By Tara
Do you like fragrances with tea and coffee notes?
How do you prefer your tea perfumes; green, black, jasmine, with milk or iced with lemon?
What are your best loved tea scents?
Have you found your perfect coffee perfume? What is it?
Or do you prefer your tea and coffee in a cup only?
My Answer:
I generally have a love of tea perfumes. It’s partly because I love the beverage but it’s also because they make an interesting change from more commonplace compositions. They come in so many different varieties and run the gamut from dark and smoky, to light and floral.
My favourite tea perfume is the Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan. It’s calming, unusual and quietly beautiful. Another great tea scent is the refreshing yet soothing Oolang Infini by Atelier Cologne.
While I like the aroma of coffee, I’m not sure about it being prominent in my perfume. The only fragrance I own with a coffee note is Kyoto by Commes des Garcons, but you’d be doing very well to pick out the coffee from the incense.
I really hope you’ll share your tea and coffee favourites in the comments.
Olfactoria's Travels 
I like New Haarlem by Bond No 9 as it has a great coffee note along with lavender , immortelle, Chocolate and vanilla. Rochas Man I hear has a good dose of coffee as well, but I haven’t sampled it yet. As for my fave tea scent, that honor goes to Silver Mountain Water by Creed. The green tea and black currant are phenomenal. So fresh and invigorating. I can’t get enough. Another great tea scents from Bulgarvi are Bulgarvi Black and Bulgarvi Soir Homme which does a fantastic thing with tea and it also refreshing and has character.
Nice selection. Tea and coffee perfumes often do have a lot of character, which is great.
I love the smoky black tea at the start of Bulgari Black. I think it’s the best bit.
My favorite tea/coffee scent is probably Art Collection by Jacomo #08 which smells like chai tea (milky and spicy). I love the idea of pure tea scents but, usually I find them much too soft and fleeting for my tastes. I love the Hermessence Osmanthe Yunnan but, no matter how much I apply I can’t smell it after about 20 minutes.
Yes, some tea scents can be fleeting, it’s true. I’m sorry to hear you only get 20 minutes out of Osmanthe Yunnan. How disappointing.
I love tea notes in perfume. My favorite are Hermessence Osmanthus Yunnan and Guerlain Tokyo. Cannot drink coffee and I have a hard time smelling it.
I’ll have to read up on Guerlain Tokyo, Sandra. Thanks for recommendation.
I don’t drink coffee either, so maybe that’s why I’m not attracted to coffee perfumes.
Hey there lovely Birgit,
I have some tea/coffee-ish scents but they are not the reason I adore them, It’s like an added YAY that they have them.
When I want perfume tea: T42 by L’Artisan, Wild Ginger Chai by SOIVOHLE and Five O`Clock Au Gingembre by Serge Lutens
Perfumed coffee: CafeV by Olympic orchids, Milano Cafe by La Via Del Profumo and L’Eau de Navigaeur by L’Artisan
The one I’ve been wearing recently that I didn’t realise had a tea note is Black Rosette by Strange Invisible Perfumes, I love the way the scent wears but it’s also fun to look at the bottle because the juice is is crystal ribbons inside and looks so beautiful.
Portia xx
Oops, sorry Tara. Hello.
Hi Portia!
No problem at all.
That’s a really nice range of tea and coffee frags.
I really like Five O`Clock Au Gingembre, but not sure I’d wear it. I really need to test Tea For Two again, it’s been ages. I had thought it was discontinued but I saw it on the UK L’Artisan website this week.
That Black Rosette bottle sounds gorgeous.
Bvlgari Eau The Vert is my fave and Jo Malone Earl Grey & Cucumber is nice also, reminds me of British tea, with a cuppa and cucumber sandwiches. Yum.
My favourite tea fragrance is Tea for Two by L’Artisan Parfumeur. I love its honeyed cloves. I spray it on my hair before I go to bed and breath deeply as a wait to fall asleep.
