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Opera

I-III Russian Tea Masque 2014

7.9 / 10 441 Ratings

A popular perfume by Masque for women and men, released in 2014. The scent is smoky-spicy. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Smoky

Spicy

Leathery

Woody

Fruity

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Mint

Raspberry

Black pepper

Heart Notes

Black tea

Everlasting flower

Magnolia

Base Notes

Leather

Birch wood

Labdanum

Frankincense

Perfumer

Julien Rasquinet

Ratings

Scent

7.9441 Ratings

Longevity

8.0369 Ratings

Sillage

7.3367 Ratings

Bottle

8.3342 Ratings

Value for money

6.9219 Ratings

Submitted by ExUser · last update on 12/16/2025.

Source-backed & verified

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Opera collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Russian Tea Oud

Enclave

Tea de Russie

Aquila Absolute

Chypre Toscano

Eau de Memo

Reviews

29 in-depth fragrance descriptions

05/26/2025

9Scent 8Longevity 8Sillage

MrIDK
15 Reviews

MrIDK

Very helpful Review 7

Fan-tea-stic

Russian Tea is very different from what I'm used to. I usually don't love tea fragrances all that much, so my expectations weren't very high for this one either. But when I sprayed this one on, it hit me in the face like a bowling ball on a fine summer afternoon. This smells like real tea, a nice minty black tea with a bit of honey and a touch of smokey tobacco in it, to not make it smell too ordinary.

I honestly don't get how this perfume gets a lower score than an 8. It's unique, potent and it lasts long. It's versatile and can be worn in every situation. The scent doesn't change much on the dry down, which is not a bad thing to me.

I strongly recommend trying this if you get the chance.

11/28/2014

Myhorses
33 Reviews

Myhorses

Very helpful Review 4

A wintertime story

Russian Tea is Act I – III wants to be scented memories from a trip to Russia . Actually is a new tea fragrance but tea fragrances usually are light scents with quit short life and low silage which is not pretty much Masque Milano’s style, their perfume having power, along life on skin and impressive silage.
How is it Russian Tea in fact? A dark, versatile creature made out of smoke and tar, a leathery incense fragrance with a strong black tee note.

The opening of the perfume is an olfactory picture of the Russian tea ritual. The strong black tea smell together with green minty notes are dancing in the air like the hot steams when pouring hot water in cups. The fruity raspberry note joins the mint accord creating somehow a cold breeze acting as counterpoint suggesting Russian winter: someone entering into the tearoom leaving the door open for few seconds enough that winter makes its presence inside. There is no raspberry sweetness only the flavor giving some light to the dark black tee accord.
As the scent is evolving, close to the smoky black tea – the perfume’s heart which becomes on my skin as time passes more leathery and woody, a light floral note appears maintaining the lightness brought by raspberry.

At this moment some sweetness can be also perceived announcing that immortelle entered into the stage but not for long time. I can easily define Russian Tea as a dry perfume, its sweetness being like a ghost during the perfume development on skin, possible representation of some nostalgic summer memories while drinking a tea cup in cold January.
The dark black tea accord very well underlined by smoky incense has strong presence from the very first moment when perfume lands on skin and stays around 10-12 hours which is the life of this perfume. The perfumer illustrated well the smoke from the burning fire keeping dry the tea leaves during the long journey in cold Siberia.

Russian tea does not have the delicacy of the fragrances featuring tea but is not either a powerful and intense masculine leathery incense perfume. It has somehow a lightness not common at all for leathery incense perfumes that makes it easy to wear and difficult to forget.

08/29/2022

8Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

ScentGrail
110 Reviews

ScentGrail

Helpful Review 4

A different tea story

As a perfume lover, tea-based fragrances have always had a special place in my heart. Especially those which are masterfully blended. One of the most popular niche tea-forward fragrances is Masque Milano Russian Tea.

TOP NOTES
Russian Tea starts with a camphoric and artificial kick from aroma chemical replacement for mint note which is detectable to anyone who has previously sampled the masterfully done Acqua di Parma Colonia Club.

