Qi

Clean and serene. Beautifully balanced and with surprising inner strength. Like a delicate weeping willow tree with a robust, rigid trunk. Truly lovely, and less fragile than I feared. A win! (As it should be for OJ's high prices). Was expecting to be a bit underwhelmed by this, or frustrated by too-light performance, but not at all. Yes, it's all light and fresh and airy, with gorgeous lemony sparkles of blossom and citrus, with true, real, green tea ... familiar, but in a classier form than you'd usually meet ... and even though it teeters on the brink of disappearing ... it clings and carries on wreathing you in light wafts of scent. It lasts! This willowy wispy thing lasts! Amazing! I'd sprayed medium-generously - maybe about half a ml? - and this somehow survived 6-7h. Better yet, it's not even just an exceptionally classy citrus-tea deal: the mate and moss and osmanthus give it little extra tickles of vegetal almost-bitterness, near-pepperiness, which seem to magically buoy up those delicate citrus notes and even stretch them a little longer, as well as adding interest. Clean and crisp and dry, but much more complex and intriguing than expected. Somehow really does take you outside, among plants - close your eyes and you're in a contemplative garden. Really and truly a class act, and this sort of light-green-citrus-watercolour style has to work very hard for me to like. (My home turf is clashing loud spicy darkness, not light natural Buddhist calm... but I still get a whole lot of balance and happiness from Qi.) Seems true unisex to me but some might feel it skews feminine. Painfully costly at RRP. Try if you dare, it might end up as an expensive love affair...

Something about this one stands out from other tea fragrances. It's delicate but not in a boring or airy kind of way, transparent and light with a subtle depth. The mate tea gives it a slight dry and bitter after taste, where freesia and musk smooths it out. Osmanthus seems to add a pretty vibe to it, in a picture perfect kind of way, mixing with the lemon blossom that gives it this muted zesty kick (which also smells like olives in a way). Qi is incredibly uplifting, less so in an energetic rush than a soothing zen form. I'm picturing a light green garden filled with a good mixture of different plants and flowers, sun shining bright on a spring day just giving it enough warmth through the cool weather. Twinkling lights and pure white decorations surround the area with hints of sparkles everywhere, and the bride in a simple yet elegantly flowing white dress walks into the garden wedding. Qi is the kind of perfume I would want to recommend to someone looking for a wedding scent that is not too heady, or cloying, or traditionally floral, and seeking for something light and different that creates just the greatest "mellow feel good" day. It's nothing too flashy, so it's great for general every day wear as well. I appreciate all the great work from Ormonde Jayne :)

Beautiful light tea scent with decent lasting power but very weak sillage. So if you do not mind to sniff it here and there on yourself, when you come close with your nose and love tea, this is your scent. + very work / office appropriate especially iin summer + refreshing but not sharp citrusy + gorgeous tea scent, very light and feminine - rather weak musk scent, which is good, if you do not like musk. for my personal taste it could have been slightly muskier. - sillage is weak. this is nice, if want others to think you do not wear perfume - therefore, too expensive for what it is another nice option would be Nishane Wulong Cha. It only comes in 50ml für roughly 200 CHF / 160 EUR / 200 Dollars. bit more musk and more special opening (fruitier without being sweet)

This is a pretty, zen-like, fruity and fresh tea scent, that smells rather like the entrance to my spa-style gym. I love it for this - it's hugely evocative, even though it's a simple scent. The more I smell it, the more I like it. I get an abundance of tea, freesia and lychee - or at least the impression of. The top is sparkling and juicy, and the heart is warm. I don't love the advertising copy, which says 'makes its mark for those who don’t want to be too obvious but may feel unfinished without it' - as it makes it sound like it's for weak people who need a scent to feel complete. An uplifting scent for yoga bunnies, and not in a bad way.

I have the OG, not intensivo. Qi feels like sunlight passing through white silk. A tea note rises first—pale, and almost weightless—then a soft osmanthus‐like glow warms the edges without ever tipping into apricot or sweetness. Everything stays sheer, and breathable. It’s the kind of fragrance that doesn’t announce itself so much as settle the air around you. If Bvlgari white tea and Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan had a quieter, more meditative sibling, Qi would be it. It’s elegant.

A sophisticated summer scent, minus the usual citrus and floral (jasmine) suspects. I find Qi to be a complex tea perfume—with little to no projection—but a scent that stays with me for several hours. Performance is best in warm weather. I like several Ormande Jayne scents but this is the one I bought. Question: what is the difference between this and the Intensivo version?

This a lovely fresh yet sweetish tea based fragrance. The lemon blossom, bright neroli and fruity osmanthus is very noticeable along with tea at first but the osmanthus is sadly fleeting. The pepperiness of the freesia is barely detectable. The blossom is fleeting and quickly you are just left with mate, tea and musk. Nice but thats about it. weak sillage and longevity.

