Reviews of Tea for Two (2000)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

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.

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.

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 mild 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.

It's still worthy of a thumbs-up, though.

[Original submission date: 15 April 2008]

My thoughts on Tea for Two have evolved significantly since I first tried it. In 2007 I wrote:

“Wow! The smoky Lapsang Souchong tea is remarkably real here! Maybe too real.

I love Lapsang Souchong tea, but I want to drink it, not wear it. Would be great as a room scent.”

Now I’m more than willing to wear it. The smoky tea is potable without a doubt, but it’s the brilliantly translucent oriental structure underneath that makes this scent so special. It is a particularly fine example of Olivia Giacobetti’s talent for illuminating olfactory spaces normally shrouded in darkness. (See her Idole de Lubin for another telling instance.) Try Tea for Two if your idea of oriental mystery includes both smoke and golden light.

I worked at a tea shop, and I always found the Lapsang Souchong to be mildly offensive, but at the same time interesting. I loved its smokiness, so when I heard about Tea for Two I was immediately intrigued. After smelling it once, I definitely got the smokiness of the Lapsang Souchong, but I also enjoyed the subtly sweet vanilla. These paradoxical notes blended so well together for me, and made me feel warm. I love this fragrance! It's unique, and for me, there's nothing like it out there!

This is a VERY sweet and spicy tea scent. It's also much more appropriate for women. I won't disagree with it being unisex, but I don't think that many men will be eager to run out and get a bottle.

I love to smell this, I have no desire to wear it. That being said, I really enjoyed this fragrance anyway. I'm getting a strong scent association from this: People casually taking tea and nibbling on lightly-spiced gingered tea cakes (as said previously by someone else), perhaps reading a book with a cigarette dangling from their fingers. Tea, light spice, light cigarette smoke, very light ginger. That's what I'm getting. It certainly isn't unpleasant as it may sound. It has a certain comfort to it; it has it's own charm. It's not for me. But I can appreciate what they were trying to do here and I like the fact that L'Artisan can take you some place either exotic or comfortable and familiar as in this case. I respect the house for making fragrance more than just a scent and taking it to the level of storytelling.

Irresistible, definitely.

The opening is very medicinal on me. Very “fever-like”, if that makes any sense to anyone else….

As it dries down the medicinal character makes some room to something which smells to me very much like a ripe and fresh grounded tobacco mixed with sticky honey and a small dash of both; menthol and ginger.
In this fine condition it stays and lingers only to fade away after many many hours of time….
Due the time the sweetness takes a bit more over leaving that smoky, fresh tobacco smell with spices to be more in the background.
Still, a very stable fragrance. Dense and rich.

Tea for Two reminds me quite much of the older formulation of Eau du Fier by Annick Goutal. (As EdF was first discontinued and later on exclusively re-launched the juice had been changed into a more birch tarry, metallic smoky scent that wasn’t as full or sweet as the older one)

The milky tea opening is quite brief, and quickly dries down to slightly sweetened smokiness. It smells almost exactly like skin after standing next to a campfire. It's a love-it-or-hate-it thing. I happen to love it. This would be a great scent to wear in fall, with t-shirt and jeans and some nice boots. Quite chic in the right environment, I think.

T42 is very nice, I get a little tobacco/smoke with the tea also. The drydown is very sweet and I love it. The sillage is subdued though. It won't take your breath away, but if you like the smell of sweet tea, you will love this.

The opening of this delightful scent, smells just like clove cigarettes that were so popular in the sixties (the last century) jazz club in the Los Angeles, California area. After about an hour it dries down to a milky Chai scent that I LOVE!!!!

What a wonderfull parfume. It is typical black tea with ginger cakes. It is very warm, but i can wear it only in winter. When it is summer it is pretty awfull.

Smokey, Milky Lapsang Souchong tea with honey and biscuits. Very pleasant, reminds me of mellow afternoons with a good book. Lasts longer than I thought, but not all day.
I'm not sure this is a good thing to smell like. Not sexy, not sultry, not playful, not fresh and clean. Then again, it's not a bad thing to smell like...

