Black Tea

Black Tea is not a photorealistic cup of black tea, nor its tea leaves. Let’s get that out of the way. This is an impression, through and through. Here the tea notes has wandered through spice cupboards, lacquered teak, dried fruit, and smoked on suede couches. Make no mistake, the tea is there—just abstracted. The cinnamon stands out to me most. The spice gives it the warmth and dry red-brown glow it its edges. Osmanthus, powdered amongst aldehydes, glides in with a subtle dried apricot. tenderness. The scent emerges floral, fruity, leathery, all at once. Imagine pruned, amber-toned fruits, resinous and dark, not juicy exactly but stained, left in a wooden cabinet with sparse crumbs of spiced pie and warm library books. On paper, I'd think this should be heavy. Smoke, spice, dried fruit, resin, wood. But, oh, it appears not. There is air threaded through everything. Maybe hedione, maybe sheer musks, maybe some clever transparent woody material doing quiet structural work in the background. Whatever it is, it keeps the darker notes from collapsing into one sticky-stale brown mass. The smoke rises while the fruit deepens. The cinnamon glows while the tea absorbs. The room is shadowy, but the air is fresh. Ethereal is not a word I usually give to cinnamon and suede. But here we are.

Incredible, vibrant cinnamon and tea. Sexy, a bit daring and sweet. High quality niche perfumery.

If I smelled this in the air, I would think that someone was drinking some sort of delicious sweet, spiced tea. Might end up getting the travel sized version of this one.

I had high hopes for this one... Unfortunately it's not as much like black tea as I had hoped for. It makes me think of buttered white bread.

delectable fruity-cinnamon aroma. Spiced apricots, berries, mild amber elements, and a bit of a fresh-earthy vibe. Soon it develops a bit of a smokey, leathery tone that I like. It's nice, but I'm reminded of some other cinnamon ambers like Essential Parfums' Divine Vanille and left wondering if it's really that worth it. I do enjoy it though. Will have to give it a full wear to see if it stands out much. It's ambery-y but is well balanced towards the fruity-earth facets, again keeping the focus (according to the brand) on a few key ingredients. edit: the aldehydes lend a sharpness that blends with the tannic, bitter tea elements really well. I no longer think it's much similar to Divine Vanille, but it does have that osmanthus-amber nuance. I'm actually now putting this near the top of my favorites from this line, as it has some staying power and I'm really drawn to the unique woody tea aroma that develops. It's actually kind of a dark scent, but it's not imposing and the sharpness lends a vertical dimension that feels fresh and sophisticated.