L'Eau Rare Matale 06 (2005)
by Parfumerie Generale

Solid woodsy tea and lemon scent. Very nice pick me up in the morning. It's almost like drinking a fresh cup in the morning. But just like that breakfast tea, it doesn't last long and I for one don't like having to get "refills" of tea in fragrances.

Dark smoky black tea served with a lemon peel in a wooden tea cup. Light and subtle, with touches of vetiver, overall not satisfying enough. Next!

A very lovely fresh black tea scent, but it fades too fast. I'm hoping Hyperessence Matale will be the solution to this problem...

Not a very strong or aggressive scent, L’Eau Rare Metale speaks softly, stays close, and moves carefully. The top notes – bergamot, white floral, sage – seem very soapy to me and they carry too much of a leathery ambiance for my taste. Leather isn’t listed in the pyramid, but I think the leather-like note may be caused by the birch note that is listed. The soapiness is not bothersome but the leather / birch note, as light as it is, is too strong for my tastes. Not soon enough, the offending note is replaced by a smoky black tea note. This is much more to my liking, and, as gentle as it is, the scent continues to be a quite dark in feeling. Usually I like darkness, but here I can’t help but feel that the subtlety of the fragrance conflicts with its darkness. This is a goblin bee that will not state its sting – I guess I like my darkness to be more tangible and less eerie. There is an excellent cedar sweetness in the background that beautifully completes the middle accord. The base is light and inoffensive – too light and not enough offensive as far as I’m concerned: It needs more substance and presence. Certainly not a bad fragrance, but, in all, there’s too much that I have a problem with in this one. I can’t find the love.

A clean, non-edgy, smokey black tea scent. Probably leans more towards the masculine side, however, stays close to skin so ladies can wear it as well. Perfect for hot days!