Bohea Bohème

Heavenly. Smoky tea ecstasy which makes me go weak at the knees and sigh with honest, instant, extreme pleasure. The herbal-green colour of the juice and mention of bay & box (two leaves which often give me headaches) frightened me off but I should have been braver, and more loyal, to one of my first great loves, the house of Mona di Orio. For this is true tea for grown-up sophisticates, wisps of really punchy woody stuff and smoke beneath the ethereal herbal wafts of the tea, everything suffused with real, natural, organic life. Makes you feel truly alive, and outside in some wonderful landscape with every breeze bringing you a different wave of aromas from the plants all around. Somehow, despite all the smouldering fires in its imaginary landscape, you can also smell hints of dewy leaves and rain clouds coming too. It's endlessly interesting, keeps my nose glued to the wrist. A longterm want, confirmed in the most conclusive way the second I got a droplet of this precious stuff onto my own body. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Performance, sadly, does not match up to the beauty of the smell itself - longevity is just not great, it's pretty wispy by 3h in and almost completely lost 4-5h after application, which is really sad. Its projection is extremely discreet, but that doesn't bother me half so much, as this thing is all about restraint and classiness - a big blowsy cloud and assertive trail wouldn't be in keeping with its mood. So, so beautiful despite these weaknesses. ETA: one of very, very *very* few things I've ever shelled out full retail price for without regrets, because it's so truly unique. On further wearing, there's a weird twist to its performance: from 4-6h after application you may feel it's disappeared entirely, BUT, sniff deeply enough at your skin and there will still be some surprisingly strong, lingering smoky notes there. It's stronger than first impressions might suggest. (And maybe I just wasn't applying enough, as I wanted to preserve every gorgeous drop ... it might do better if sprayed on extravagantly at first, or with a second coating a few hours in.)

This fragrance is highly controversial to me. There are some pros as well as cons. First of all, it smells the different way it is described by the company. This is not a tea fragrance (at least for me), but an ordinary tobacco scent, or spicy citrusy tobacco. Second, Bohea Boheme doesn't smell really unique or distinct. Third, it gives zero projection and stays very close to skin. However, I must say the fragrance is well done. It starts off with a spicy note of cardamom and old leather, then turning into citrusy tobacco (the second stage is close to Olfactive Studio Still Life) and ambery tobacco in the dry down (this way it is similar to watered down Tom Ford Tobacco Oud and most of perfumes with that tobacco accord). I do like to wear Bohea Boheme, the quality of components is high. The longevity is above average though nobody will notice it unless you make 10 sprays. Is it bottle worthy? No. Is it for tea lovers? No. Is it for tobacco lovers? Maybe. Is it for casual wearing? Yes, if you like inoffensive scents with a niche vibe and quality.

My favorite perfume of all I've tried. Opens up fresh and quite strong with a slight menthol vibe, probably from the cardamom. The cardamom is followed immediatly by fir and juniper and smokey tea. The longer it's on, the softer it becomes until it's a bit sweeter and woodsier with more bayleaf. If Gypsy Water is being in a lukewarm sauna surrounded by some vanilla and citrus, this is like being in a boiling hot sauna surrounded by aromatics and smoking fir. Love that this is wood and incense without smelling like a dusty wood cabin with tar paint. More like being outside a cabin an autumn morning, clearing the pine brush and making a bonfire while drinking tea. This is how i want to smell when I'm not in a formal setting. Longevity and sillage is not great unfortunately. I can spray 4-5 sprays but it will not radiate after 2 hours, although some wafts of it from the clothes (especially if warm or working out) are wonderful. 100% worth it anyway, just for sniffing it every other day.

WOW! Amazing aromatic, dark and mysterious. It leans towards the masculine but if you like strong aromatics then it should be winner. Spicey and aromatic that seem to sum this up perfectly. Its got some of my favourite notes of spices, herbs, smoke, lots of tea with a spoonful of honey. It reminds me of the lovely fragrances made by Ellen Covey of Olympic Orchids such as Javanica and Kingston Ferry. Im darned if I can make out any iris in this. In fairness it does have some powerful notes to compete with. I defintely get a burnt wood vibe. It just gets better with time. It softens and evolves, this powerful beast of a fragrance. The elemis comes more to the fore as it finally closes. Big sillage and long longevity.

The most gorgeous tea perfume! I'm with shuskin - WOW! Misty smoke rises from tea fields, surrounded by resinous woods, pollinated by dew-drenched bees. MdO perfectly describes it as a complex aroma. There are so many nuances that I can't pick them all out. A tiny hint of medicinal plants, a puff of powdery comfort, a distant floral sighting. All noticeable as the tea mists thin and thicken. And the tea - brilliant. My new favorite tea scent by far.

