What does Green Tea smell like?
Pour hot water over a handful of sencha and sniff the steam. Cut grass, fresh hay and a light seaweed note rise first. Then comes a gentle bitterness, almost lemony. A green tea accord keeps that plant freshness and brightens it with citrus and light florals. It is less smoky than black tea and less sweet than maté. On skin it stays calm and quiet for an hour or two.
Origin and production
The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) comes from south-west China. Green tea is not oxidised: the leaves are heated right after picking to stop that process. Perfumers can use a tea absolute, solvent-extracted from the leaves, but it is expensive and fairly dark. To get the freshness of a brewed cup, they build accords around green, floral and citrus molecules.
How perfumers use it
Green tea pairs with citrus, mint, jasmine and musks. Jean-Claude Ellena started the trend in 1992 with Bulgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert. Creed Silver Mountain Water (1995) teams it with blackcurrant and galbanum for an icy-stream effect. Guerlain uses it at the top of Aqua Allegoria Mandarine Basilic (2007) and in the heart of Guerlain Homme (2008), next to rhubarb. Maison Margiela Replica Under the Lemon Trees (2018) surrounds it with maté and lime.
How to wear it
Green tea is a spring and summer note for daytime and the office. It bothers no one. Silver Mountain Water even works after a workout, and its freshness stays clean.