I had the pleasure of obtaining a small vial of this one and I absolutely love it. I love tea fragrances and this one is just that. You really can't go wrong with it unless you bathe yourself in it.
Gonna save up some to get a bottle of it.

A lovely scent! I'm actually surprised that I like it so much, because I don't like tea nor do I like smoke. But, somehow, this manages to be one of the classiest, most suave, gentle and refined fragrances I've ever come across. I find it hard to describe this wonderful scent, it's almost an emotional experience that must be savoured by any fragrance lover.

The opening is very smoked turkey breast or Caucasian cheese with eucalyptus spear mint. This sounds weird but smell somehow nice. After an hour comes sweet tea. The tea accord is louder than we used to hear in other tea scents. This is one of a kind artistic fragrance which i find successful but would not like to wear.

I get the lapsang souchang from this as well as a clove-heavy chai. Maybe drinking chai beside a mesquite fire? Initially it doesn't come off as sweet on my skin, just smoky. Kind of a tricky scent in my mind because I can't imagine wanting to smell like lapsang, it being a tea that people either love or think stinks to high heaven. Got a bit of that barnyard smell to it. The frag sweetens somewhat in the middle, and cedar comes in fairly noticeably. On the dry down it's all cloves and cedar, softly, with a dash of milk. A unique scent, and in my mind not very spicy despite the presence of cloves. More warm and smoky.

As a lover of tea, from the roasted genmaicha in CDG's Tea to the muted 'violetized' black tea in GPHII as well as "real" teas for drinking, how can I not love this? Living in Thailand, I have access to a wide variety of teas from the region. Well, this was a "love at first smell" experience for me.

Smoky, rich, mildly sweet, and honeyed -- with a feeling of timelessness. Perfect in my book. It's pretty dark, but is not sinister at all.

What's even better is that this is not a "difficult" scent... It's pretty easy to understand and appreciate.. even for non-enthusiasts. This one is a compliment-magnet and does well with the ladies... I find it very easy for me to wear. Unique, elegant, and versatile.

A winner is T42.

Lovely and interestingly-unconventional smell. May work in summer/spring, but works better in colder weathers (or in an air-conditioned area). Smokey and sugary in the first hour or so, but then the dry down brings it closure to the smell of coffee/chocolate/cinnamon. Honey is always there from top to base. Not sure if it will earn you complements, but surely it'll please its wearer. Fairly long lasting (7 hours), but silage is average. I bought a bottle at $137 from a beauty shop nextdoor (as I stopped purchasing on line the scents made of natural notes, since these may go off if left on the shelves for more than a year or so). But it is not outstanding enough to topple “Antaeus”, which is the first best winter/fall scent in my wardrobe (though made from artificial notes, and at almost half the price).

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.

So much could go wrong here that doesn’t: it could have been too smoky, too spicy or too sweet. Instead it is nicely blended and balanced with a very pleasant dry down. Warm and sensual. I really love this one! Suitable for both sexes.

Completely unique, and I absolutely love it. Great for all seasons and can go along with any occasion. It does actually smell like tea and gradually transforms into a rich, sexy aroma that definitely grabs the attention of women around you. One of my new favorites among the countless that I've tried and had the opportunity to own.

Spicy, smokey, fresh tea. It's not as complex or dark enough for me to buy it again, but it is my favorite tea scent to date.

I just tried my sample- it was a love hate love reaction. Went on smelling like tea and then the sharper tomes hit and I thought "crap, another one I don't like". Well, it's been an hour, and the smokiness is still there and I really like it. It is definitely different. It does smell unisex though, which adds to it's appeal for me.

Amazingly sweet, wearable, with a mix of smoke and tea. It's quite modern and does not reek. It smells of class, craftmanship, something we expect from L'Artisan. I have never smelled anything like this in my life, but I like it very very much. It would be wearable to work or a date, quite versatile and I consider this a bit more masculine than feminine.

It evokes warm, fuzzy memories a simple time that I don't even think I have. It's very cozy and intoxicating. This would be a beautiful signature scent.

My favorite L'Artisan frag to date -- spicy, rich, sweet tea with honey. Definitively unisex; absolutely timeless. Far, far superior to the host of cloying and synthetic "tea" offerings on both the men's and women's frag markets today.

