Tea for Two (2000)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

Gourmand for a tea scent. Smoky sweet Lapsang Souchong tea with a dense slab of moist gingerbread leaning against the cup, inhaling the vapors of it all. It smells entirely pleasant but it's not something I'd really want to wear. It is a bit straightforward and lacking the complexity that turns good fragrances into wardrobe staples, yet the simplicity is what makes this a cozy and comfortable scent. It requires no dissection or analysis, it simply cradles your sense of smell. Ideal for cooler weather.

Neutral but leaning toward a thumbs up.

L'Artisan Tea for Two

While I know many people love their coffee, my preferred way to caffeinate myself is through tea. There has been a similar expansion of choices in both coffee and tea over the last few years and I have really enjoyed trying many teas I had only heard of before. One of those teas is lapsang souchong which is a black tea which is dried over a wood fire which imparts a smoky flavor and aroma to it. I had only recently fell in love with lapsang souching the tea when I came across the 2000 release for L'artisan, Tea for Two. Tea for Two was created by Olivia Giacobetti and it is lapsang souchong in a bottle and it is wonderful, to me. I can definitely understand not wanting to smell like a cup of tea but the choice to emulate a smoky black tea gives Tea for Two more character than one might expect from a fragrance named Tea for Two. Right from the top the smoky aspect is apparent and that's the first note I get upon application, this is followed by the note of really rich black tea and here is where Tea for Two smells just like my tin of lapsang souchong right after I open it. Moving forward, Mme. Giacobetti adds in some of the accoutrements of a tea service as the next two notes are the twin spices of cinnamon and ginger. both of these add a spiciness to things but are done with Mme. Giacobetti's trademark etherealness so that while they add heft and contrast they never seem to take over this scent, instead they hover at arm's length. The base is a mix of honey and vanilla with the honey being the more prominent of the two notes. The choice of the sweetness of honey to add balance to the smoky tea is my favorite part of Tea for Two and it is here where Tea for Two spends most of its time on my skin. Tea for Two has above average longevity and sillage, on me. I'm not sure everyone will want to smell like a cup of lapsang souchong lightly sweetened with honey but if this sounds like your...um... cup of tea; drink up and breathe in you're in for a treat.

L'Artisan Tea for Two

Notes: ginger, cinnamon, green anise, honey, vanilla (from luckyscent.com)

Tea for Two starts with a smoky, leathery and slightly fruity tea accord. The smoke note is a bit plastic smelling, similar to how synthetic birch tar sometimes smells. It is a bit petrochemical but not off-putting. As the smoky note attenuates in the first ten minutes, some faintly sweet, powdery vanilla and a spice blend of cinnamon and clove come forward. This is considerably more gourmand that I expected, and heavier than most other L'Artisan fragrances I have tried. In the middle to late development, it is quite delicious, a sort of Chai Tea made from tarry black Lapsang Souchong. I absolutely adore this stage which is blissfully long-lived on my skin (about two hours). The leather illusion is rather complete, and is not really hinted at in the published notes. The tea actually takes on more of a support role, which is quite good considering the tea accord on its own can become a bit boring at best and annoyingly irritating at worst. The only real complaint I have about T42 is that the cinnamon note eventually starts to resemble either potpourri or a scented candle, depending on your perspective. This happens in the late drydown when many of the other ingredients have faded. Still, I find T42 to be one of the better offerings from this house, and recommend it for male or female lovers of leather, tea or spicy fragrances.

Smoky lapsang souchong and a burning roll up cigarette, with hints of vanilla and amber in the background. Really liked the opening but got bored quickly.

Although it doesn't smell exactly like it, Tea for Two reminnds me of Serge Luten's Arabie, but Dante and TaraYvonne hit the nail on the head with their description of the "smoky" note that everybody is referring to when they said it smells like cigarette smoke. I like Tea for Two and think that that note makes this scent intriguiging (is that spelled right?) even though I'm not a smoker After applied this note does smell literally like cigarette smoke on your skin or clothes. However, as the scent dries down the it turns into something less smokey and more like warm spiced wood. This is definitely a unisex scent.

Smokey sweet cinnamon tea with a slight dash of ginger. Smells like an Intense or Heavy version of Gucci PH II.

Sillage and longevity are mediocre, though.