I really want to try this one again! I only tested in very early on in my Perfumista-hood and found it too dry at the time. I’m sure I’d experience it differently now. You make it sound very appealing.
i love osmanthe yunnan. osmanthus is a common flavoring in chinese desserts, and whenever i went to dim sum in my years in hong kong i ordered osmanthus jelly with oolong or pu’erh, so this fragrance is quite evocative for me as well!
i like bvlgari’s au the rouge because it is a very realistic interpretation, but i prefer to layer with it because it is a bit flat on its own. tea for two is wonderful as well, deliciously sweet and spicy.
Thanks for sharing your associatons with Osmanthe Yunnan. That’s a lovely connection to have.
Layering Au Thé Rouge to add an extra dimension sounds like a good idea.
Hi Tara,
My very favorite coffee plus perfume (of all time) is DSH Cafe Noir. Tea? Wild Ginger Chai by SOIVOHLE!
Azar
Hi Azar
Many thanks for sharing your two favourites.
Hi Tara,
La Via del Profumo creator Dominique Dubrana (aka Abdes Salaam Attar) in Milan just realeased a gorgeous coffee scent: Milano Caffe. I can see myself reaching for it a lot this winter. As for tea, I’m crazy about DSH Creations Bancha and Matsu! I spray Bancha on my pillow before bed at night for comfort and sweet dreams.
Amy M. (Shy Lotus)
Hi Amy
So you’re a fan of Milano Caffe, like Portia. I keep hearing good things about La Via del Profumo.
Thanks for the tip-off regarding Creations Bancha and Matsu by DSH. I shall have to check those out.
Just wearing Osmanthe Yunnan today, kinda love it but it’s too radiant for me))) There’s too much me all around every time I wear it lol. Tea for Two by L’Artisan and Tea House by Neil Morris are my all time favorite tea scents anyway.
muza, it’s too funny. Dubaiscents finds Osmanthe Yunnan too soft and you find it too loud! Just goes to show you have to try perfumes for yourself.
Tea House by Neil Morris is a new one on me so thanks for that.
Ah these body chemistry’s surprises ))) BTW, I also love Moroccan Green Tea by Ava Luxe – so simple and sooo nice and refreshing!
Yep, skin chemistry is not be discounted!
I love how refereshing yet interesting tea perfumes can be.
Excellent question, Tara. I love tea as a note in perfume and I’m always happy to hear recommendations.
My favorites so far are the same as yours. 🙂
Coffee is not for me, I don’t ever drink it and I don’t want to smell like it either. But you never know, perfume can be so surprising…
Thanks, B. We are of one mind yet again.
It does seem that us non-coffee drinkers are not fans of it in our fragrance either.
In turn I am a coffee drinker but don’t care for it in perfume-same with chocolate. Although, I am really curious to try La Via del Profumo Milano Caffe.
Yes, Cybele, some others feel the same as you so it’s not always a given.
Milano Caffe has had some really positive feedback.
I love tea scents and Tea for Two is a favorite of mine. I can’t say I’ve smelled too many coffee perfumes but I do love the smell of coffee. I don’t like the smell of coffee breath though.
Yuk, coffee breath is pretty horrible.
Another fan of Tea For Tea. I’m glad it’s still around.
I hate coffee in perfume.
For tea – Parfum d’Empire Osmanthus Interdite, Carthusia Mediterraneo.
Coffee scents do seem to be more polarising than tea.
Osmanthus Interdite is lovely.
I never liked A*Men or such scents, but when I recently tried Montale Intense Cafe it was nice, but not something I would wear.
Do you drink coffee?
sometimes I do, but a very weak one. More than half a cup of my coffee is milk.
Makes sense you’re not a big coffee fragrance fan then. Based on other answers today. it does seem to go hand in hand with loving the beverage.
Tea for Two by L’Artisan is a favourite, I even stock piled a large bottle just before it was discontinued, and am pleased to see so many liking it above, maybe this will help to bring it back!. I’ve never liked green tea perfumes, and don’t have any (although I start each day with a large mug of green or white tea!). I’m a coffee addict, but haven’t tried many coffee perfumes. I really liked Tom Ford cafe rose but was put off by the TF marketing and the price. It will definitely be revisited, though!
Tea for Two is back! It’s sold out on the US version of the website but it’s in stock in the UK. Very good timing for today as it seems to be our favourite tea scent.
