I have written a few words about the Tea Colors series by Bulgari in my comment on Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert and in my blog "Berliner Duftspaziergänge Folge 6." Here, I would like to summarize once again that Bulgari has commissioned five completely different perfumers over the years and decades to develop something on the theme of "tea," each corresponding to a color: white, black, and green for the respective tea types, red for rooibos tea, and blue for oolong. Three of the five, including this one, are set to be discontinued this year, and I am really glad that I managed to secure a bottle of it.
What my three previous commentators have written about this fragrance is all correct; however, I would like to disagree on one point - or at least bring a new aspect into play. For me, this blue tea is not (just) a calming, meditative scent, but (rather) incredibly tense and exciting! Tea fragrances are often very nice, but somehow mild-gentle-fresh-nice, which I cannot say about this one. And while the "coolness" attributed to this blue tea (perhaps also because it is a refreshing summer scent and due to the bottle reminiscent of frosted ice) may have its justification, I find it, above all, really hot!
I find the fragrance notes quite unconventionally composed, and they create a wonderful dynamic unity. First of all (and I would like to disagree here as well, when it is occasionally said that the tea is hardly noticeable): The smoky oolong tea, which stands between black and green tea, has bitter-herb and fresh notes: From this perspective, it absolutely deserves to be in the name and at the center of the fragrance! It is clearly perceptible in both of its aspects, and the other notes are congenially grouped around it, so to speak, connecting to both ends of the oolong scent. The iris with its bitterness (I hardly perceive the "powdery" aspect here) and the lavender with its oscillation between floral freshness and earthy bitterness, the almost citrus-fresh shiso leaf, and the floral, but not overly sweet, rather serious violet. Everything fits together excellently. And, as has already been noted before me, this fragrance engages not only the nose but also the mind: Blue flowers (lavender, violet...) naturally belong to a blue tea.
Thus, we have a very, very special tea scent here, very blue, very fresh, and at the same time in a distinctive (almost strict) way bitter and (quite pleasant) herbaceous. Despite its Cologne character and the associated moderate (but by no means minimalist) longevity and sillage, the fragrance definitely comes across as robust and substantial. And although it has three-quarters female fans in all statistics, I find it quite masculine. A friend of mine, who is very gender-conservative when it comes to fragrances and does not appreciate scents that lean feminine on me, was extremely enthusiastic about this one.
In short: People (especially guys), secure the remaining stock!
Addendum about the bottle: Aesthetically, I am not as enthusiastic about the container as many here are, but functionally, I certainly am. I may have never used such a great spray mechanism as this one.
Addendum about the perfumer: The (German) perfumer Daniela Andrier is not one of the names that are repeatedly discussed as top perfumers, but she is listed on Parfumo with 138 (!) fragrances that have an average rating of 7.8. She has been responsible for dozens of fragrances, even entire collections, from Prada and Bulgari, as well as some fragrances from Yves Saint Laurent, Ermengildo Zegna, and Bottega Veneta, in addition to the famous Angélique Noire from Guerlain and one fragrance each from the niche brands Etat Libre d'Orange and Maison Margiela. If I contrast this with what Marie Le Fèbvre just reported in the FAZ, that she took 10 years to develop "Dark Vanilla"... But well, the master must have also been working on other projects in parallel during that time. In any case, I hope Ms. Andrier has good contracts, preferably with a sales commission on the fragrances she has designed. Then she should be well taken care of...
A wonderful review of one of my most interesting fragrances from the last three years. In my perfumery in Wasserburg, I received the full tester as a gift because Ms. Wierer was leaving Bulgari at the time. It became my everyday scent, my comfort, my go-to. I reached for it almost every morning. A truly fine tea scent, with the iris making it intriguing for me. Thus, Eau Parfumée au Thé Bleu also became my initial iris fragrance, opening me up to other iris perfumes.
So this is the blue one - I confused it with Bvlgari BLV - the one with the strong ginger scent... I actually know that one too and found it to be very good. I like the term "gender-conservative," and I do perceive this one as more masculine. You described it really well. Trophy for you!
A very thorough comment on a scent that I unfortunately don't like because of the violet on me. Mr. Felini, being a lavender fan, is thrilled and enjoys wearing it. It's true - very suitable for men! I still prefer the red one.
It's a shame that this one also showed such short longevity on my skin that I found the otherwise moderate price completely inappropriate. However, I never gave it a second chance. I should probably do that. A quality comment, as always and as expected. Thank you for that, and a quality trophy!
Very helpful comment on a beautiful scent that I haven't included in my lavender collection on my page because it varies too much from lavender and strays too far from the classic fragrances, but it does so in an excellent way!
I just tested this fragrance and think it's great. I'm not sure if I'll buy it, though. I really appreciate Ms. Andrier as a very talented perfumer. Your take on the fragrance is, once again, very well done!
Thanks for the detailed description!
Enjoyed reading this. I'll take a closer look at the perfumer as well.