The scent of tea - BPAL's tea note, BPAL blends like your favorite tea

[neddykapoozle]

I love love LOVE tea scents, and love smelling like tea this time of year, especially green and white tea, so fresh for spring, so this thread is getting a little bump.

 

Also, I wore Maiden today, which is just the most gorgy white tea on me, a hint of carnation and maybe the idea of rose, and it has amazing staying power and throw on me, which is rare for tea scents.

I am also giving Bewitched and Kumiho some serious love right now.

The one biggest letdown for me in BPALdom: DORIAN

it sounded like my perfect scent. Tea. Musks. Sugar. Lemon. It was horrible, couldn't get it off fast enough. Then I tried it AGAIN after a month or so and it still was ick

[Ina Garten Davita]

Bumping.

[Apple]

Mmmn... tea. I posted about black tea scents upthread, but I thought I'd add some new comments now that I've had a chance to try a few more BPAL tea blends.

 

 

BLACK TEA

My favorite type of tea for drinking. I favor strong black tea with milk and sugar, and that carries over to scent preferences. Unfortunately, BPAL's beautiful black tea note never sticks around long on me; it is lovely but fleeting.

 

Dorian - This was a disaster on my skin. The vanilla and an unlisted wintergreen note in this amped until my eyes watered... for hours.

Famine - I need to re-test this one, especially after the comparisons to lapsang souchong tea. I would love a smoky tea scent sans vanilla! Maybe this will be it...

Edit: Retesting confirmed my initial appraisal: the lilac in this is just too assertive on my skin. I get a light, clean floral (one that's a little old-fashioned), not a smoky tea. Boo hiss.

The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa - Haven't tried this one yet.

Men Ringing Bell with Penises - This just smelled sort of generically fresh and clean to me, like shampoo.

Shadwell - This doesn't smell like tea or any of the other listed notes to me. The combined effect is nice at first, but then develops into a fruity-coconut scent on my skin. So disappointing, and I have no idea what the culprit is.

White Rabbit - The tea note disappears almost immediately, but it leaves behind a delicious milk-and-honey scent that I adore. The first time I wore it, the vanilla was overpowering but thankfully that was not the case on subsequent wearings. This is one of my very favorite scents.

 

CHAI TEA

My next favorite type of tea for drinking. I am still searching for the perfect chai tea scent, because the BPAL chai scents are too heavy on the cinnamon and/or vanilla for me.

 

Bakeneko - I haven't tried this yet, but I hope to.

Bengal - Cinnamon vanilla baby powder. Makes a great deodorant, but I'd never drink it.

Bezoar - No tea note is listed, but the cardamom makes it very chai-like

Clemence - This smelled like a mixture of Coca-Cola and Old Spice aftershave, with a dash of salt. No chai for me.

Plunder - Cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon. If I close my eyes, sniff REALLY hard, and use my imagination, I can catch whiffs of tea and tobacco under the avalanche of cinnamon, but they are so faint and fleeting I'm not sure they're really there.

 

EARL GREY TEA

I also enjoy Earl Grey for drinking. Scent-wise, I amp citrus, and so the bergamot can be bossy on my skin.

 

Cheshire Cat - Okay, so tea is not a listed note, and neither is bergamot. Still, this blend gives me a definite Earl Grey vibe. Maybe it's the combination of grapefruit and chamomile? It also reminds me vaguely of Bewitched, which does contain tea.

Theodosius, The Legerdemain - I fear the vanilla and white fougere in this, but I will probably try it one of these days.

Severin - All bergamot, all the time. And it only lasts about 15 minutes. So sad.

 

GREEN TEA

Green tea is hit or miss on me. It can be crisp and refreshing, but it can also be overly sharp and astringent. It also tends to be combined with florals (which I don't tend to like) and citrus fruits (which don't tend to like me).

 

Bewitched - This was effervescent and gingery on me. I never would have guessed it was a berry and green tea blend. I like it.

Cordelia - This has too many deal-breaker floral notes for me to be interested in trying.

Embalming Fluid - I just know that the lemon in this will combine with the green tea and end up smelling like floor cleaner on my skin, but I still want to try it.

F5 - Haven't tried it.

Green Tree Viper - I can't wear Snake Oil, and the addition of mint and bergamot did not change this fact.

