The Story
The Film
Rare Teas
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Silver Needle Tea
STORY
INSPIRATION
INFUSION
CHARACTER
Softest Silver Needle Tea. For centuries a delicacy reserved for the imperial family of China. Inspired by its delicately floral, supple, and velvety nuances. Enriched with opulent rose. Tender with sage. Enveloping with musk. A glistening, romantic rare tea infusion.
We were seduced by the delicate floral facet of the silver needle tea. It made us think of morning dew on white rose petals. With this in mind, we tried to capture the atmosphere of dawn.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
The tea is infused for 10 hours to keep its freshness. We tried infusing it for longer but the floralcy disappeared, to be replaced by a mossy scent.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Silver Needle Tea has a delicate floral character. We magnified this with a subtle, candid, romantic interpretation. Rose absolute brings richness and density. Mimosa absolute gives a green freshness layered with tender musk. A hint of bergamot in the top notes intensifies the floral freshness. And sage tones conjure an image of the dry tea leaves.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
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Darjeeling Tea
STORY
INSPIRATION
INFUSION
CHARACTER
Radiant Darjeeling Tea. Richly floral with an exotic sweetness. Often found high in the foothills of the Himalayas. Vibrant spring buds grown on the steepest slopes among mountain mists. Luminous with jasmine. Cool with freesia. Enticing with an apricot note of Indian davana. A heady, sublime rare tea infusion.
We imagined the very first buds of spring arriving in a fresh and luminous atmosphere in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
The tea is infused for 45 hours. When you harvest the first flush, the concentration of fragrance in the leaves is not that strong. For this reason, we chose to infuse our tea for a little longer than others. After 45 hours of infusion, the fragrance had a wonderful white floral character.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
We chose jasmine absolute for its radiant white floral note. Freesia, for its floral zesty sparkling facet. And davana, for its floral and its fruity apricot note. Davana is an Indian herb that isn’t commonly used in perfumery, it’s known for its unique fruity scent.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
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Jade Leaf Tea
STORY
INSPIRATION
INFUSION
CHARACTER
Vivid Jade Leaf Tea. Inspired by the smoothest Japanese sencha. Bright new buds, steamed to preserve their distinct green colour and flavour. Bracing with a note of pomelo. Textured with sesame. Herbacious with maté leaf. A crisp, invigorating rare tea infusion.
We were inspired by Sencha Ariake; this is the smoothest of all the fine Japanese sencha teas. The ceremonial approach to tea in Japan captured our imaginations. In the Muromachi period (1392–1573), tea culture reached its zenith with tea masters, tea ceremony teachers and tea collectors given formal titles to distinguish their role within the art of tea. We wanted to pay homage to this erudition.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
The tea is infused for 22 hours to keep its fresh, slightly marine note.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
This fragrance is a crisp, green, slightly bitter, interpretation of tea. We chose sesame, lentisk, a resin similar to pine, and maté leaf to push those green and crunchy notes. We also added a hint of bitter freshness with pomelo.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
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Oolong Tea
STORY
INSPIRATION
INFUSION
CHARACTER
Delectable Oolong Tea. Rounded with a buttery softness. Grown in rolling mountains. Handpicked, dried on bamboo and heated for a precious woody elegance. Withered, curled and twisted. Perfectly formed. Rich with bitter cocoa and almondy tonka bean. Earthy with hay. Sweet with tobacco leaf. A cocooning, creamy rare tea infusion.
We visited an oolong tea field and were immediately struck by the scent. Its hay-like facets reminded me of the lavender distillery where I worked as a teenager. We really wanted to accentuate this roasted effect when creating the Oolong Tea fragrance.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
We infused our tea for 68 hours to obtain its woody dry and spicy personality, typical of a semi-fermented tea.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
This fragrance is a woody interpretation of tea, with a smoky inflection. We chose to capture the character of the real dry tea leaves by playing with precious woods to create an elegant, textured fragrance. We used powdery cocoa and almondy tonka to magnify its soft and woody facets. And hay and tobacco to bring out its roasted effect.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
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Midnight Black Tea
STORY
INSPIRATION
INFUSION
CHARACTER
Carnal Midnight Black Tea. Deeply seductive. Intrinsically exotic. Infused with puerh, matured for a sensual intensity. Sun drenched tea leaves, ever more intoxicating with time. Oriental with vanilla absolute. Amber rich with labdanum. Smokey with guaiacwood. A rich, alluring rare tea infusion.
We focussed on the moment when scents come alive after the sun goes down; plants and trees that hold onto the warmth of the day and release it at dusk with a sensual fragrance, tinted with woody, balmy and resinous tones.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
It is infused for 100 hours. We discovered that the longer the tea was infused, the more round, soft and sensual the scent became.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Midnight Black Tea is an embodiment of extreme sensuality, with its warm, addictive, carnal tones. This fragrance is an oriental interpretation of the tea. We chose to add vanilla absolute and labdanum to intensify the tea’s oriental facets, and added guaiacum wood for a creamy effect.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
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Golden Needle Tea
STORY
INSPIRATION
INFUSION
CHARACTER
Magnetic Golden Needle Tea. Notes of leather and spice in the air. The warm wooden interior of Chinese tea houses in cloud-veiled mountains. A deep, burning gold. Smooth with sandalwood. Addictive with glowing benzoin resin. A dark, mysterious rare tea infusion.
We were inspired by sublime Yunnan golden tips. Thought to have been produced as far back as 200 B.C. under the Han Dynasty in China. We looked to Chinese tea houses with their mysterious dark woody feel. The intense scent of the wood they are built from is mixed with the spicy notes of the tea.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
We infused our tea for 92 hours to reveal its dark and spicy facets.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Golden Needle Tea is a dark woody, magnetic and mysterious fragrance that reveals warm, spicy and leathery inflection. We decided to add benzoin and sandalwood for a creamy effect and leather and styrax for a leathery tone.
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer
Serge Majoullier, Master Perfumer