Tom Ford’s prices are very “aspirational”.
Hello Tara,
what a coincidence, I’ve just ordered Milano Caffe blindly yesterday, because I’ve read so many good things about it, and I love the smell of coffee. But, all the ususal suspects in fragrances, I’ve tried so far, hat either not prominent enough coffee notes or there where other notes, that ruined the coffee note for me. The only one that I still love and own is Cafe Noir by Dawn Spencer Hurwitz.
Tea in scents is usually not my cup, with two exceptions, Osmanthe Yunnan and Takashimaya, the latter is unfortunately discontinued. To me, it smells sometimes more like tar than tea, but I it’s such a comforting, unique scent.
Cheers
Safran
Hi Safran
Nice timing! Milano Caffe really does seem to be a well loved coffee scent. I’m sure you’ll love it.
Osmanthe Yunnan is hard to beat and Takashimaya sounds fascinating.
Forgot to mention, the name is actually T by Takashimaya, not to mix up with the Neil Morris scent, he made for Takashimaya. I gave the EdP version away unfortunately, but I might still have a few drops of the perfume version somewhere. If so, I’ll send it to you.
Thanks, Safran.
Hi Safran, did you try the new Cafe Chantant by Nobile 1942? It’s gourmand, but a very nice coffee note.
Hi Asali, thank you for the recommendation, I just tried it last week actually. It’s really lovely, but to me it’s more a soft vanilla scent, not enough coffee in it ;o).
I belong to the group of coffee drinkers, who love their espresso and strong, good coffee from all around the world. The stronger, the better!
Hi, Tara – nice question, I’m enjoying everyone’s answers. I agree with dkchomoman, Bond 9 New Haarlem is my favorite coffee scent, which is a note I enjoy; also the discontinued L’Or de Torrente and Ava Luxe Cafe Noir. For teas, I love the Bulgari line, esp. Au Rouge with the roobios and Black. The original Omnia smells just like chai. Tea for Two is lovely but so fleeting on me! Like you said, I haven’t tried it since early on.
I’m pleased to hear you’re enjoying today’s question, ringthing. I’m enjoying everyone’s answers too.
Thanks for adding your favourites. Bulgari seem to be the go-to mainstream line for tea scents.
I love both coffee and tea, and I love the smell of both in fragrances. 🙂 But, I have yet to find my “perfect” scent in either one. I would like someone to do a really heavy scent based on Earl Grey, but embellished with oriental notes. I often wish that tea fragrances had more presence and were less gourmand. As for coffee fragrances, I probably like Coffee and Cedar best so far, by Plume Perfumes on Etsy. I am only just starting to test it, but Milano Cafe is also very promising!
Milano Caffe is proving a hit today so I’m sure it will turn out to be a winner for you once you’ve tested it properly.
An oriental Earl Grey perfume would be lovely. Tea perfumes can tend to lack some omph.
I love the coffee note In Bond #9 New Haarlem. It creates a nice backbone for the sweetness in the other notes. It also has a sexy quality, a sort of mysterious edge. And I love Tea For Two, but I get very little ‘tea’, instead on me it is all honeyed sweet tobacco. Which is fine, but I would love to have that delicate tea note wafting through. I am going to have to try the Osmanthe Yunnan, because I have heard so many complimentary things. I tried the Atelier the other day and it neither smelled like tea to me, nor was it appealing. Good question, Tara!
Thanks, Tora!
Bond no. 9 doesn’t normally get a lot of love but we have heard from quite a few fans of New Haarlem.
I need to seek out a tester of Tea For Tea asap. Everyone is making it sound so good. If it was cheaper I would have ordered a bottle by now.
Hope you like Osmanthe Yunnan when you g et to try it.
Tara, I would be glad to send you some Tea for Two!! You have my email address. So contact me and send me your address and I will hook you up. If you want some New Haalem, I could send some of that too! Let me know!
Thanks for the offer Tora, you’re very kind.
Hey Tara!
