The Forbidden Temple

This smells overwhelmingly like jasmine tea, which is apparently 50% of the composition... though if you pay careful attention to it, there's a lot more going on here, too, and it all very nicely supports that jasmine tea. The result is a lovely, but very specific, fragrance, that transports me to old-fashioned Chinese restaurants (which I associate with the smell of jasmine tea). It's unlike anything else I own and very affordable.

The Forbidden City has been at the top of my sample list for over a year now, unfortunately on the Statik Olfactive website I was only able to purchase The Forbidden Temple. Wasn’t a huge deal tho because I love incense. What originally drew me to both fragrances was 50% of the perfume being apricot jasmine tea – this is hands-down, my favorite tea, and most drank tea. Unfortunately for me this fragrance was a huge let down. I didn't get any apricot, jasmine, nor tea. It smells like soap, the kind that somehow always get in your mouth. I could literally taste it and it had this intensely industrial powdery note underneath the soapiness that was headache inducing and prolonged.

Simply the best tea fragrance around. Have I smelled them all? No. But I've put my nose on a good amount and would also consider myself a lifelong tea connoisseur so I've been around the block. This one has an airy quality about it that comes across like tea steam or evaporated mist. Fruity nuances from the apricot don't overpower but compliment. I can't get over how accurately this fragrance captures the smell of literal mist blowing out from the kettle or tea steam while you steep. Never smelled anything like it. I like to spray before sleep or meditation as it has an almost relaxing tibetan monk vibe going on. Genuine complement getter and performance beast, I had a few people walk over and ask me what I was wearing. 3 people in front of me at my local supermarket couldn't figure out who smelled so good and I just stood there smiling, knowing I'm THAT guy. Expect 12+ hrs of longevity with beastly projection. You really can't go wrong here. Oh, and pretty much unisex down the middle.