Herbert West - Haven't tried this one yet.

Phantasm - The lemon verbena and jasmine make this unappealing. It smells okay in the imp, though, and I'll probably skin test it soon.

Shanghai - This was wretched on me. It went from floor cleaner to hamsters, neither of which was appealing.

Tweedledum - I liked this one, although I didn't get much tea out of it. It was very fruity-patchouli on me.

Vampire Tears - One of the worst BPALs I've tried; it was positively disgusting on me. An overpowering, musty bubblegum scent... like gum being chewed by someone with bad breath. The memory still makes me shudder.

 

WHITE TEA

I don't find white tea to have a strong flavor or scent, and I haven't tried many of these.

 

Baobhan Sith - This was terrible on me. The grapefruit went horribly, horribly wrong... it smelled almost like a Port-a-Potty.

The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child - Haven't tried yet.

Iambe - Haven't tried yet.

Kumiho - Haven't tried yet.

Maiden - I've seen a lot of comparisons between Maiden and Alice. I love Alice, and so I have high hopes for Maiden and look forward to trying it one of these days.

Manhattan - This was nice and sweet when dry, but a bit too "perfumey" for my taste. I didn't detect any tea (or leather, or mint).

 

OTHER TEA

The Apothecary - I like this, but it can be a little too sharp on me. It's very clean, and the ginger is lemony.

The Dormouse - Light and clean and floral. Pleasant but not memorable.

Dragon Moon - Haven't tried this. The dragon's blood makes me nervous, but the other notes are intriguing.

Gennivre, L’Artiste du Diable - Similar to The Dormouse, but a little more refreshing thanks to the mint.

Holiday Moon - Haven't tried it.

Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku - Haven't tried this one yet.

Snow Angel - Haven't tried it.

Spirits of the Dead - Very lemony, it almost crosses the line into floor cleaner territory.

Sudha Segara - I know it's not a listed note, but I definitely get a tea vibe. It's light, refreshing ginger tea with milk: sweet, comforting, and almost lemony. Like a softer, warmer, more wearable version of Spirits of the Dead.

Usher - Haven't tried it.

 

 

FAVORITE TEA BLENDS

White Rabbit

Sudha Segara

Bezoar

 

AMBIVALENT/MEH/LIKE BUT DON'T LOVE

The Apothecary

Bengal

Bewitched

Cheshire Cat

The Dormouse

Gennivre, L’Artiste du Diable

Manhattan

Plunder

Severin

Shadwell

Spirits of the Dead

Tweedledum

 

TEA BLENDS THAT DID TERRIBLE THINGS ON MY SKIN

Baobhan Sith

Dorian

Green Tree Viper

Shanghai

Vampire Tears

 

HAVEN'T TRIED YET OR NEED TO RE-TEST

Bakeneko

Dragon Moon

Embalming Fluid

F5

Famine

Herbert West

Holiday Moon

Iambe

Kumiho

The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child

Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku

The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa

Maiden

Phantasm

Snow Angel

Theodosius, The Legerdemain

Usher

 

NO PLANS TO TRY

Cordelia

 

Edit: Added some blends I had forgotten.

Edited August 5, 2008 by Apple

[martiangurll]

Anyone besides me get tea from Tamamo-no-mae? I get a beautiful tea plus ginger and citrus. Try it

[jaimie]

I haven't yet bought anything from BPAL, but I am definitely planning to. I was just wondering if anyone knew if there was a scent that smelled like a tea called Lady Grey Tea. I absolutely LOVE the smell of that kind of tea. I have absolutely no idea how to identify certain kind of smells, so I'm just hoping one of you already knows what kind of tea I'm talking about lol. Thanx so much.

[Apple]

I haven't yet bought anything from BPAL, but I am definitely planning to. I was just wondering if anyone knew if there was a scent that smelled like a tea called Lady Grey Tea. I absolutely LOVE the smell of that kind of tea. I have absolutely no idea how to identify certain kind of smells, so I'm just hoping one of you already knows what kind of tea I'm talking about lol. Thanx so much.

If you're referring to the Twinings brand, I know the tea you're talking about. The ingredients are: black tea, orange peel, lemon peel, and citrus flavoring. The "citrus flavoring" is probably bergamot, which is what gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavor.

