Route du Thé (1986)
by Barneys New York

This is what Costume National Scent should have been. Just a tad bit light on Amber, and add a bit of fruitiness to give it more character.

This fragrance always reminds me of extra-dry ginger ale. It's kind of sharp and fizzy and I was very surprised to find there are no ginger notes in it. It dries down to a clean soapy smell on me.

This is not a fragrance I'd wear to seduce someone; more like something I'd wear to a business meeting. It's crisp and clean on me.

Sometimes I layer this with something sweet, like Brandy or a vanilla scent. Might not work for everyone, but it does for me.

I love it, but can understand why it may not be a hit with everybody. If Malle Bigarade Concentree smells like "stinky oranges," and TDC Rose Poivree smells like "stinky roses," then Route du Thé smells like "stinky tea." For fans of lighter, fresher, softer tea fragrances, this one may not be a good fit. But, for fans of unsweet, crisp, sharp scents, I think this one would be a good fit.

Though it's long been a cult favorite among certain New York fashionista types, Route de The and its charms have always been lost on me. I find it just a mite too sour and bitter as well as too - well, something indefinable but very much what also makes MPG's Eau de Camelia Chinois so unpleasant to me, something vaguely chemically and akin to hair toner if you've ever smelled that (and if you've never bleached your hair out, you probably haven't! You're not missing anything, trust me.) The actual notes of Route de The are green tea, citrus, muguet and amber, but it seems to also have traces of a particularly musty tearose to my nose. It's supposed to be a fresh and refreshing scent yet is anything but because of its particular reaction on me. I do think it's a your-mileage-may-vary case, though, as I know I've smelled it on others and been amazed at its beauty. Happily, it's fairly reasonably priced (particularly compared to anything else Barneys carries!) so you won't get badly stuck with a big bill even if you end up not loving it.

This fragrance is simply magnificent. There is nothing on the market remotely resembling it and I hope it is never discontinued. I receive nothing, and I mean nothing, but the highest of compliments each time I wear it, from both males and females. A great find.