Masque Milano Russian Tea Review

Masque Milano Russian Tea is a brand new fall 2014 release.  If you want to look over tea perfumes, I have a comprehensive review of tea fragrances from 2012.  There have been some new entries since then, and Masque Milano Russian Tea needs to go on the list.

BTW, have you all heard two bits of news? one, L’Artisan Tea for Two is coming back!  Two, Estee Lauder bought Le Labo.  Yeah, good and bad.  Hopefully Lauder will leave Le Lebo mostly alone and just let it do what it does so well.

Masque Milano russian tea

[pullquote]Having picked some tea,

he drank it,
Then he sprouted wings,

And flew to a fairy mansion,
To escape the emptiness of the world….
~Chiao Jen[/pullquote]

Masque Milano Russian Tea is the work of perfumer Julien Rasquinet, with notes of mint, black pepper, raspberry, black tea, magnolia, everlasting flower, leather accord, incense, birchwood and cistus labdanum.

Russian Tea walks the line between smoke billowing tea and a more moderate tea scent.  the mint, raspberry and pepper, along with light floral takes some of the edginess off of all of those dark birch, incense, leather and tea notes.  You know what would be really fun? If we could get two varieties of this tea fragrance – one with the modulating notes on and one with it off. I really love the one I’ve got in front of me, but that list of notes makes me pine not just a little for another one –  full-throated incensed leathery whip-snapping tea.  Well, I don’t have that one. This one will do quite nicely. I like the way it veers each direction, softening, then dark, softening, then dark.  It leaves a lot of room for people who love smoky black tea and those that like theirs served up a little more delicately. If you want a really delicate tea perfume, I’m not sure this is it.  Black tea and incense are pervasive, even while trussed up by the mint and raspberry.

After a run-through of my old tea perfume post, I couldn’t find a tea fragrance filling the slot Masque Milano Russian Tea fills.  It is not too sweet, not too strong, not too weak, not lacking tea.  Pulling back on the smokiness makes it incredibly wearable for long periods of time, which not all tea scents can pull off. Good thing, because this one lasted overnight on me. It doesn’t stay super-strong, but it lingers on your clothes and skin until shower time.

[pullquote]Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves — slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. ~Thich Nat Hahn[/pullquote]

I’m enchanted.  Mark at Colognoisseur has a review of it also.

Winners of drawings

Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu sample winners are Jill, Artist, Rincogniolita, and Sun Mi Fontaine.  By Kilian Addictive State of Mind sample set winners are Katrin, Joan Kubes, Deva and Glannys.  Click on the  Drop Us a Note at the top of the blog,send me your address and remind me what you won. I’ll send you send you a quick confirmation that I got your e-mail instead of it floating aimlessly down my spam filter, and then I’ll get your sample sent out to you.

Of course there is a drawing for this tea fabulosity.  Drop a comment, tweet or facebook share to be entered, and I’ll give away four winners of a sample of Masque Milano Russian Tea.  What is your favorite tea scent, or do you have one?

  • katrin says:

    I really like Oolang Infini, and smoky tea notes!

  • Eloquaint says:

    I love the the barnyard ambiance of Cartier L’Heure Fougueuse. Hands down my favorite tea perfume, although I also really like Tea for Two, in a completely different way. TFT is snuggly.

    Thanks for the draw.

  • Ruanne says:

    It’s interesting, how many people like tea & the idea of a tea scent, but haven’t found a favorite yet. I’m in the same boat- nothing I’ve smelled has measured up to the tea scent of my imagination. Maybe this is the one?

  • Elena says:

    I love Bulgari Black, and Eau The Vert. I thought By Kilian Imperial Tea was interesting but too literal for me. I need to try Tea for Two finally, I have heard so many good things about it.

  • Janice says:

    My favorite is Tea for Two–so glad they’re bringing it back.

  • Tiffanie says:

    My only tea fragrance is CB I Hate Perfume Tea/Rose which is all roses on my skin. I love it.

  • JillM says:

    My first tea Feagrance love, was back when Philosophy did the Tea Party with Tea, Sugar and Lemon, the tea smelled like a deep sun tea, the three together were so laid back, weekend on the couch, cramming for finals. I would love to try this new Russian Tea.

  • CC ... says:

    I love Bulgari Eau The Vert—and of course Black. Thank you for the draw!

  • dinazad says:

    I like the Bulgari tea scents, even if they don’t really remind me of tea. Because my favorite tea scent is the fragrance that you smell when you open your tin of the tea of the day – Mariage Frères Route du Temps, Murchie’s Library Tea, the green tea somebody sent from Japan, the Chingwo tea I bought in Brighton…. taste and memories all in that luscious second when you open the tea caddy. Gorgeous!
    The picture above does remind me of the tea-room Svetlana in Sochi (only open between 1 and 2 p.m.) and of tea and rose jam and beautiful wall-hangings… decades ago, that was….

