"A tea scent, how lovely," I thought to myself. But the expected enjoyment did not materialize; unfortunately, the fragrance carries a certain tragedy within it. For the great advantage of Thé Rouge, an entirely affordable price, unfortunately reflects in the choice of ingredients, which do not sufficiently do justice to the appealing theme that is meant to be realized here.
This is the only way to explain why the scent is dominated for a long time by a base note that I can only describe as "artificial." This is immediately noticeable in the opening. On one hand, there is a certain lightness, almost a fleeting quality; on the other hand, one suddenly feels surrounded by a color palette that is strikingly reminiscent of xanthan or xylitol: a sweet, slightly bitter tone, like one finds in drinks where sugar has been replaced by a sweetener. This note characterizes the first hours of Thé Rouge, and no matter how hard I try, I find it difficult to be transported into culinary spheres.
After a while, the scent becomes a bit warmer, the sweetness is softened by a vanilla note. Surprisingly, only now, with a certain delay, a hint of bergamot joins in. The latter is usually favored in the opening; here, it adds zesty accents in the heart of the fragrance. In its own way, Thé Rouge exudes a sensual, enchanting aura during this phase.
In the dry down, associations with tea are indeed awakened; the scent becomes soft and rounded, a light powderiness tickles the nose. This is nice, but also not extraordinary. Overall, I have more the feeling of standing in front of the tea shelf in the supermarket - where bagged tea and flavorings dominate - than in a well-stocked specialty store. This certainly has its justification, and those looking for an inexpensive all-rounder will surely be happy with Thé Rouge. True tea lovers, however, may not find this satisfying. For those who appreciate the ritual of a well-prepared cup of loose tea, I would like to recommend L’Edition Imperiale by Courvoisier. I love this scent and know of no other that captures the theme of tea so excellently.
The trophy is great!