's creamy suede and juicy apricot beautifully blended on soft floral tea. There is nothing synthetic, screechy, cloying, soapy or headachy about it. Instead it's like the antithesis to all those things. It makes me think of afternoons in summer when the light is a golden warm caress and you feel uplifted mixed with a longing for the beauty of the moment to never end. My one wish would be for this to project; it is long lasting but only as a skin scent. I find delicious creamy leather fruit wafts coming from my hair and my clothing even after 24 hours but someone would have to bury their face in my hair to smell it. In hot weather it projects slightly more. This has been my signature scent for 9 years. It instantly makes me feel golden and uplifted, feminine and delicious.

Oh, mmmmmmm...... Such a sophisticated skin scent (no sillage). It opens with some very sharp citrus (smells like bergamot on my skin). It softens considerably although the fruitiness remains, with the apricot mixing with osmanthus. The osmanthus is quite subtle in this one. I'm shocked that the leather note is so beautiful. It's very, very subtle but definitely adds some warmth and a bit of zing. It completely eliminates the sweetness from the fruit notes, making this a warm yet 'sparkling' scent. Overall, it's gorgeous! However this is quite subtle and 'sheer'. Is it worth the price? If you love fruity floral skin scents, and if you like exclusive scents, then yes - but beware that the lasting power isn't great, and as noted by Mals86 you need to use a fair amount to really smell it.

Just Lovely Why is this only an EDT? I want this to last all day long because it smells so lovely. This one is just lovely. Like at first sniff, as its initial spray is typical sweet, floral. Love once I let it dry down and wore all day. This is a sweet scent balanced out with tea, fruit, and leather. When it dries down, you get the suede/ leather. The leather is not overpowering though. It is smooth. This one is unique and lovely. Even though it is an EDT, you continue to receive all the notes throughout the wear - sweet, tea, floral, and leather. So lovely and elegant. My first love from Hermes. Very pricey though :(. I will be purchasing just the travel size as this perfume does not sell on the gray market. Signature scent worthy. 10/10

The most beautiful osmanthus perfume I've smelled so far. Like sipping an osmanthus tea and eating apricots with a lovely leather bound book. The leather here is so light but gives the fragrance a grounded, warm quality. It's terribly expensive but so gorgeous and evocative. Like the best of Ellena's work, every note is necessary and not a single note is out of place. There are no excessive flourishes. While I wish it was perhaps a little stronger, I think it is what it has to be. It is a delicate, fragile beauty. It's calming, meditative. It's maybe just for me to put my nose to my wrist and enjoy. Very very discreet sillage but it's long lasting as a skin scent.

We've been having extremely hot weather lately... temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, I wore Osmanthe Yunnan last week in such weather. I leave for work at 5 am and get home around 8:30 pm. When I was coming home, I got in an elevator and was noticing the most beautiful smell. I didn't think anything about it until I got on a subway train and could still smell it. Anyway, contrary to what I had thought, the fragrance lasted longer than 12 hours... and in the heat it just radiated. If you think it is too light and doesn't last, give it another go in warmer weather. My opinion completely changed from "nice" to "gorgeous"! It also works well on a man like me!

I wore this again yesterday after almost a year away from it. I remembered enjoying it and also being frustrated at not smelling the tea note I had hoped for. But yesterday, hurray, there it was!! This is truly a delicate scent, and after a winter of ambers and incenses I have to adjust my nose a bit for it... but once I did I realized I had the most gorgeous veil of osmanthus, citrus, and tea whispering at me for almost 7 hours. I love it much more than I did last year, and if it weren't for the high price I would be running out to buy a bottle (I still might have to someday). Exquisite, gossamer, peach-colored silk of a fragrance. Wonderful.

the only perfumes i have worn that have elicited positive comments from others are apres l'ondee and osmanthus yunnan. both of these fragrances are very light and we may not be able to smell them, but the people in our immediate vicinity are less sensitized and can detect the scent. it's about mystery and drawing people in. not pushing them away with a cloud of petrochemical aldehydes. my dive instructor and mentor is a man of few frivolities. not a scent guy at all. yet, he complimented when i wore the two above scents. i trust his judgement. i trusted him with my life underwater and i will trust him on his taste in scent.