Tea for Two

Tea For Two is very simply spicy, smoky, ever-so-slightly-sweet heaven. I have a great deal of personal affection for this fragrance, as it was one of the first niche fragrances I ever tried, way back when I was just a newbie on my fragrance journey. I read somewhere that Tea For Two was very similar to Gucci’s Gucci Pour Homme II, a scent that I owned and loved back in my university days before I was into the whole perfume thing. I discovered that Gucci Pour Homme II and Tea For Two are not all that similar. But I also discovered one of my first fragrance loves. When I got my sample of Tea For Two, I was pretty challenged by it at first. The opening of the fragrance is extremely spicy and even somewhat sharp, and I still think it’s like that today. The note of star anise, just as polarizing a smell as it is a polarizing taste, is very much present. The star anise, combined with all the other spices, tobacco, and the smoky, almost gunpowder-like lapsang souchong tea note, were a bit of a shock to my system. About twenty minutes into a wearing of the fragrance, though, magic starts to happen. The smokiness and sharpness begin to subside, and Tea For Two becomes a lot more mellow. The vanilla and honey serve to soften the rough, harsh edges, taking some of the astringency out of the mix and making the experience a whole lot cozier. The spices and smoke never fully go away, but their frequencies lower and blend seamlessly with the other elements of the fragrance. This really does smell like opening up a box or a tin of holiday spice tea bags, almost bang on. You can imagine this sort of smell wafting through the air as your tea is brewing in a thick, snowman-shaped mug (though the tea-brewing smell is not as authentically captured here as it is in Masque Milano’s Russian Tea), a plate of gingerbread cookies off to one side. However, by no means does this smell like a candle or holiday room spray. The blending, like in all L’Artisan fragrances in my experience, is superb. If you look at the note list, you might imagine that Tea For Two is a dense, heavy sort of fragrance that might quickly become overbearing, but it’s really not that at all. There is a light touch, a transparency here that reminds me of Ambre Narguilé from Hermès. That fragrance similarly features a lot of heavy notes like tobacco, cinnamon, incense, and dried fruits, but somehow manages to be airy and effortless at the same time. Tea For Two might open with a spicy, smoky fullisade, but the overall wearing experience is quite comfy and unobtrusive. In short, Tea For Two is a spicy tea lover’s dream. If you are at all a fan of chai, lapsang souchong, rooibos, or any kind of spiced tea, you need to get your mitts on this one right here. Performance is perfect, just what it should be: long-lasting with intimate projection and sillage. It's a beautiful, cozy experience for yourself and for anyone who comes into close proximity, but it's not loud at all. For me, personally, it's a 10/10

You are surrounded by a vast emptiness; nothing and no one can be seen or sensed. You can feel the air come alive, little by little, it sings. You close your eyes in anticipation - the air sparks with blistering life. Bolts rain from the heavens in a delicate dance around your vulnerable flesh. Rain falls in sighs of relief as you are left breathless in the heart of this wonder. Honey gold bolts strike in tandem with velvet purple arcs - the air is flush with the singe of smoked honeyed tobacco. Their tandem is met with emerald arching across the sky, thier smoked tea note tingles in your lungs. Despite the inherent danger, you crack a smile as if you were nestled safely in the arms of your love - nothing can harm you here. The storm settles and the earth glows in a gingered ash lying over the thick, leathery earth - you begin to waltz through the ash and the thick vanilla mist that dampens the air. The music in your head swells and quiets in some unseen rhythm - life is beautiful for this moment. Day 102 - Electrify me Listening to: London Grammar - Hey Now Notes: I have the second most recent formulation...and I do believe it is different from the original. However, it is still a beautiful experience despite the inflated vanillin note in the base (it's not bad but it reminds me of many candy vanilla candles and scents). The fume opens with a gorgeous smoked tea and pepper mashed in with a dusty cinnamon and burning tobacco all accented by the unassuming yet pervasive smokiness of guaiac wood. These notes linger for a few hours while picking up a sweet ginger/bread note and the ever growing sweetness of vanillin contrasted with a soft, powdered honey and leather. The whole composition is laced with the smoked wood/tea accord which lasts throughout its 10 to 12 hour life. This is a beautiful and delightfully smoky scent that is sure to please the ladies and gents as it can easily play toward the sweet or the woody notes.