Cheap? No. But certainly worth shelling out a few greenbacks for. This one is on my Christmas wish list for 2007 -- and I damn well better get a bottle.

I am not one for writing reviews but this fragrance evoked such deep memories in me I just have to write one. I ordered a sample just thinking I wanted a quick smell of Tea For Two but now i want a HUGE bottle. With my first sniff of my wrist I was transported back 30 years or so to my Great Uncles farm just outside of Nashville Tennessee where I would vacation with my Grandparents every summer. My uncle grew tobacco on his farm and that is what Tea For Two smells like to me. If you have never smelled large amounts of tobacco hung for drying you are missing out on the greatest smoky scent that exists! It really bears no similarities to cigarette or cigar smoke to me. It is the warmest, sweetest smoky fragrance and it really defies an explanation by me. I also get the honey in this fragrance and I guess the smokiness could remind me of Lapsong Souchong tea if I had never smelled drying tobacco before. This is definately a warm and cozy comfort scent that I see myself purchasing very soon.

It's smoky to the point of hurting at first, but it evolves into the most wonderful, warm smell ever. It's sharp, like cinnamon and cloves, but fuzzy around the edges like tea (although it has never actually smelled very much like tea to me). And for some reason it's a nice purple/blue color in my head.

The only other smell with a similarly warm base I've found was Musc Ravageur from Frederic Malle, even though they're totally different.

Upon first applying this, I smelled pepper, charred food, bitter tea and eucalyptus (Bengay?). I thought, "NO WAY" and was surprised by all the rave reviews by people whose taste I usually share. An hour later however, my wrist smells like tobacco, black tea and musk. One thing I love about L'Artisan is that even if I don't particularly care for the scent, I appreciate its quality, complexity and ability to evolve on the skin. I could see myself sharing a bottle of this with my husband.

honey sweeten tea with smokeyness. projects well. love it

Holy mackerel! As soon as I tried it on myself, I knew I had to smell it on my husband. I nearly assaulted him with this fragrance. I grabbed his wrist saying, "Put this on, right now, you HAVE to try it", he had no choice. Then, the seemingly impossible happened. He declared T42 an amazing scent. It is smokey. So much so that when the real tea topnotes dry down it seems almost tobaccoish. Doesn't come accross sweet, but there is a mildly sweet note (honey probably) which brings balance to this mix. I find it intoxicating. My favorite L'Artisan thus far. As for the price, of course I wish it was not so high. But I'm willing to part with big dollars for this frag!

To me, this smells exactly like a nice hot cup of Earl Grey. I'm not sure I'd want to wear it, but does what it does extraordinarily well.

I think this is a very complex creation. My exposure to tea notes is quite limited however, the sillage is identical to Gucci PH and for that reason alone it won my respect. The opening notes are oddly spicy and die down much to quickly, but their replacements meet the challenge quite well. The sweetness is balanced nicely with the smoke and the tea is accented by what smells like a faint incense note. I think the biggest trick with T42 is to wear it as an EdP and keep it at arms length from your nose.

The first women to smell it on me asked me what it was. She grabbed my wrist, took a deep breath and said "I could just eat you up" There is something to be said for wearing a fragrance women like, but I wouldn't wear it hockey or football game.

I already had' felt thanks to of the champions some "delights" de L'Artisan as The' pour an Ete', L'Eau de L'Artisan and Voleur de Rose, but when has been me "sprinkled" on the hand Tea for Two it has been as a flash!!! A revelation.
I never had, NEVER felt something similar.... absolutely amazing.... The passage from the notes of head floral to those of the smoked tea and then slowly the appearance of the honey and the others notes of fund and' something that indeed very difficult to describe to words.
Unfortunately I believe that one of the collateral effects of the to possess this marvelous fragrance both to create "a dependence".
I admit it today: I am a "drug addict" of Tea for Two or as the calls in a friendly way here in the forum T42!
Not there and' day - above all to the evening at the end of a day of job - that I don't allow to fall some drop of this intoxicating mixture on my skin and every time the effect of beatitude repeats him: really unbelievable.