To be fair, I have nothing against substitutes for natural raw ingredients when they are done in the right way, and even with the inclusion of a sweet raspberry note in the vein of that one found in Tom Ford’s Ombre Leather, and spicy touches of black pepper it is still done in a pleasing way, but don’t expect miracles.

HEART NOTES
As the fragrance starts to settle down and go into the heart notes, I can see the vague resemblance to the ritual of tea drinking.

The smoky black tea accord jumps out, slightly overtaking the initial medicinal nature of mint, and fruits while also being rubbery, but pleasing.

I love this part of fragrance when everything starts to come together, and the lighter tones start to get replaced by floral qualities.

BASE NOTES
As someone who is predominantly a niche fragrance lover, I love when something is done bold, high-quality, and at the same time wearable.

Even with its downsides, the saving grace is found in the dry down. Here is where the leather, labdanum, birchwood, and incense step up to show the real face of this fragrance.

I’m truly thankful that the leather found here is not one of many similar accords found in Tom Fords Tuscan Leather or those we see in Dior’s Fahrenheit.

CONCLUSION
Russian Tea is a fragrance with a couple of faces. From the sharp opening to the pleasant base. The perfume is most likely composed of only aroma chemicals, but in the end, works.

*Check out my Parfumo profile to find out how can you read full reviews on my website.*

01/21/2015

9Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

ScentFan
336 Reviews

ScentFan

Helpful Review 3

Magnolia Power

Wouldn't expect to have to go to Russia to get an authentic Magnolia note, but that's exactly what lies at the heart of this fragrance. The top is a potent Mint/Pepper combo softened a tad (but not two tads, mind you) by Raspberry, but it's the heart and the thrilling base that appeal to me. My neighborhood is full of magnolia trees. The air is redolent when they bloom. This magnolia is authentic, it's the grandiflora, Strawflower distinguishes it and the black tea makes it rich. These beauties ride on the gorgeous, involving base, all four notes joining hands to dazzle. Where will I wear it? Around the house the livelong day, feeling like Catherine the Great. Where outside? This isn' the sort of perfume made for the opera. It wants to be front row at the Heavyweight boxing championship, at the Preakness, at Mardi Gras, at the Running of the Bulls. It wants to be worn by a woman hanging out with the guys, keeping with them drink-for-drink and trading jokes . It also wants to be worn by a man. I LOVE Russian Tea von Masque.

04/13/2015

10Scent 10Longevity 7.5Sillage

Foustie
5 Reviews

Foustie

4

Crisp and refreshing with deep body.

Are you sure that you know the scent of black leaf tea?

Russian Tea is a bold rendition of black leaf tea. Not green tea, not herb tea, definitely not chai, and certainly not tea bags. In fact I just smelled tea bags for the sake of it and I realised that they smell of paper, not tea.

Smell some good black leaf tea, of whatever type, and you will see that it has a complex fragrance of it's own. You might smell citrus notes, hay, tobacco, barnyard or cowshed notes, tarry notes, herbal notes, liquorice, smoky notes, and yes, I suppose, leather. It is no wonder that it translates so well to perfumery.

If you live in a nation of black tea drinkers you will know, or you will remember this smell, or if you use proper leaf tea you will know it. In the days before tea bags, leaf tea was kept in a caddy. The smell when the caddy was opened to make tea was really intense, darkly fragrant. Where I come from some of the older people used to like "stewed" tea, so the pot of tea was left to simmer gently on the stove top for a long time, with the tea getting richer and more concentrated as the day went on. The fragrance could permeate the house.

The black tea is present right from the beginning of Russian Tea but the first note you will smell is a lovely dry herbal mint. It is quite fleeting but it sets the scene wonderfully. For me, from there on in it is tea all the way. I don't smell the raspberry note as such, or the magnolia. It just all adds up to the most wonderful black tea accord, but because of the complexity, the mystery, the possibilities, of that accord, it continues to hold interest all the way through, and it has very good longevity. In the longer development there are woody and birchtar notes and in the deepest drydown, (being the next morning!) a little immortelle lingers on the skin.

The fragrance has a dry character and it is very refreshing. It is crisp but it has deep, deep notes too. It is modern but the central accord has a timeless, elegant quality. It will be lovely, quite special, anywhere, anytime and on anyone.

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