My second L’artisan (I also own and reviewed Couleur Vanille). A very bold and unique perfume - truely an olfactory journey. It conjures up images of dark smoke filled dens, off crowded market alleyways, with tea being sipped amongst the cloth bags filled with spices of the orient. The tea is upfront and makes no apologies about it. To me it is like a Chinese black tea, but the subtle bergamot pulls it back a little to Earl Grey style tea. Maybe the tea is a mix of them both. Star anise follows for me, and then it’s the cinnamon lead rich oriental style mixed spices. Ginger plays softly in the background, popping up only time to time, but always there in the background keeping the balance fresh. Once the perfume dries down, the smoky undertones can fully be appreciated. I get a lot of tobacco and some vanilla, but not really leather / honey as per the perfume notes pyramid above. Possibly they are there in the background. I support people describing this as a chai tea fragrance. The spice mix is very chai, at least to begin with. I can say that one small sample spray on the wrist is not enough. Wear this to test with 4 plus good sprays from a full bottle (not a sample bottle) - then and only then will you appreciate how dark and smoky this tea perfume is. After a few hours the spices mellow to sleep, and this really is a dark, mysterious, smoky black tea and tobacco scent. This is an autumn and winter superstar for me. Could wear at the office. Probably not good for going out for dinner. Great at home in front of the fire. Afternoon autumn / winter walks (it will keep you warm). Wouldn’t wear in summer time I don’t think. Down the middle unisex. High quality as expected from this house. I suppose this is a gourmand? About as far as you can get from Jo Malone earl grey and cucumber! Less versatile than some, but more interesting than most. Test for a day before buying. Thrilled with this purchase.

LOVE this. Seasonally speaking, this one reminds me of late Winter. The weather is still cool but not frigid. Looking out a window on a rainy day, tea in hand, onto a garden on where branches are still bare, but you can see the buds just beginning to form. ON ME, I get the following notes in order of prominence: sweet, then tea, then smoke, then spice--emphasis on the *me* part, because I've seen the notes listed in varying configurations in other reviews. Isn't body chemistry fascinating? I even noticed a slight variation in notes between my Left and Right wrists. (I like it better on my Left, lol.) On to the notes: (1) SWEET - mostly honey-sweet on me, which I actually love. (2) TEA - citrus-y black tea notes. Definitely an Early Grey vibe, as I can smell the bergamot. (3) SMOKE - this was the only note on me that I was not super fond of. I was hoping for a lapsang souchong, and ended up with more of a stale-cigarette-smoke-lingering-on-clothes kind of deal, though I suspect that this effect was just something interacting in a wonky way w/ my own chemistry. Luckily the strong cigarette thing mellowed out after a while to become more pleasingly smoky. (4) (warm) SPICE - I was hoping to have this note more prominent, as I love spicy scents. On me the spices just *whispered,* but the effect was still lovely. I could not smell the ginger and anise detected by others, but that could just be because my nose is not as sophisticated as ya'll'ses noses. I smelled clove most strongly, followed by vanilla. Overall: 4.75/5. Love love love, and SO bummed this has been discontinued.

I am reminded of a malty, sweet, smoky cup of Russian Caravan with a dollop of honey when wearing Tea for Two. Russian Caravan is is a blend of oolong, keemun, and lapsang souchong teas. Its name originates from the 18th century camel caravans that facilitated the transcontinental tea trade, from tea-producing areas to Russia. I first recall learning of Russian Caravan from purchasing the Twinings brand blend several years ago while perusing the various teas at Cardullo's in Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA. Much like Russian Caravan, Tea for Two is mellow and subtle. It is no statement fragrance, but it is no gossamer milquetoast that must be detected by burying one's nares to their wrist, at least for the first five or so hours. In the heart, its as if tea has been served with some gingerbread and spiced cookies, which reminds me of how much I love to dip cookies and biscuits into a hot cup of tea. However, there is nothing overly sweet about the experience at all, as the further into the dry down we go, tea leaves merge into tobacco leaves and the experience is drier, with elusive wafts. While outside, Tea for Two seems to augment rather than overpower the natural scents of my surroundings—which was especially nice on this autumn morning.