On a recent trip to Paris I stopped at the shop of L'Artisan Parfumeur located at the shopping arcade inside Musee Louvre. I was amazed at the variety of parfums, and everyone was incredibly authentic! Spicy, floral, fruity...but I was most impressed by Tea for Two. It truly reproduces the delicate scent of black (with a hint of white) tea, and a sweet front note of honey. It later melts warmly into milky smoothness reminiscent of a mixture of citrus (bergamot) and spice. Wonderfully simple, with a strong fixer, it lasts all day. Great buy! I loved it...!

I'm continually amazed by the pure quality that L'Artisan puts out. This is easily the most faithful reproduction of black tea that I've found. It smells almost exactly like a pot of good black tea that's been sweetened with honey.

Like a lot of L'Artisan scents, this is too niche for me to wear regularly (it just smells so specifically like tea, and not like an EdT). But, I bought a decant because I knew I would want to put it on once in a while.

The perfect homebody fragrance. I can't imagine leaving the house with Tea for Two on (unless its pouring and I want to feel sheltered warm under my umbrella), because it is just so damn cozy. Tea for Two makes me want to own a cat; it makes me want to move someplace where it is always grotesquely rainy outside and sit by the fireplace with an enormous book and a big, heavy blanket. This is the coziest smell I know.
The scent itself is rather linear, IMO: Sweet, milky tea from top to bottom. I think I'm alone on this, but I recognize hints of Bulgari Black in the tea notes. However, while BB is dry as a bone, T42's milk note gives it a wetness unlike any other frag I know. Its not creamy or thick, just "milky", there's no other way to put it. A calming, warming aura almost verging on soporific; an olfactory lullaby.

Amazing and wonderful; dark, sweet and smoky and just like Lapsang Souchong (as so many other reviewers have said!) An interesting scent that makes you think, if that makes any sense. Definitely full-bottle-worthy!

Just consider in the cold weather what
can make you warm? A cup of tea? or...
In my opinion Tea for Two is all more
welcome in this cold weather.
A glorious invitation for thos enjoy
Giacobetti's works. Souchong tea leave
and flowery notes are stimulating
opening. The heart is covered by smoke
tea and spicy ginger--a fiery and
voluptuous sensation. All the notes
are organized around the smoky and
woody notes. Closing a harmony of the
edible notes--Too for tea is better
name:). Giacobetti does in a masterly
fashion. Not cloying, not extravagant.
If you seek a suitable frag, there is
no harm to trying.

Best Wishes
PinkPanther

I tested many perfumes but i wear a few of them. which are my favorites such as: Hermès, Creed, L'Artisan & Serge Lutens.
my five perfumes that i wear usually are: (Himalaya, Gucci PH, T42, Terre D'Hermès & Muscs Koublaï Khän).
but i surely T42 is my smokey scent forever.

Completely un-Giacobetti-like, T42 is thick in character, with a smoky tea note and a rich (but light) honey-like sweetness. Also unlike her other scents, this one lasts a while. It jostles for position as my favorite L'Artisan. At some point it may be bottle-worthy for me, that is, if the bottle is the right price. At times it's compared to Lutens' Fumerie Turque. Sure, they are both smoky, but T42 is all about tea...slightly sweet, spiced tea, while Fumerie Turque is about smoky tobacco, spices, honey, and light florals. T42 is fairly linear in its development - much more so than Fumerie Turque, which changes at will. Anyway, as T42 dries it does pick up a woodsy quality in addition to the tea mentioned above. Overall, a great scent.

A sweetened and slightly smoky tea, not as fresh as most tea scents which is good for a change.

This stuff is amazing! It smells like Candied Yams. You'll smell like you just got into a Thanksgiving Dinner food fight. But at $110 a bottle, it should be called "Tea for One, because for that price, I'm not sharing! Get your own.

They aren’t kidding about the tea. There’s a persistent scent of vanilla tea, black and heavy and with the sweetness of some very floral honey, but it transforms as the moments pass, and I seem to catch the pricking fumes of menthol and eucalyptus about fifteen minutes in, giving it a somewhat medicinal touch. Then it mellows into a honey-coated warmth that settles deep in your skin, perhaps a touch of citrus breaking through the sweetness.