Smells like an high quality oolong tea with fresh jasmine and a splash of citrus. Yes, it is on the feminin side, but as a man I have no problem wearing this in the right context. Its so light (which I like) which make it quite unisex imo. Very happy summer vibes frim this one, it really gets your qi flowing in your body.

That’s a very pretty and fresh osmanthus scent with a prominent tart tea note and lovely citruses. I think it’s a beautiful example of a lighter osmanthus with refreshing aspects. It’s a cheer scent by it projects quite well. In love!!! My ig: scent.guide

Qi – Second impression, six years later. I wrote a short review of Qi back in 2020, describing it simply as “glacé jasmine in green tea.” Revisiting it now through an old travel-size set, I realize my impression has changed quite a bit. The tea note here is much subtler than I remembered. It carries a faint crystalline sweetness, almost like fresh green tea leaves after their third infusion, lightly drizzled with linden honey. The floral nuance does not really remind me of jasmine, nor of the freesia or lemon blossom listed in the notes. Instead, it resembles the blossoms of a camphor tree : airy, delicate, subtly woody, and quietly elegant. What strikes me most today is how understated the fragrance is. Nothing shouts for attention. The composition feels quiet, restrained, and deeply elegant in a very Ormonde Jayne kind of way. I still sense a distant resemblance to Grand Bal by Dior, not so much in the note structure itself, but in the way both fragrances handle airy florals against a soft honeyed backdrop. The difference is that Grand Bal revolves around jasmine, while Qi feels closer to the delicate blossoms of a camphor tree. As the fragrance settles into the drydown, the camphor-blossom nuance slowly disappears, leaving behind mostly a soft linden-honey sweetness. Beautiful as it remains, the composition feels slightly less complete toward the end, as if it loses a bit of its “qi” along the way. Rating: 7/10

Qi is a pleasant fresh floral fragrance with an addicting tea note. It opens initially with lemon blossom which gives the impression of sharp citrus, but has that soft white floral touch. This is combined with gentle neroli and freesia which adds a clean airiness. The tea note is prominent right from the opening too, and is the dominant note throughout the scent. It’s a sweet and addicting tea note which combines very nicely with the osmanthus, hedione and rose. In the base, the tea is made ever so slightly earthy as the mate presents itself, which rests gently on a bed of musk and benzoin. This is one of the better summery freshies from Ormonde Jayne as I find it’s got a bit more character than the others I’ve tried, however it still doesn’t blow me away.

At first spray, very photorealistic lemon blossom. The mate really shines in the beginning with the addition of citrus. It's a sweet, lightly floral + osmanthus tea. Towards the end, the lemon blossom wafts away from my skin and becomes more of a sweet mate + light musk. If I put my nose up to my skin I get a hint of the myrrh (slight bittery-resinous vibe). While pleasant, imo it's a bit too sweet. I wouldn't say this is particularly "fresh", in fact as far as tea fragrances go this one is pretty "solid" and sweet. Leans feminine.

Qi is an interesting perfume. Slightly green, slightly smoky, slightly citrus, slightly floral, slightly earthy. It smells more like something that would be an air freshener at a spa than a perfume, but I like it, nonetheless. Very unisex. Very realistic and natural smelling. At least it doesn't smell like a candle, but I wouldn't call it a perfume either. If you like spa day scents Qi is something to check out.

Somehow, I got slightly tart fig when I wore this. There’s no fig listed in the note pyramid, so either it’s there but not accounted for, or it’s just how some of the notes happen to come together on my skin. It makes me think of a lighter Indigo by Nest, which is nice, but for the price they want for this I’d rather buy a big bottle of Indigo and just layer a bit of a citrus-heavy scent over it.

Glace jasmine in green tea. I like it. The quality of the tea note could have been better! I realize that Francois Demarchy has taken a lot of pages from Qi to make Grand Bal since they are really close to each other, for instance, the glace jasmine accord and tea note are shared in two of them. Rating: 6.5 (Parfum)

Honey lemon tea, with a blend of floral notes, mainly neroli and osmanthus, suitable all round the year for something fresh and soft. I enjoyed the sample but no way I am getting a full bottle - overpriced. I would reach for Chant d'Aromes (Guerlain) for this kind of everyday fresh floral scent. Agree with SearchingScents, Qi sometimes reminds me of lemon scented dishwashing liquid.

I like this. My first thought is that it feels like a lighter Tea Tonic (Miller Harris), which I have and love - but unfortunately feels too intense on me. This might be perfect layered with Osmanthus, also from Ormonde Jayne and allready on my wish list. Have to try.

The ad copy is right on the money--far more subdued than other tea scents out there and that is by design. However, there is something slightly sour here that bothers me, and the lovely floral aspect disappears far too quickly.

