Tea for Two (2000)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

As others have noted, this is a remarkably accurate rendering of Lapsang suochong tea. Unfortunately for me, Lapsang suochong (along with Vietnamese lotus tea, which tastes like postage stamp glue) is one of the rare tea varieties that I don't care for that much. I'm still waiting for the perfect recreation of a great Earl Gray (please PM me if you know of one!).

It takes a couple of hours for the lapsang to settle down enough for this to become enjoyable to my nose. The base is quite nice, a bit like Burberry London for men but richer, smokier, and less synthetic. If I could just get the base I'd probably buy a bottle of this, but at this point I don't think it's worth enduring the opening for. This is one of those fragrances, though, that I can imagine myself changing my opinion about over the course of a few years.

What is tea supposed to smell like? As an American, I feel that I'm at a loss for what real tea should be like with the likes of Lipton. No matter, this is one of the better ones from L'Artisan. I seem to have a large hit-or-miss factor when it comes to their line: too watery, way to powdery or something else. This falls into the something else but in a good way. Smoky and kinda woody with a dash of cream and/or citrus (never put them in the same cup!). Decent but can't rationalize a bottle purchase. Try it!

I received a sample of Tea for Two many-many months ago. At first, I didn't really care much for it, but as the months dwindled down to this day of my review (and after re-sampling it), I came to finally love it! They say scents brings back fond memories, and after remembering a similar scent I caught briefly many years ago in a tobacco shop, it reminded me of Latakia Tobacco (which the scent is similar to Lapsang Souchong tea, according to sources). In the end, I finally ordered the 100ml bottle.

If J-C Ellena's Eau Parfumee au The Vert is the reference clean green tea scent, then at the opposite end of the spectrum we have Tea for Two.

Sweet, smoky, a touch spicy - deceptively simple but comforting indeed. This is what I like to wear when I've got time to relax and read a good book on my bed on spring or autumn days, drinking tea or coffee with some shortbread on the side.

This review is under revision.

Although I'm not a big fan of L'Artisan, this has to be the best tea scent I've come across so far. While other tea scents smell either unappealing or too synthetic, Tea for Two is a beautifully balanced composition. As others have already mentioned, it's a spicy, cosy and smoky tea scent that is probably best worn on warmer days.

The only gripe I have with it (and with other L'Artisans) is its lack of complexity and depth - if Tea for Two was richer and stronger, it would be in my wardrobe immediately.