Softly soothing, deliciously smoky, invigoratingly green or intriguingly spiced, tea can add great depth of character to a fragrance. And now the weather has taken a turn, we’re so ready to cosy up with a warming brew in fragrant form…
WORDS: SUZY NIGHTINGALE
PHOTO: Roxana Zerni for UNSPLASH
Surely few rituals are as quintessentially British as Afternoon Tea – a tradition that has become a byword for elegance, comfort and a touch of indulgence. From its origins in the 19th century – supposedly when Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, first felt a ‘sinking feeling’ in the late afternoon (well, don't we all, dear?) and requested ‘tea with a light snack’ – the custom has flourished into an occasion beloved by locals and visitors to these shores alike. For many, Afternoon Tea is a gentle pause in the day: a chance to savour delicate sandwiches, warm scones and exquisite pastries, all accompanied by the gentle clink of fine china and the soft hum of conversation.
Beyond afternoon tea, the ritual of drinking this simultaneously soothing and refreshing brew is enjoyed in varying ways around the world, in some cultures for many centuries. And at this time of year, with rain storms and howling winds whipping the golden leaves off the trees, and everyone getting used to the colder days (and nights) again, it's the cosy vibes of snuggling up with a cuppa we're leaning into in fragrant form, here.
But think beyond the 'builder's tea' (a colloquial British term for strongly brewed tea with milk and sugar, generally served in a mug) to the huge variety of teas – some subtle and gently wafting their fragrance, others robustly spiced, or dreamily creamy and aromatic when served as a sweeter treat. For every type of tea lover's taste, there's a perfume to match it.
Take a trip around the world in a teacup and you'll find the leaf in all its guises: the whisked grassy brightness of green matcha in Japanese tea ceremonies; hojicha, the roasted green tea whose toasty, nutty warmth is pure liquid comfort; India's spiced chai, simmered with milk and cardamom until the whole kitchen smells of it; bergamot-scented Earl Grey, the quintessential afternoon pick-me-up; and the sweet, creamy milk teas of Asia, beloved far beyond their origins. Perfumers have long been drawn to tea precisely because of this range: fresh or smoky, delicate or decadent, it steeps soothing comfort and immediate refreshment, in whatever your preferred fragrant form is.
So let's take a sip (and a sniff) then, and journey through five of the most beguiling perfumers' interpretations of tea leaves. And prepare to indulge your senses by adding one (or more) of these exquisite tea-inspired fragrances to your scent rotation.
Kettle on? Let's begin…
The clue is in the name with this one: a study of tea itself, described by the house as the perfumer's favourite beverage, and wearing its tea-nerdery proudly (there's even an ‘Earl Grey, hot’ Captain Picard reference in their inspo for fellow Star Trek fans). The formula blends extractions of black tea, green tea, maté and a captive jasmine infusion, and it opens with a bright, citrus-led Earl Grey beginning of bergamot and green mandarin, laced with rosewood and maesil-cha (Korean green plum tea). The heart is where the teapot really sings: white, black, jasmine and green teas all swirling together in one harmonious cup, before a base of maté, matcha, cedarwood and boxwood dries everything down with a tannic, tea-brick earthiness. If you've ever sniffed the inside of a precious tea caddy and felt your shoulders drop: this is that feeling, bottled.
£50 for 50ml eau de parfum olfiction.com
‘Sonder’ – a glorious word coined for the realisation that every passerby lives a life as vivid as your own – is a fitting name for a scent the house calls ‘a tea fragrance of appreciation. For noticing the beauty in ordinary moments.’ Japanese roasted green tea (hojicha) forms the heart of the blend, its roasting described as toasting the leaves and softening their sharpness into comfort, with maté threading a green, smoky note through the middle and orris lending powdered elegance for a ‘pause between sips.’ Pink pepper, lemon and sage lift the opening with a bright herbal freshness, while a base of guaiac wood, orris and musk settles into something nutty, warm and faintly bread-like. Time slows, the steam rises, hands wrapped around warmth: a scent built to make you notice, and take pleasure in slowing down.
£150 for 50ml eau de parfum odeona.com
The iconic fashion house takes its elegant Infusion series to the chai stall with this woody, spicy, musky composition, which ‘unexpectedly fuses creamy sandalwood with the spicy notes of a chai latte accord.’ The milky warmth of that spiced-tea accord – cardamom to the fore – is lifted by a fresh touch of citrus, while musks lend a clean, frothed softness underneath. It's the olfactory equivalent of a steaming cup cradled closer on a chilly, inclement day, cashmere wrapped around your neck: cosy without being heavy, spiced without being sugary, and quietly sensual as it settles into that sandalwood dry down. Chai latte, but make it fashion, fabulously, darling.
£150 for 100ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com
‘Hit pause on the chaos of life and savour your own private tea ceremony – however you like it served…’ is Molton Brown's invitation here, and the composition certainly reads as calm and contemplative on the skin. It opens with dewy nashi pear, cardamom and an almost fruity/fresh breath of eucalyptus leaves, before unfurling to reveal an earthy matcha accord, green tea extract and cypress at the heart – a genuinely green, grounded take on tea rather than a sugary one. For the finish, a smoky hinoki wood accord is perfectly paired with cedarwood and sandalwood as it warms, giving a rich, woody hush that lingers and resonates like the quiet after a meditation bell. Contemporary, meditative and quietly beautiful.
£149 for 100ml eau de parfum moltonbrown.co.uk
For those who take their tea sweet, Dulcet – a milk bubble tea fragrance from this new and exciting house – is the most overtly ‘gourmand’ hug of the line-up. It opens with the creamy comfort of milk tea brightened by a touch of yuzu and bergamot, then settles into brown sugar, custard mochi and mimosa at the heart, with vanilla, opoponax, sandalwood and benzoin padding the base. The brand calls it ‘a warm embrace without the heaviness of a traditional gourmand,’ promising something soft-focus, intimate and effortlessly comforting rather than dessert-plate obvious. We agree – there’s elegance and restraint, here, which feels infintely refined while totally tapping into the snuggly season of scents we’re leaning into right now. Think a soft blanket, a good book and no plans – the olfactory equivalent of an afternoon you get to keep for yourself. Sheer bliss.
£125 for 50ml eau de parfum kidakyo.com
NB Always written by (award-winning!) humans, never AI.