  • Lena says:

    I am Russian and I love my tea! I don’t have a tea parfume yet! It sounds lovely the way you describe it! I can see samovar puffing fueled with burch logs, black tea steeping and a bowl of raspberry jam next to it! Home, sweet home!

  • thegoddessrena says:

    Just tried Treizieme Huere a few weeks ago and really liked it and on the delicate end of the spectrum I like Oolang Infinite. Looking forward to trying this one

  • Jaime says:

    SallyM raises such a good point — the warmth from the steam just can’t be replicated in a tea perfume. Still, I love me some Jo Malone Earl Grey Cucumber, and I always have some sort of green tea scent in my collection — lately, Al Rehab’s Green Tea, and perhaps, in a pinch, Spicebomb could work as a ‘tea inspired’ scent for the winter.

  • Connie says:

    I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t have a favorite tea scent- yet! I’m itching to try this one. 😛

  • Jackie b says:

    Such a variety of tea scents to try. My favourite is Tea For Two, which I can now spray with abandon!
    Looking forward to Russian Tea now.

  • mim says:

    Tea for Two!!!!!!!
    thrilled to hear this! have been hoarding my bottle.

    I also love The Pour Une Ete, which is quite different. Sometimes t4t is too ashtray and i want delicate and fresh.

    Would love to try MM Russian Tea! It sounds like it has both smoky and fresh aspects, which really appeals to me.

  • tati says:

    I like the idea of a tea scent as I don’t like too much sweetness in my perfumes, but so far I’ve struck out. Bvlgari Tea Vert disappeared on me, lighter than even cologne. The other I tried was Kilian Imperial Tea and I felt like I smelled like a Lipton tea bag. 🙁 I will go to your list and start exploring!

  • Kandice says:

    Please DNEM as I already have a sample. I would have really liked this if the opening had lasted longer on me. I loved the minty tea smell at the beginning. However it quickly changed to something very smokey and had almost a cigarette smell to it which I didn’t care for. I did get some great ideas for other tea scents from this, though, so thanks to everyone for that!

  • SallyM says:

    As a tea merchant, I haven’t yet found a tea perfume that really steps up to the plate (or should I say cup) to offer a really convincing version of tea in a bottle. To me, what’s missing is the essence of the steam of the cup if that makes sense. It’s the blending of all of the elements – the leaf, the water, the steam in the air – that makes the final drinking of tea such a sensory delight. The heat in the steam that brings the aroma of the leaves to the nose and the faint but comforting warmth on the face – somehow that just cant be captured in a perfume.

    I keep trying them all in the hope that I find The One – Jasmin Silver Needle is my absolute favorite tea and one that I would love to see accurately represented in a frag. In spite of the press info for By Kilian Imperial Tea stating that it is ” the most accurate possible reproduction of the note that you can inhale from a freshly brewed cup of tea,” I was disappointed once again. Yes, there is jasmine, there is green and there is tea. But there is not Jasmine Green Tea as brewed in the cup.

    However! My quest goes on and so I am intrigued by this latest offering and would love the opportunity to try a sample. Thank you for the generous giveaway!

  • teri says:

    I’ll stipulate to Osmanthe Yunnan being the tea scent standard. Excellent scent.

    I like the light touch of tea in Costume National Scent. I wouldn’t call this a tea scent, but there is tea in it and it’s distinct. And my personal favorite is the sadly discontinued Element of Surprise from Beth Terry. Lime, jasmine and tea. Summer perfection.

  • maneki says:

    Don’t have a good tea scent. Love tea as in I love to stand in the big tea aisle when grocery shopping, sniffing the fragrances of all the teas (mostly fruit flavoured ones) blending in the air, but don’t actually drink it. Only hot beverages I drink are hot cocoa, rosehip soup and glögg.

    • maneki says:

      First sentence is supposed to say “don’t have a good tea scent — YET”. Cause I’d love to find one, at least one that smells like a supermarket tea aisle (which I suspect isn’t what a real tea connoisseur wants).

  • SamanthaL says:

    I’d love to try this…tea is one of my favorite perfume notes!

  • Ashley A says:

    I do love Bvlgari The Vert. I can spray it with abandon in the summer and there are no repurcussions!

  • wefadetogray says:

    I am not sure I have a favorite tea scent. I am a tea lover and drink more tea than a healthy system needs. I’d love to try Masque Milano Russian Tea, and anything from Masque Milano really. I have read/heard only good things!