A comfy perfume, joyously romantic, and very unisex – actually, as the name intimates, it’s like made for two lovers sharing an evening by the fire in winter or a blanket on a lawn on a mild summer’s night. But hardly for casual or office wear; like most of Giacobetti’s creations, it’s a mood piece to enjoy in private or in intimacy. And a delicious one at that. All you need are some scones with lemon curd.

I tried some of this and gagged in horror. I then thrust my wrist under the nose of a Korean friend - 'What is it! What is it!' she screamed in distress. But then it dried and I found my self continually sniffing with something like pleasure. It reminds me of the taste of tea, rather than the smell of tea, with a touch of smokiness, if that makes sense. And there is nothing i like better than a strong cup of tea and a sticky bun on a cold day - a regular occurrence in the UK. Which makes me think that I should really invest in a bottle of this. The perfect accompaniment for cosy days.

What a charming scent! The long lasting opening begins with a smoky accord—at first, a bit aromatic and then settling down to a deep smoky note with a very subtle anise in the background. This is one of the most unusual openings I’ve encountered in fragrances—the smoke is so stark. In the middle notes, the smoky scent transforms to become a smoky tea. A ginger note accompanies the tea. And the total effect is one of grace and charm with a touch of other-worldliness. The fragrance finally settles into a dry down of honey, vanilla, and wood, which is like a meditation—so clear, so soothing, and so ethereal. Unlike several other L’Artisans, Tea for Two has very good longevity. It is unique, elegant, and versatile. In fact, it is exquisite.

It is one hell of a scent. A dance of sweet and aromatic notes, a lush interpretation of tea.

Tea for Two is instantly lovable and extremely wearable. It's nice in cool weather, but it works in warm weather, too. It smells like Chai tea with a little vanilla and it's as warming as a comforting cup of tea.

I found out some similaritys to two frags. Egoiste and Rive Gauche. Tea For Two has this spicy tea note, thats pretty dominant the entire time, same note that i wish Egoiste would have more. And after couple of hours, i became to smell this smoky woodines?. Dont know if wood is the right word. But it was kinda dirty and dry. The note that Rive Gauche was lacking(in my opinnion). The longevity was really good. Could still smell it clearly after 8hours. I sprayed on my shirt, so thats propably why.

Like Paul G said, this frag is all about Tea, nothing more, nothing less. Just superb frag from a superb house.

10/10

This is my favourite smokey scent. I so regret not purchasing it during winter. It is very unique, playful and masculine.
benb

Brilliant. Ran out of my sample too soon, that's because I kept putting it on, I couldn't get enough of it. Very soothing. And yes, I'm going to buy a bottle of this tea

outstanding. one of my fav frags ever. honey, spice, tea. so relaxing and would be ideal for a schmozzy date! I must have for all people serious about their fragrances.

Smokey Incense and wood all blended to a natural state of nostalgia. It is a lasting L'Artisan with the perfect release. It is never offensive or subtle. I prefer it in the winter with it's warming feel but it can be worn durring all seasons.

I didn't love it at first, a bit overwhelmed by the ginger and nutmeg, and the first scent I tried with a prominent honey note. Then I came back to it a couple of years later and now I can't get enough of the smoked tea and spices. Absolutely stunning. I agree with Matt that this DOES remind me of Memoire d'Homme, but more sophisticated and spicier.

Another hit by L'Artisan. Tea for Two starts with a mix of tea and that rubbery accourd (leather?). It keeps that tea note in the middle and blends in a dose of cinnamon and another sweet honeyish note. The bottom has a vanilla aroma that's balanced good by a peppery tone (ginger?). Excellent fragrance.

A precise, well rounded and sharply focused L'Artisan that lasts and lasts. In fact, I need a maximum of two sprays with this one, otherwise I'm in headache land and off the scent for a few weeks. It works best in subtle doses. to me, it has the light tannic qualities of a darjeeling, hinting at smokiness, rather than the full on bonfire fumes of Lapsang souchong. However, tea dominates all the way through, and I love tea.

A very interesting scent. To me, it smells more of coffee and chocolate than tea, with a smoky rubber undernote - like the way your clothes smell after a night at a bar. In ways, it's what Mugler's A*men might have been, but it's much more elegant.

