Tea Leaves, Vanilla Bean, and Incense Smoke

[Seajewel]

No further description.

[forspecial_plate]

This is really, really light.  I love lighter scents and this is about as light as it gets (on my skin, at least).  I do smell the vanilla.  I'm reminded of Dead Leaves & Vanilla Incense from a couple/few years back.  But instead of leaves this seems to have the tea note from White Rabbit, or similar.  There's something slightly astringent in addition to the warm vanilla, and I think that could be the tea note. 

 

Can't really comment on the incense, it's just not standing out to me.  If I sniff up close I am detecting a hint of something smokey, but that too could be coming from the tea note.  

 

I just got this yesterday, not sure if it will be any different when it settles.  Just wanted to get an impression out there in case anyone was curious.  

 

Edit: this was my sotd and it's still a light scent, but it lasts a really long time - I can still smell it after 12+ hours!

Edited March 26, 2023 by forspecial_plate

[RoseThornAndOak]

Okay you know how black tea can be almost fruity? That was my initial impression, my mind distinctly went to hot 18th century dudes drinkin tea. It kinda puts me in that Old World/Master and Commander type headspace like Antikythera or No Man is An Island does.

 

I mean, it's not masculine, it's really just fresh, pleasant, aromatic tea. Maybe the vanilla bean is smoothing things out, the incense smoke I agree there is maybe a hint of, giving a slight tobacco vibe, but this is all about that tea, completely gender neutral. Pretty light on me, too. 

Edited March 25, 2023 by RoseThornAndOak

[ziggystardust13]

Sniffing out of the bottle I get a lot of vanilla bean. (yum). 

Wet, the astringent/fruity aspect of the tea comes forward. Is that you bergamot? Ah yes.... this is starting to dry down to a sweetened cup of earl grey. I barely get a hint of incense smoke, and really it reminds me more of what I recognize as bpal's laudanum note. This, like the vanilla bean, also begins to dissipate on my skin. We are left with earl grey with a drop of vanilla.  I happen to love tea scents so this is a keeper for me. Overall impression: Very calming and perfect for a rainy fall day. Average throw and wear. I want to layer this with vanilla/tobacco heavy scents and see what happens!

Edited April 9, 2023 by ziggystardust13

[LavenderCoffee]

Oh, this is nice. Lots of vanilla bean richness when first applied, and then it mellows out and you can smell the tea, like putting your nose in a tin of black tea. Not getting the subtle anise note that I've picked up before in other BPAL tea scents - although that would be gorgeous with this vanilla! Plus there's a soft wispy smoke around the edges. A great skin scent and great for layering.

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by LavenderCoffee

[hpennspenn]

Oh this is lovely! It totally gives me vibes from the 2022 realease that included the vanilla husk and hay trio.

 

This has that refreshing,  cleansing perfect for enticing April to bring forth all the flowers.  

 

I am blessed to have experienced each component,  easily identifiable, but so elegantly swaying tougher making room for the menage addition.  

 

I absolutely adore this blend and recommend it to anyone curious about where to start with tea blends...... START WITH THIS LOVE_____

[samanare]

More of a vanilla and black tea duo on me. It really reminds me of vanilla black tea leaves. I don't get any incense, but the tea note is almost atmospheric in this scent. Overall, this is a more mellow scent, the sharp earthiness of the tea leaves rounding over time. As it wears, it almost turns into more of a vanilla musk.

[doomsday_disco]

I got lots of lemony white tea from this, backed by a light incense. I don't get a lot of vanilla, but that's probably due to how strong the white tea is on me.

 

I really wish I got more vanilla from this.  

[MamaMoth]

this opens with a burst of lemon-adjacent tea leaf, but as it settles in the vanilla really comes forward to soften things up, and it's just really, really pretty. there's an incense-y kind of background hum to it, like bpal white noise. but there's nothing i can point to and say: oh, that's champaca, or myrrh, or whatever. it has a good strong throw to it without being overbearing, but there's a softness to the scent that is gentle and calming. the way that softness plays against the crispness of the tea creates a really pleasant experience.

 

i can see myself reaching for this a lot, and i think it will be a wonderful bedtime scent. i love it.  