  • TheLunarWhale says:

    I like the hit of tea in Five O’Clock Au Gingembre and I’m excited to try Tea for Two, having heard so many good things about it.

  • foxbins says:

    So far I have not found a tea scent that I like. Some are too light, some are too smoky, nothing seems just right. Maybe Masque Milano has created the perfect one for me. Please enter me in the draw–Thank you Patty!

  • Dina C. says:

    I used to like L’Occitane’s The Vert in the summer, but I used up that bottle this summer. My other tea favorites are Bulgari’s green and red tea scents. The red rooitbos tea, in particular, is a great year-round oriental that’s light enough to wear anywhere. This new one that you reviewed today sounds spectacular. I’d love to be entered in the drawing. Thanks Patty!

  • Ann says:

    Yum, more tea! This sounds great, Patty — thanks for sharing! And of course, DNEM. I am absolutely thrilled that Tea for Two is returning so I don’t have to parse out my decant of it from a dear friend 🙂

  • JanLast says:

    For me, has to be CDG’s Series 7 Sweet Nomad Tea. I thought I would hate it, but the smoky, spiced black tea grew on me. Unfortunately, it was gone before I thought to buy a FB. The mint in this tea, as well as the smokiness appeals to me. Count me in!

  • solanace says:

    Tea for two, hands down. (Yay!)

  • Tena says:

    Smoky tea scent + mint – sign me up. My favorite tea scents are CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan Tea and Bvlgari Tea Vert. Thanks for the draw.

  • KirstenMarie says:

    Tea for Two is coming back, yay! Too fun, as my sample is low. Speaking of samples, please enter me for this. And if you want a lovely Russian tea to drink that smells like the gloriousness of Fall and Christmas rolled into one, Google Kobuk’s in Anchorage, Alaska. Their house tea, Samovar, is spiced with cloves, orange and lemon, and smells so intensely that they generally wrap it in oil cloth when people take it back to the Lower 48 in their suitcases. I ask them not to…I want the scent throughout my luggage!

  • Cecilia Lark says:

    Lapsing Suchong smoky? Lapsing Suchong has always seemed to smell like bacon to me…I guess it makes sense–they’re both smoked. The thing is, I like my tea (unless it’s chai, of course) straight up, no frills. If it’s supposed to represent Jasmin Phoenix Pearls, I’m going to be hoping that there’s a green tea and jasmine accord. If I’m hunting for a green tea fragrance, the ideal in my head smells like gyokuro or matcha. No lemon or bergamot (unless we’re talking Earl Grey). no sugar and cream/milk.
    So, I admit it. Hearing that Masque Milano Russian Tea has raspberry notes in it wrinkles up my nose a bit (da-amn, when did I become such a snob?!)

  • stina says:

    My favorite tea scent (so far) is CB IhP Russian Caravan Tea; it always makes me think of a tall glass of unsweetened iced tea with a big splash of lemon.

    Would love to try MM Russian Tea… smoky tea with mint and raspberry sounds amazing!

  • Maren says:

    I would love to try this one. I’m intrigued by the the addition of raspberry and mint.

  • Sapphire says:

    I don’t really have a favorite tea fragrance, but my favorite with a tea note is Eau Duelle. Thanks for the drawing!

  • I’m thrilled to hear Tea for Two is coming back – I haven’t tried it, but I’ve been hoping to! So far the only tea scent that I’ve tried is Atelier’s Oolong Infini and I really enjoyed it. I think I’d love it on my hubby even more than on me though. I adore tea though, so as I continue through this new perfume journey I’ll definitely look forward to trying several tea scents!

  • Nemo says:

    Bvlgari Black! Though I also love Osmanthe Yunnan 🙂

  • Audrey says:

    The new killian tea scents are interesting! Would love to try this one!

  • Ellen says:

    I have no tea scent perfumes, but I love tea, especially the smokey ones.

  • Ginny M says:

    Mmmmmm. Now I’m totally in the mood for CB I Hate Perfume Russian Caravan Tea, which is the most tea-like of my tea scents. I’d LOVE to try this one, though!

  • greennote2 says:

    Hermessences Osmanthe Yunnan hands down, no contest. I also like L’Artisan Tea for Two, but Eau du Fier and CdG Tea were way too over the top for me! Russian Tea sounds like it sits more with the first two. (And I had to go back to your great tea review to see what were tea scents, as I can never remember all the notes in each scent, I just retain an olfactory impression.)

  • Mary K says:

    I like Bulgari Red Tea. It is quiet enough for the office, but not so quiet that you can’t sniff your wrist and get a nice dose of all of
    the notes. Masque Milano Russian Tea sounds great! Sounds like it has something for everyone in it. (Everyone who like tea notes, that is).