I'm a bit confused since I was sure I'd reviewed this fragrance some time ago... Anyhoo, such an exquisite EdT deserves a second praise. At first I didn't like TfT at all. I perceived it too smokey and sharp. But, as is the case often with the truly great blends, repeated sampling made me realize what a beauty this was. TfT is like a steaming cup of lapsang souchong with plenty of lemon squeezed into it and just the right amount of honey at the bottom of the cup.
The closest I've come to this sensation of a smell is Nina Ricci's Memoire and that's still miles away.

For me tea for two is the only non-drinkable tea I'll ever need.

Tea for Two is a very nice smoky fragrance. It’s got an almost rubber like accord that adds to its unique nature. It’s a blend of sweet notes, a smoky tea notes, and a rubbery accord. It’s very unique, and it has this very soft and rounded nature that almost all L’Artisans have. It’s surprisingly easy to wear, and very long lasting.

I love this scent! It starts out even smokier than Bvlgari Black on me (and the comparison in the first review is apt). It quickly settles into a more tea-smoky and less cigarette-smoky smell and then the honey and spices come out to mingle... the smokiness keeps it from being too sweet, like Ginestet Botrytis can sometimes be, and the tea and mild spice notes lend a refreshing naturalness to what could have been a very cloying composition.

I hesitate to review this scent, because I love it so, and can't express it in words. This is the ultimate in spicy scents for me, giving me an overall impression of sweet cloves (clove is not a note, at least not that I've seen listed). If you are old enough to remember Beeman's Clove Gum, this is what it reminds me of. Only slightly sweet (just enough), a bit of tea, mostly spices, including yummy cinnamon in the background. I don't get smoky, like others have mentioned, except maybe a bit in the tea note. A perfect spicy/sweet blend for my nose. This is the only bottle I've paid full price for ... and would do it again. The beautiful bottle sits front and center in my collection.

Sometimes the Baron de Charlus and his cousin Oriane, Duchesse de Guermantes, could be found in the afternoons sipping tea together in one of the more exalted salons of the Faubourg Saint Germain. It was understood between them that on such occasions they would always both wear Tea For Two by L'Artisan Parfumeur. It seemed to suit them perfectly. The same exquisite breeding touched by eccentricity, the same subtle yet haughty grandeur, the same sophisticated civilities reaching almost into infinity, quite untouched by anything brash, vulgar, brutal or mundane.

A fantastic scent... one of my favorites

Being an avid tea drinker, i just love all scents that have a tea note. T42 is dominated by this note, and indeed quite smoky in nature. A very unique scent, although not my favorite L'Artisan, it's certainly up there with the best. To reply to Milamber, i didn't like Merchant Loupe at all, probably my least favorite in the L'Artisan line. Passage d'Enfer is utterly strange, smells like insense, but it smells really good, especially the dry-down, i guess that's what you'd smell like if you just had a journey through hell.

Having tried this for a whole day, i felt i just had to write about it. It starts off smokey, like Santos and Des Iles but only for awhile. As the notes rearrange itself, you get the strong tea notes as it emerges from the smoking pot. Very nice, ethereal. A sweet scent to be sure, then it disappears or rather, fades into the background of your life. Suddenly, without a hint, it comes on again, strongly to the fore. This time, the honeyed tea notes is very green in nature. It really perked me up at the end of a long and tiring day. A nice surprise from a truly cultured scent. Ok, so now i know the artistry of L'Artisan. Tea for Two is still wafting as i write this and beckons for me to try the other classics from this house, Merchant Loup and Passage D'Enfer. If they can achive what Tea for Two has for me, then i'm sold on this house.

This savory blend of smokey tea, spices, honey and vanilla is truely groundbreaking. Hardly a new quality for L'Artisan as they excel at innovation. T for T grew on me quickly. Don't deny yourself the pleasure.

A very unusual and innovative scent. The background is spice but the main note is Lapsang Souchong tea with it's incredibly smokey texture. Ideal for Winter. The only scent that is close to this is Bvlgari Black but Tea for Two is a more natural scent and lacks the rubber overtones of the Bvlgari.