I have not tried a single fragrance that has been mentioned. Hmmmmmm. Tea or coffee notes are absolutely unappealing to me. But as my daughter just said, if you like to smell of cat’s pee, then why not tea??? 😉 She may have a point. Will keep my nose open to suggestion. Cheers for a great post. Hugs, Val xxx
LOL Your daughter has cut right to the heart of the matter there 🙂
Give them a try next time you come across one. Even if it’s just to confirm they’re not for you.
Tea for two I have, but I get a sticky/sweet impression when I wear it. Osmanthus Yunnan is lovely, I never thought of it as a tea scent, I just wanted more of it. Coffee – I love to smell it being ground but that is the end of it for me.
I guess the ginger and honey is combining to give you the sticky/sweet impression in T42. I’m wondering if my nose or sample were off when I tested it years ago.
Osmanthe Yunnan is more osmanthus than tea for sure, but it is lovely.
I’m with you on the coffee front.
My favourite capuccino perfume is Trussaridi ´Inside Donna´. Love it. And a nice coffee perfume is Tom Ford´s Cafe Rose.
Thanks for sharing your coffee picks, VeniH!
Hi Tara! You can include me on the love train for Tea for Two! Also, Xerjoff Mamluk smells like deep, dark honeyed tea to me (shared with a handsome companion). Serge Lutens Five O’clock au Gingembre is sooo gorgeous too.
Hi Suzanne,
I have your first class seat all ready and waiting aboard the T42 love train!
I’m so tempted to buy it unsniffed it’s unreal, but I will resist.
You make Mamluk sound very seductive for a tea scent and Five O’clock au Gingembre is one of my favourite Lutens.
Hi Tara, great question. I LOVE coffee, I am an addict, actually:-) And I do love tea too, although not quite to the same degree. As for perfumes, I find both notes a bit difficult, and prefer the very dark black tea note. I like London by Guerlain. T42 is great, but not quite for me, I ended up swapping it, because I never wore it.
As for coffee, I really like Bond So New York, Black Vetyver Coffee ( the only reason I didn’t buy this is longevity, which is beyond poor), and I also get a hint of coffee in Atelier d’Artiste.
Thanks, Asali!
I do rather envy people who love their coffee. You guys seem to get so much out of it. Although I’m probably saving a load of money by not drinking it!
I didn’t realise Bond did a coupleof coffee perfumes.
I’m not surprised about the Black Vetyver Cafe, Jo Malone fragrances don’t have the best longevity.
Tara, this is an exceptional Monday question! For many years I’ve been looking for the perfect Earl Grey scent but I’m yet to find anything that accurately captures the highly perfumed combination of bergamot and black tea.
My favourite coffee perfume is A*Men Pure Coffee. It’s perfect. Is it weird that I love the smell of coffee but absolutely hate the taste?
Thanks very much, Thomas!
Going on today’s answers it does seem unusual to dislike the taste of coffee but to like it in perfume. I like the smell of it but not as a personal fragrance. Just one of the many ways you are unique 🙂
Natalie is also looking for the perfect Earl Grey scent (albeit an oriental version). I hope one comes along. I’m glad you’ve found your perfect coffee ‘fume though.
I love the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans – but I have no desire to smell like that (once I had a pair of candles called “Cafe” & “Crema” – that was heavenly…). I’m a tea drinker, at the moment a fan of Yunnan teas or of a nice strong Assam. The most tea-ish parfum I’ve found sofar is Illuminum’s “Black Tribal Tea” – but I can find tea in L’Artisan’s Coeur Vetiver Sacre. And I quite like the tea in Ormonde Jayne’s Qi.
I forgot about OJ’s Qi. I shall have to wear some of the lovely decant you gave me tomorrow.
I really miss drinking proper black tea. I do have it on the rare occasion but it’s one of the things I was recommended to give up when I got stomach problems. I like Red Bush tea now but I hated it at first.
Thanks for adding Black Tribal Tea to the list. You’re the only one to mention it. I’m surprised no one has mentioned CB I Hate Perfumes yet. I think they have more than just Russian Caravan Tea.
Coeur Vetiver Sacre.is on my To Try list.