Some curious notes, including mate which mellows and grounds the citrus fairly well. On me this perfume is unremarkable. Doesn't last very long and has almost no sillage.

I hate to be a contrarian because people seem to really enjoy, not only this fragrance, but this house, but my experiences with this one has me quite frustrated. Qi by the house of Ormonde Jayne is definitetly not an enjoyable freshie to my nose. It begins with a bitter green tea (Most likely the mate) and a perfumer's alcohol that smells fishy, salty, and herbal right out of the gate like Ajax or some sort of bathroom cleaner. The perfume stings my nostrils in the first few seconds and then it finally begins to settle and transform into what it should be 30 minutes in. I hate having to wait for my perfumes to settle to transform into what they should. The mark of good niche perfumery or good perfumery in general is when the fragrance smells smoothly of its top notes first sprayed and not of perfumer's alcohol. I do not know much of Geza Schoen's projects or his perfumes but so far I'm not loving his work. These fragrances from Ormonde Jayne are my first exposure to Schoen's work. I will give everyone the benefit of the doubt and say that it is probably just my skin that Qi is probably not agreeing with which is a shame because those notes looked like just what I needed this summer. It is unique and I've never smelt anything similar to it but sometimes that can be a bad thing. What this dries down to on my skin smells like cold, stale, marinara sauce as if the tomatoes were starting to get moldy, strangely sweet, and bitter. Crushed tomatoes with a bit of an herbal and slightly metallic twang that is really rubbing me the wrong way. A modern designer quality profile. And because this smells so chemically and fuzzy to my nose it is making me quite sick to imagine a bowl of off marinara sauce with Ajax or chlorine on my skin. Completely not what I was expecting from this blend and the notes list. I don't know man, the notes looked so promising I really wanted to like this but to me there are better floral freshies on the market that smell more balanced and less synthetic for far less than $375. Please sample this one first folks... 6/10

Disturbingly chemical. I had never expected that at this price point, by this brand or by this composer. The first time I had a full wear of Qi it was actually quite unpleasant. While in theory this could be uplifting and energizing, I was annoyed by a nagging, chemical overall appearance. I did get the tea note, I did get the citrus, but not in a good way. I wanted to like Qi, so I just thought I had oversprayed, or maybe the day was too humid or warm for Qi. But I smell it again now, a few weeks later, and my previous impression is once again confirmed. I just don't like it. Too bad. 4/10

Sorry, can't say I like it. The topnotes are kind of nice: clean and refreshing (a bit boring, though), but the heart is really synthetic and unpleasant. Tea and citrus. Qi reminds me of Cartier's Declaration Cologne, which is somewhat sharper and more gingery but in the same style. 5/10

smells like tea loaded with sugars ... if you are an Asian and an avid tea drinker avoid this fragrance, you are not their target audience... i dont sense any osmanthus note at all , the rest of the florals leans the scent more feminine, not a true unisex fragrance

(smelled on paper) reminds me of little me doing shopping with my dad in a local shop that sells fruits, vegetables, herbs and it’s cold there because of the cold room and fridges. not my tea but interesting.

Based on the notes I should like this. But I don't get any of them. Except for the tea. It opens with green tea that somehow changes into a tobacco smell. Not smokey, but fresh tobacco. Nothing else. Not for me

Reviews for this fall in 2 camps, people who get a fleeting tea and citrussy osmanthus and others like me who get a major, long-lasting scent with a deep, glowing core that lasts and lasts and continues to puff out recurring, haunting, drifts of tea, mate, and osmanthus. If you are lucky enough to 'get' this base effect then Qi is flat-out sniff your arm wonderful and the whole effect is very far from low-key. Presumably all the mentioned base notes contribute to this effect but sadly I'm not good enough at picking notes out to say. The other weird thing about this perfume is that it manages to convey the effect of not wearing a perfume at all. It is just as if a perfect summer's day - with a picnic in a flowery meadow (with tea, of course) - has just mysteriously assembled itself around you. This effect is especially marked with the more intense version of QI as this lacks the initial 'just put on a light cologne' effect that the lower concentration version has (names of the 2 versions are confusing with edp and parfum and intensivo all used as descriptions in different versions of the bottles in a way that currently seems to vary between the UK and the US). However, both have that deep lasting inner glow effect - an effect probably best summed up in the review by thecandyperfumeboy.