This is the most beautiful thing in the history of the world..... I paid an exorbitant amount of money for mine bc the resellers are demons. I can’t believe I let that woman do that to me but whenever I smell this I understand why. It was worth it all. Fedrik I need you to recreate this somewhere else please I beg of you

i have always seen people refer to certain herbal notes as “medicinal,” but i never personally experienced this phenomenon until i was introduced to bohea boheme. i originally smelled this in 2021 and couldn’t stand it; it was too smoky and dark. after years of dabbling in the perfume world and familiarizing my nose with greener realms, this is actually quite nice. after the fleeting medicinal opening fades, you’re left with an abrupt, humid smoke that transitions into a pleasant black tea. in my opinion, the tea can be compared to tea for two. also, there’s some kind of semi-sweet, dewy floral element that reminds me of geranium, not sure if geranium is listed in the notes, but it smells like a sweeter, more watery rose, which i’m personally not a fan of, though it works here. the drydown is more wearable and mellow compared to the opening, and on skin it transforms significantly, but the core composition stays loyal to mdo dna. and yes, i believe MdO has this sandalwoody, cardamomy, powdery DNA, except this one is not overly powdery. overall, if you’re not afraid to try greenery or smoke, this is for you.

I absolutely adore MdO Cuir, it is a sublime mix of leather and smoky cade that is so complex and yet elegant in its delivery. The Bohea Boheme therefore I was really looking forward to as an avid tea scent lover but I find I am quite disappointed overall. This isn't really a tea focused scent it is a smoky herbal scent with touches of fir and tea. You get the cardamom and bay leaf here quite noticeably with a bit of the fir and tea, then I imagine it is cade giving off that smoky quality. It also has a clean musky tone to the fragrance that I can't pin where it is coming from, maybe the noted iris or poplar. Don't get me wrong this does not smell bad but if you are after a tea fragrance I would take L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea for Two over this any day if you want a smoky black tea and quite a few others like Annick Goutal Duel, House of Oud The Time, Heeley Menthe Fraiche or even Bvlgari Homme Soir for a selection of non smoky greener varieties.

I think many of us love a "medicinal" vibe in a perfume now and then; I definitely do. To me this is a dark tea scent with almost eye-watering camphoraceous/menthol top notes (similar to Esprit du Tigre). The medicinal effect wears off over time, and I then start to pick up the cardamom, beeswax, bergamote and other notes. After an hour, I can see a family resemblance with Tea for Two. Not twins for sure, but certainly a distant moody cousin. I really enjoy this when I'm in the right mood for it. It's not a glamorous scent; it's not really a comforting scent; in fact, it's not a "happy" scent at all. But I like it. But then I also enjoy the smell of my dentist's rubber gloves and the antiseptic alcohol swabs the nurse uses before sticking the needle into my arm. It's a scent that seems to say "Just sit back and try to relax, you're in good hands. Can we bring you a cup of black tea?"

My immediate impression was that I somehow wandered near the wreath aisles of a craft store before the cinnamon brooms come out. After that initial blast I get cardamom, a hint of chamomile and beeswax, and some SERIOUS smoke. Woods are up next with a little bit of spicy geranium. When the amber peeks out, it is actually quite nutty like the copy mentions, and hangs around with some warm vanilla. Overall it is a very rich, full scent. But is has absolutely *none* of the delicious vegetal goodness that is oolong in either it's dry or steeped form, which is what I was frothing at the mouth to get my hands on. I get no tea at all. Not a teensy weensy bit.

Smoke and resin dream. Bohea Boheme starts with Oolong - a smoked black tea, with honey-sweet tangerines (fruity sweetness from osmanthus). Then it moves to the deep, calming, smooth resinous base. I can smell some cool/minty wood, like I am breathing in the steam of a cup of Chamomile tea, which makes the scent lighter and balances the smokiness. As an East Asian I wouldn't say this is very true to the smell of real Oolong tea, but rather a great perfume with tea element done with western aesthetic. I enjoy wearing it. Only downside is the performance, you need to reapply for the scent to last on the skin.

If you've ever touched poplar buds, the sticky ones that fall in the spring, they end up on the bottoms of your feet, and tracked into your house... then you know how this smells. I detected something familiar and thought ok it's tea or bay leaf, but nope I came here to look at the notes and poplar buds, yes! Smells like a spring night, stormy, you have a black tea, the windows are open and you can smell the conifers blowing in the breeze outside along with whisps of smoke coming from the woodstove.