Apropos stomach problems – I cannot start the day with black tea anymore (as I did for decades…), these days it’s ginger water or herbal tea 😦
Yes, I start the day with water now. I think you’re doing the best thing.
My answers will be an amalgam of those from earlier posters, namely Bvlgari Black and Oolong Infini. I also love The Blanc by Ava Luxe, and enjoy The pour un Ete by L’Artisan, and Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert, that is by Ellena as I recall. Coffee scents you can keep, as far as I am concerned…though Black Vetyver Cafe is fine, possibly because it is so quiet. 😉 I do also know that one that Portia mentions, Black Rosette. It has incense and spearmint in it too and a chap I know took one sniff and was transported back to his youth and his first love, a chain tea drinking, gum chewing, cigarette smoking Goth!
Hi Vanessa
I’m surprised nobody else mentioned the jasmine tea of Thé Pour Un Ete.
I love that very specific association your friend had with Black Rosette!
I don’t seek either tea or coffee notes in perfume for different reasons. In real life, I’ve always preferred the taste and smell of coffee (I think this is because my first encounter with tea was with a very watery weak bodied tea on a class field trip in India..:)). However, I’ve developed a taste for tea. I used to like and occasionally wear L’artisan’s Tea for two which is slightly spicy, slightly woody and would suit you to a T(ea), Tara..;-P
Coffee notes in perfume, I can appreciate but they can give me a head ache. I can appreciate but rarely wear Bond no. 9 New Harlem (but that would be my recommendation to anybody that likes coffee in perfume).
I did recently try a soap called Perfect Morning which featured coffee absolute and which I really really liked. It was a limited edition, unfortunately, as the soaper (Laura from Olive and Oud on etsy ) said it was too expensive to make. She does seem to have a Blood Orange Patchouli soap currently with coffee essential oil that sounds quite nice but I haven’t tried it yet..:)
Oh and I did like Black Rosette when I tried it, though the tea didn’t register. I must sample that one again
Black Rosette does sound intriguing, particularly with the unusual bottle/juice.
Lavanya, our first impressions with food and drink are so influential aren’t they?
Any note that you gives you a headache is an instant no-go. That Perfect Morning soap was a very clever idea. Too bad it wasn’t cost effective to produce. The Blood Orange and Patchouli sounds good too though.
I definitely need to get acquainted with Tea for Two now you reckon it will suit me!
I like Moschino’s Funny! It’s a fruity tea that’s surprisingly grown-up. Not at all what you’d expect from the fun and flirty packaging.
It is weird when the perfume is totally different from the vibe of the packaging.
A grown-up fruity tea sounds good though.
I also like Art Collection #8 by Jacomo, a nice chai, but I prefer Thé Rouge by Bulgari, it is stronger and more unique. I also like Black by Bulgari, but maybe the tea opening is its best part as stated above.
Coffee? I think I only know L’Or de Torrente, coffee with roses.
Thanks for sharing your favourites, citypark.
I think I’ll look up Thé Rouge. If Black stayed with the Lapsang Souchong all the way through I would have bought a bottle by now. Coffee with roses seems to be a popular combination.
I’m glad you brought this up. I was wondering what my SOTD was going to be and I decided to go with Cafe Rose by Tom Ford. I had tried it this summer and liked it but wanted to test it in cooler weather. If I remember correctly I got a hint of chocolate in it which one can never go wrong with, right? This is a sunny, crisp, cool fall day perfect for some coffee, chocolate and roses!! Thanks for the reminder.
Glad we could help with your SOTD lila.
If I was ever going to wear a coffee perfume I would also go for one with roses and chocolate. Definitely!
I recently picked up Hamarikyu Gardens for a song. This is my first experience of such a strong tea note in a perfume. It’s not a note I’d normally look for, but I did find it very pleasant for the summer months. I’ve been a tea drinker since a child, but never thought to spray it on myself. When mixed with other notes I favor, it’s quite nice.
Congrats on your bargain.
I do agree with you. Straight up tea is not so appealing but it can add interest to a composition.
I like to drink teas and coffee rather than waft them.
Fair enough, Jordan!
A few of my favourite coffee frags.
Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Eau de Iles: If you can survive the intial blast of pungent galbanum this dries down to a lovely roasted coffee and spices.
Penhaligons Endymion: Nice oriental with coffee and nutmeg.
Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Santal Noble: Lovely sandalwood with hints of coffee.
Thanks very much Joe. You’re the first to mention those three coffee concoctions. You do make them sound good.
The only perfume I have with a tea note is Dior’s Escale Pondichery, with a black tea note. I only wear it in Summer, though 🙂
I think the Escales are all about summer so that’s the perfect time to wear it!
Great question! I like tea scents, not coffee though, except as a drink and in food (coffee and walnut layer cake, yum).
I tried Tea for Two years ago and remember enjoying it a lot, but the one I really like is The Pour un Ete. Some say it’s just an expensive, niche iteration of the green teas by Bvlgari and L’Occitane, but I actually find it much more subtle and light-hearted, and even though the notes are very similar, it smells somehow much less ubiquitous; perhaps it’s just that it’s drier and more citrussy, closer to my idea of a green floral tea. Longevity is poor, as you’d expect, but it doesn’t really bother me; I love reapplying it!
Glad you like this week’s question, Figuier.
Some refreshing perfumes are meant to be applied lavishly and often. I believe there’s a fair amount of jasmine in Thé Pour Un Ete. It’s not a straight up and down green tea fragrance.
A little bit of coffee and walnut cake is the closest I get to coffee!
Interesting responses this week, now I don’t feel so odd. 😉 I love both tea and coffee perfumes, which is quite ironic because I drink neither. (I don’t even care for the smell of the coffee aisle at the grocery store, go figure!) Favorite tea scents are Jacomo #08, Tea for Two, Bulgari Black and Five O’clock au Gingembre, and for coffee it’s Ava Luxe’s Café Noir and Bond No. 9’s I Love NY for All.
Dionne, there’s no need to ever feel odd in Perfumeland. Someone will always share your tastes and as far as tea and coffee perfumes go, it does seem people are generally fans.
Thanks for adding your own favourites.
I see many great suggestions I still have to try. I’m more fan of a coffe than tea so it is the same with the perfume. I like Bvlgari Black and The Vert Extreme. I smell coffee in Thierry Mugler’s A*Man Pure Havane, althoug it is not listed.
Isn’t it great to get so many ideas from reading everyone’s answers?
Like most of us, you feel the same about tea and coffee in perfumes mirros how you feel about the drinks.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there was coffee in A*Men Havane seeing as they do a pure coffee version.
It is good to be remembered and to get some new ideas. And I ment A*Man Pure Coffee but I’m still pretty sure there is some coffee in a Havane ;-).
Yes, sometimes it’s great just to be reminded to try things you’d forgotten about.
Surely there is coffee in Pure Coffee?!
So many great suggestions here. A couple things to add. I love the coffee note in PG’s Coze and in Frank #2. Also, Annick Goutal’s Duel was one of my favorite tea scents this summer.
Thanks for adding those great suggestions Brooke. I’m surprised no one else has mentioned any perfumes with maté in them. I love that note. It’s L’Heure Fougoureuse as well Duel.
Cafe Diem by PK perfumes (Paul Kiler) is really fantastic for those who like the smell of turkish coffee. Just lovely!
Than you for that tip, Lori, I had never heard of the brand. Will investigate asap! 🙂
I love Jo Malone – Earl Grey and Cucumber which is beautifully fresh and English smelling and the ‘tea’ smell comes from the bergamot, I like to save this for fancy lunches and interviews.
I also love Diptyque – Eau Duelle which is a spiced vanilla fragrance with a black tea note, a soft skin sent, bit it lasts and lasts..
HI Louise
You do make the Jo Malone sound very appealing. I would like to find a nice Earl Grey perfume. I think this might be a limited edition as some of the tea scents were, so not sure it’s stil sround. I can imagine it’s perfect for fancy lunches and interviews.
Eau Duelle is very nice. I didn’t know it had a tea note. I shall look out for that next time I try it.
I like the Malone Earl Grey and Cucumber as well. My favorite tea perfume is Bvlgari Au The Vert extreme- so refreshing!