[theseagrows]

this starts with a light, citrussy tea with a hint of vanilla that is leaning slightly nutty/gourmand on my skin. the vanilla gets stronger and balances out the tea note, then the incense comes through amping up the tea note and damping the vanilla down. then finally, all 3 notes seem to be in a perfect balance after approximately 30 minutes. there are certain stages when i like this better than others but overall it's a nice, light, refreshing tea perfume with some sweetness from the vanilla.

[Biocarbons]

This has a white tea + citrus smell that reminds me of gummy bears when first applied. After sitting on my skin for a few minutes the white tea gets really aggressive. The vanilla is a mustier vanilla and hangs out it the back.

 

Now it's dusty incense and tea leaves over dry vanilla. I don't mind it.

[Little Bird]

First applied, the tea leaves and vanilla bean remind me a bit of Dorian and more of Paper Phoenix, going on in a burst of happy, sugared, lemon tinged vanilla tea.  It's like a less complex Paper Phoenix and slowly shifts into the incense smoke part over the course of an hour.  The smoke comes out like cigarette smoke at first, but then quickly turns to more of a burning nag champa incense and notebook paper type of smoke, which makes me think of angsty teenager me and the incense scent of Hot Topic and burning journal entries to hide them from my mom.

[Llanval]

This one is lovely, with an opening of fresh black tea leaves, a little fruity and tannic. The vanilla is present from the beginning, along with the incense smoke. I enjoy all the notes here, and none outshine the other.  However, the incense smoke smells very similar to the one used in 2021's Inspecting the Lantern.  I have a full bottle of that, and it is a more complex and long-lasting scent.

 

If I didn't have Inspecting the Lantern, I'd pick this up.  It's a great balance of notes, the smoke is light and pleasant and it last about 4ish hours on a gentle application. It's not terribly strong, so if it had a bit more throw or staying power I would have gone for the full size. This is a really nice, enjoyable tea scent!

[roseus]

In the bottle I get a beautiful vanilla and black tea combo. The black tea is one of the most true to life I've come across in perfume, it has that bottomless woody-sweet quality. There's a lemony edge that reminds me a little bit of Dorian. A really beautiful soft incense backs this on my skin. It reminds of how the soft incense sort of melds with the cake in All Souls. Comforting yet refreshing, so glad I picked this one up! 

[WoolyBee]

The tea combined with vanilla bean reminds me of grape salad. Ya know? The one from the Midwest that has marshmallow fluff mixed in. But all that to say, it’s actually really nice. Smelling this makes me realize I can definitely tell the difference between vanilla husk and vanilla bean. I’m not getting incense smoke at all really, but we’ll see how it is when it dries down even more. It’s much fruitier than I thought it would be (wasn’t expecting fruit). But I think overall I like it. Ope. As it dries down I’m definitely getting the incense, it just took a while.

[jensdays]

On application I am decidedly unimpressed.  Heavy incense and tea, but not in a way that I find appealing.  I was hoping for more of a vanilla-tea scent.  Decent throw.  Hoping it does some major morphing as it dries.  Nope.  An hour in and it’s exactly the same.  Incense heavy, and tea in the background.  So sad.  I had such hopes for this one.  My husband doesn’t like it either.  I had such high hopes for this one - I was really looking forward to the vanilla tea.  Sigh.

[Estamets]

This goes on light & incensey. Sadly, in the drydown something goes funky on my skin - that happens with incense notes sometimes. 

[Cali]

A very soft scent on application - i'm mostly getting a sweet tea/incense mix which is quite gorgeous. The vanilla bean quickly starts to mix in and it's a slightly more gourmand vanilla in here. It takes the foreground and that's where it stays. Really pretty, wish my skin would have stayed at that application stage..

Edited April 9 by Cali

[Amoraexcena]

Definitely reminiscent of my beloved Paper Phoenix, without the lavender. At first it's very much a sweet tea-and-lemon scent, with a bit of vanilla bean and incense smoke in the drydown. My favourite ménage à trois is Vanilla Bean, Marshmallow & Benzoin, and this is a close second. Super glad I got it. 

 

I think vanilla bean is overtaking bourbon vanilla as my top vanilla variety lately. It's just the perfect amount of non-cloying sweetness and blends seamlessly with other notes.