Regarding the Intensivo version, I was expecting it to be more substantial (not necessarily louder). Maybe I was expecting it to go the Absolue d'Osmanthe by Perris Monte Carlo direction but it doesn't. It's very soft and calling it "understated" is an understatement in of itself. It's much much more floral than the EDP. It seems to oscillate between having a very tropical floral shampoo (without the musks and the throw) and the osmanthus tea-like green quality. With the EDP, you can easily smell the base notes since there's an earthy amber-y feel there. With the Intensivo, it's really smooth but I barely smell the base. Thank goodness it was discounted but I can honestly say that the Intensivo is not worth the money at all. Another testament to never blind buy. The EDP seems a lot more interesting. Intensivo is not giving you anything special other than maybe a purer smell which can also translate as more boring (which is true in this case). It is undoubtedly a beautiful fragrance but not when it's touted as having 40% concentration (OJ stopped including this number, btw) and at this price point. I'm a fan of Ormonde Jayne and really like Qi EDP but Intensivo is a disappointment, in comparison. I apologize since there's no place for the Intensivo. Also, this is an early impression.

Because I told The Four Corners of the Earth collection is particularly interested, the salesman recommended me Qi, and told me, it Inspired by Chinese, is a sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance, in OJ top selling product. Prior to this, I have not heard of Qi, so I thought, well, since he said so, I can try it. Just spray, Qi is a common orange blossom, freesia, fresh smell good, but after two hours, Where he said osmanthus in it? I did not smell, I only know that middle notes with strange chemicals, so I do not like, not natural, I guess is Hedione. Qi calculate the duration of about five or six hours of it, a little expensive, but not bad. Oh, wait! Be sure to mention the end, I smell the green tea actually, but it feels very real! (Qi is jasmine green tea) like tea fragrance of people, you can smell it!

Sprayed a couple of bursts on my wrists from a sample spray from OJ an hour after my shower this morning, this is now almost twelve hours later and the scent is still lingering. I love it, its been a soft delicate cloud of fragrance which has enveloped and followed me about all day whilst I've been in the garden, weeding, hanging out washing and even survived the washing up. It's a very inviting fragrance, not at all in your face or loud, but most definitely there. Soft, fresh and gentle, with a good sillage, and definitely long lasting on my skin. I will definitely be saving for a full sized bottle. A sample is definitely worth a try to see if it suits you chemistry. Understated and classy, you could wear it with anything, anywhere. It's really special.

Most Ormonde Jayne fragrances have too much going on for me. (I can appreciate Ta'if but could not wear it for the life of me.) This is the one Ormonde Jayne fragrance I purchased and enjoy. I am a tea lover and enjoy tea notes in fragrances. As I've mentioned in another review, my family owned a tea shop for many years and I grew up drinking tea all day. That being said, this fragrance is long lasting but it changes a lot. After the tea notes and lemon blossom notes fade away, bitter notes appear. I cannot exactly tell what gives the bitterness (maybe the mate?), but I don't dislike it as I did in the past. I will finish the bottle but would not repurchase (purely due to the very high price).

Tea scents just do not do well on my skin. I love Tea for drinking, but in a fragrance on my skin it is just not good. On my skin, it goes back and forth in smelling like real, wet, Tea leaves that have been left in the cup and left to sit out, and an animalistic aroma similar to animal barns. It's dry and earthy, and very heavy on the Tea. It's not fresh at all on me, only bizarre smelling. I couldn't wait to wash this one off. Not for me, but great for lovers of Tea scents/aromas.

Smells between osmanthe yunnan and osmanthe interdite; strong than yunnan but tender than interdite(ps,i didnt sense osmanthus from TDC's). After 4 hours, i can only sense tea, longevity is so so, sillage is so so(and what i have is an intenso perfume version >_<).... If i have to pick 1 osmanthus perfume, i would like yunan more.....

Very beautiful Osmanthus perfume and it's long lasting. Qi opens with fresh green notes like green tean and turns creamy apricot smell. I'm pretry sure it is one of the most realistic osmanthus perfume i have ever seen but only problem is price tag. Its price too much in my opion.

Ormonde Jayne DNA through and through. It looks very delicate, but in fact it is not exactly like that. Definitely a green tea scent. It is nice, but there is something in it, I am not sure I like, can't figure out yet what exactly, need to think. Otherwise, for tea connoisseurs.

delicate, gentle, but almost too much so. very pretty but a bit boring, feel like I am searching for the notes in this scent and not in a mysterious way. got a sample and will definitely use it more so opinion might change, but definitely not full bottle worthy for me.

This is by far what a cup of green tea would taste like on an early summer morning in the garden of Villa Nellcôte. Absolute fascination, handy, versatile, calm, gentle .

This one is so much more about osmanthus that the actual OJ's Osmanthus. Smells exactly like dried osmanthus flowers mixed into oolong tea before you brew the leaves.

This smells bad. Bothering a lot. Like a pee or something rotten. I really hate it. I can not detect which note is this as its from the start to the end

This is the kind of 'black tea' note used in Molecule + Black Tea along with a some white florals, musks and mate. The two smell remarkably similar.

A bone china cup of delicately scented black unsweetened tea, refined and elegant (not your breakfast cuppa!)

Would love it as a room spray or candle, but not as something to put on my skin