Russian Tea Oud Masque 2023

First, if you judge a scent strictly by paper, no one can help you. Further, a scent that is heavy in naturals (like oud) will have yet more variance between paper and skin.
With that said, Russian Tea Oud is certainly an experience on a tester strip. It is loud, sweet and screechy with the saffron note. It’s kind of like BR540 that hasn’t bathed in a week. I was worried too. But, even on a tester you can start to pic out the quality of the oud and the nuances of the OG Russian Tea beneath it if you know the OG. It is subtle but consistently present.
Now, the beauty is when this hits skin, or my skin anyway. There is still a pretty loud, somewhat stinky oud opening for about 20min. Once it settles there is a very non-linear, narrative variation between tea, Oud and a saffron sweetness. Oud is at the forefront for at least 2 hours on my skin. After two hours I would say that the drydown is nicely settled. Here it is a warm woolen tea and Oud. The saffron is still present but as a backdrop. It wears much like an Amouage in the sense that it fades and reintroduces itself intermittently. Something I love about heavy naturals. Longevity is excellent.
Who should wear this fragrance? Well, me.
I would not recommend it for anyone seeking compliments. Though it is not offensive.
I would not recommend this for anyone young. Though it does not smell “old.”
I would recommend this for anyone who loves real Oud. If you’ve bought the stuff raw or have some deep, intense attars. It’s absolutely worth a sample. You need confidence and restraint in application to wear this well. But if you do wear it well, it will sing for you.

I thought for a few days about whether to share my experience with Russian Tea Oud, but it was so intense and memorable that I'm now stepping out of my comfort zone.

I’m so glad I started with a test strip.
A wave of mandarin and raspberry hits me, and then something rolls over me, unexpected and never experienced before, and I literally recoil. It was an assault on my nose. It is so strong and harsh. The leather note, flanked by smoke and oud, not only overwhelms all the other components in this fragrance but also me like an avalanche, leaving nothing to breathe or develop.

That was quite a memorable experience...
The next day, I reach for the tester with masochistic curiosity because I wanted to know if anything had changed. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Briefly, I perceive fruit, raspberry, and just as the thought formed "Oh, there’s the raspberry, how beautiful-no, stop. There it is, and it stayed and is no longer the olfactory slap in the face, but still a statement. That harsh, unpleasant note.

I don’t know if I got a sample that’s no longer good or if this is actually the intended fragrance experience, but I’m not going near it again.

Unfortunately, I smell nothing here except for that one leather note. The other components are practically swallowed up, which I find terribly unfortunate. It could have been a great fragrance.
Russian Tea Oud unfortunately has no development for me and is anything but rounded. The sillage and longevity are quite good, though.

The bottle is striking and more opulently designed. The red glass should have been a warning to me ;)