 

With that in mind, I'd recommend Severin:

Severin

(Ars Amatoria) - Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather.

On my skin, it was all bergamot with no leather and very little tea - sort of like a super Earl Grey. You might also like:

Aizen-Myoo

(Excolo) - Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

 

Baobhan Sith

(Diabolus) - Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger.

 

Cheshire Cat

(Mad Tea Party) - Grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender.

 

Gennivre, L’Artiste du Diable

(Carnaval Diabolique) - Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey.

 

Manhattan

(Wanderlust) - Sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.

 

Theodosius, The Legerdemain

(Carnaval Diabolique) - Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean.

 

Tweedledee

(Mad Tea Party) - Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom.

With the exception of Gennivre and Theodosius, those are all available as imps from the Lab.

[Gwydion]

In some brands Lady Grey is double bergamot. I add this not as any kind of correction, merely to reinforce Apple's suggestion of looking for tea+bergamot.

Edited February 7, 2009 by Gwydion

[evegrimm]

Hi!

 

I recently discovered a love of THAI ICED TEA (omg, I'm drooling) and realised that I love the scent of it--both as it's powdered tea-leavesish self, and when it's mixed with milk and sugar.

 

Has anyone ever, ever smelled anything like Thai iced tea? (And maybe with a bit of coconut?)

 

Thanks so much!

 

 

Oh, and, as this is the "Tea" thread, does anyone know why the tea scents (I think I've tried all of the BPAL ones) disappear? (Or in my case, never appear.) Is it something to do with creating a 'tea' scent--i.e., the oils used to create it--are less potent than others? Am I coming from left field?

[Apple]

Has anyone ever, ever smelled anything like Thai iced tea? (And maybe with a bit of coconut?)

Ooo... good question. I love Thai tea! I'll have to think on this one a bit; nothing is leaping immediately to mind. Maybe one of the chai-like scents layered with something coconutty?

 

Oh, and, as this is the "Tea" thread, does anyone know why the tea scents (I think I've tried all of the BPAL ones) disappear? (Or in my case, never appear.) Is it something to do with creating a 'tea' scent--i.e., the oils used to create it--are less potent than others? Am I coming from left field?

I have no answer to this, but I have the exact same problem... so you're not coming out of left field, at least not to me.

[Tigrrrlily]

Hi!

 

I recently discovered a love of THAI ICED TEA (omg, I'm drooling) and realised that I love the scent of it--both as it's powdered tea-leavesish self, and when it's mixed with milk and sugar.

 

Has anyone ever, ever smelled anything like Thai iced tea? (And maybe with a bit of coconut?)

 

I havent sniffed enough of them to know- but I just asked Beth tonight, if she could make a thai iced tea scent! hey- we had thai food right before willcall! Lets keep our fingers crossed.

 

I looked up the recipies for it just now, thinking it was some exotic blend of spices: "Thai tea, ice, sugar, milk" Thanks food network!

 

[asunderpants]

nope it's actually anise and vanilla, with maybe a little bit of orange flower. there is no "thai red tea," it's just a mix.

[Tigrrrlily]

nope it's actually anise and vanilla, with maybe a little bit of orange flower. there is no "thai red tea," it's just a mix.

 

See??? Thats what I thought, only every recipie I looked up says "thai tea". Maybe its packaged that way but I know theirs more to it than a simple tea leaf. Man, Id BATHE in that stuff!!

[asunderpants]

hehe I normally hate sweet smells, but I'd have to agree on that one... mmm. oh hell. now I have to make some from scratch

 

oh, also, milk? hells no. you gotta go authentic and spoon heavy cream over the top. a good thai iced tea is blatantly two different colors with a short gradient in between.

Edited February 10, 2009 by asunderpants

[Tigrrrlily]

Its either sweetened condensed milk or cream, not regular milk. I think they are trying to throw us off from knowing the TRUE secret to Thai Iced Tea.

[asunderpants]

haha. the thai jealously guard their delicious secrets!

 

yup...got a cup right here now. mnmmauauughhhhhmmm so good. this is YOUR FAULT! and I'm not complaining!