This just stays tea for me. Like smelling an unused teabag/fresh tea of an expensive, Asian tea. My girlfriend smells something sweet as well, but I can hardly detect it myself. This tea smell is quite nice, but I wouldn't know why you'd want to wear it on the skin. I'd rather smell fresh tea, if I'd want to smell tea. Tea. Tea. Tea.

The oolong is very clear for the first few minutes. Immediately dissipates to a slightly sweet powder scent. Ambery notes comes through with time on the skin. A nice experience, not for me to buy a full size.

I thought Lothair Penhaligon's was the best tea scent I've ever smelled until I sampled Bohea Boheme. Smells like tea made from a campfire. BB is gorgeous! That said, I can't find many places to wear my sample other than for my own enjoyment. -

This is Horrible. Thank god for samples.

The opening of Bohea Boheme reminds me of Antonion Gardoni's perfumes Maai and T-Rex; camphorous bacon. It is not a combo I enjoy. In Gardoni's perfumes it is the union of cade oil and tuberose that creates that effect. Here it is cade oil or birch tar combined with loud, abrasive notes that lean more coniferous than floral. I am quite adventurous when it comes to perfumes but this is one accord that literally turns my stomach. Thankfully this is only the opening act. From there the perfume veres into more common synthetic "tea" territory which is a comparatively less viceral dislike. On a positive note, this perfume is not boring and there will likely be those who love it. It is good to experience what we dont like in life. It gives life color and makes what we love even more beautiful to us.

Have you ever tried a labeled sample that you instantly knew was something else? My first 'misnomer' was D&G Light Blue, which was really D&G Femme' and didn't remind me of any kind of blue, but I loved it enough to buy a FB of Light Blue. Was I disappointed ! Then Andy Tauer's sample of Sotto la Lune Tuberose was definitely gardenia- I'd wised up by then and bought a FB of Tauer's SlLG - BLISS! I ordered a sample of Bohea Boheme and choked at my first sniff - lethal menthol, overripe raspberries and cherry cough syrup. I don't want to know the name of the fragrance labeled Bohea Boheme, but I'll definitely try another sample from another source. Opening a fresh box of tea is one of life's greatest pleasures!

Fava Beans hit the nail on the head with their one-sentence review for the opening of Bohea Boheme and SmellMyCheese nailed the dry down in saying that it gives a nod to l'Artisan's Tea for Two. Many perfumistas who are familiar with Caron's Nuit de Noel always make reference to that perfume around Christmas time as evoking the smell of Christmas for them (I don't see it myself, but I can understand how others may). Well, if Nuit de Noel evokes a "traditional" Christmas, I'd say that Bohea Boheme is the scent of Bizarro World Christmas.

Blind bought a bottle. No regrets. It unfolds like a loose leaf tea after spray. It's beautifully written on skin like a poem. Honestly to review would read just like the statement above on the site description. Which has never really happened before when I read and smell. It's wet, barely green, and smells what I imagine is a satin tea field if that could exist. I'm in love, but I'm biased toward MdO.

Tea is an iffy note on me. This is yet another tea fragrance that doesn't work with my skin chemistry. For all the lovely listed notes, I only smell a plastic/vinyl tablecloth on an old cedar wood picnic table. Dry down brings more of a peppery wood with some resin notes, but that plastic vibe lasts the whole time. Tea can come across like plastic on me, and this is loudly so. Just doesn't work for me

I haven't tried all of the MdO lineup, but I do love Vanille, Oudh Osmanthus, and Musc. Perhaps this particular fragrance is just not my style, but I didn't like it. I got musty tea and then a nondescript woody ambery scent that was too masculine for my taste. Seemed nicely blended and you can just tell there's quality there -- but it did not inspire me.

Cardamom & smoke with doses of pepper. The tea comes up as the combination of the above only and it's not shown clearly. As it calms down it settles into something balanced for a while! it's like a burned tea leaf with a hint of sweet. It turns all as burning ingredients with balsamic & bay leaf. Quite new to Mona Di Orio style.

I love this and their Santal Nabatea, very sophisticated regale ambers, nothing foodie about them .. but they are pretty weak in projection, any recommendations on similar styles that actually project?

the official notes: Black tea oil, Florentine Iris, Blue Chamomile, Poplar Bud Absolute, Fir Balsam Fraction, Smoked Juniper, Oakwood absolute, Beeswax Absolute

Quick sniff. Black tea in a bottle , the most authentic black tea note in the game. for all the black tea heads out there a call out !!. Cheers.

Bitter dark tea leaves that softens as it dries down. IG: eatandsmellgood