[Banyangirl]

Might I suggest Tweedledee? It's got white tea in it, and the first time I put it on, I was laying on my bed doing some work on the laptop and all of a sudden all I could smell was tea. It was delicious. I haven't gotten it to do that since (I've worn it maybe four times since then) but it's there, definitely.

 

PS Isn't thai iced tea made with coconut milk, thus accounting for the sweetness and thickness? Whatever they make it with, I do love it!

Edited February 11, 2009 by Banyangirl

[Gwydion]

If they make it, I'll buy it.

[faylie]

I have a tea which I love, it's a black tea with rose petals through it, I think there is also some rose flavour added as the smell is more prominent that I think it would be just from the petals. I have it with milk and honey, so I'd be more than happy with those additions, but I know I'm dreaming to find that close of a match. Is there a BPAL that may be similar? I generally don't spend a lot of time with florals and I only seem to like them if it's just the one floral rather than a bouquet so I'd prefer something rather simple, or even two to layer that may suit. Any help would be great. Thanks.

 

Another I'd like to find is Orange Pekoe tea. Yum.

Edited February 20, 2009 by faylie

[faylie]

Bump

[cinderfallen]

My favorite tea scent is actually Alice. It smells like candy tea, milky and sweetened with honey, but spicy with carnation, with that astringent bergamot at the back of your throat, with a delicate rose petal infusion. The rose is there as a softening, sweet note, and goes well the tea-like bergamot.

 

I am STILL looking for an amazing, true jasmine tea scent.

Edited February 22, 2009 by cinderfallen

[faylie]

I get absolutely no tea from Alice, all sweet carnation and honeyed cream on me. I'd love to smell it with some tea in there. Hmm, what could I layer it with, maybe Doormouse could work, keep in with the tea party too

[LadyLuckless]

I'm dying for a scent like Tetley's Vitality herbal tea, which is apparently 100% peppermint. I never liked mint (too toothpasty and mouthwashy, I thought) but when I opened the canister of this, the most refreshingly gorgeous, natural, sweet, delicious scent just slapped me upside the head! I was smitten! I posted about this in the mint thread but got no reply, but I just realized it fits here too! So what do you think? Green Tree Viper? Juke Joint? Please help!

[naeelah]

I am STILL looking for an amazing, true jasmine tea scent.

 

This is probably not very helpful, on account of the blend being hard to get, but for my skin, Snow Angel dries to an amazing, true jasmine tea scent. (Well, there is a hint of peach.) When I tried it on, it was all peaches and cotton candy, so I was a little "meh", but then 20 minutes later it turned into almost pure jasmine tea. So if you get a chance to try it, see how it goes.

 

I guess you've tried Gennivre? It has mint, but that aside, it was also a very nice jasmine milk tea scent. Nice and summery. Reminds me of my favorite bubble tea drinks.

 

LadyLuckless, since you're after mint, you also might be interested in Gennivre. Green Tree Viper is very minty but it's a complement to Snake Oil, which of course is very sultry and musky, so it isn't such a pure mint scent. But it does have a powdery sweetness.

 

Have you considered just trying diluted peppermint EO or getting a peppermint single note perfume from some natural goods shop? It might be worth a try. There's also the recurring Lick It LE, which is the scent of a peppermint candy, so it will be a bit sweet.

 

In the realm of general recommendations: Eros is a great straight black tea scent, if you also like honey. To my nose the tea note is the same as Famine (which is also a wonderfully aromatic black tea blend).

 

[secretstars]

hey all,it's a longshot, but short of layering, is there any perfume from BPAL that smells like sleepytime tea? i used the search function, but i know that some perfumes' descriptions don't list the actual scents in it, just an atmosphere/mood, so i wanted to make sure! even if it isn't chamomile/spearmint per se, but you know what sleepytime tea smells like and think a perfume has a similar smell, send it my way. :Dthanks!-- Lorelei

guh, i JUST found the tea scent post, so i guess my post should be merged with that even though it's not about earl grey? i'm confused. i'm sorry for making a repeat post, in any case! i would delete it but i don't seem able to. Edited March 11, 2009 by Lorelei

[ivyandpeony]

Lorelei, it's been a long time since I had a cuppa Sleepytime tea so I don't have a rec off hand - but I was going to mention that you might want to take a look in the thread about mint scents to see what spearmint-y scents may be available. You can crosspost your request there too. =)