Best Russian Tea by Masque Milano Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

This EdT plays it dark but bright. A spiky black pepper opening commands attention, before being volumised by an ebony chorus of black tea, birch tar and incense. Tree moss and violet lend a perfumed earthiness.

Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu

Under the luminous moon, smouldering embers glow with the mystery of ancient night rituals. This is a ceremony of smoke upon smoke upon smoke: birch tar, black tea, leather, frankincense. The austerity is softened by notes of amber and labdanum, deepening the mystery of the enveloping darkness.

Perfumer: Alexandre Illan

Formerly known as East India the perfume is back with the new name: Vi et Armis (Latin for 'by force and arms',  the motto of the East India company)

The olfactory references in the perfume are exploring Britain’s complex relationship with other nations and its dominance of international sea trade across the centuries, this heady, narcotic scent challenges as much as it beguiles.

Using imported and exported goods of the East India Company as its key notes, this addictive fragrance recalls the words of George Bernard Shaw: “Emotional excitement reaches men through Tea, Tobacco, Opium, Whisky and religion”

Paradoxical and challenging, we imagine the roots of our island nation steeped in contradictions.

An interpretation of hōjicha ほうじ茶 (roasted green tea), a popular tea in Japan. The scent combines the roasted crispness of brewed tea leaves with the creaminess of steaming milk. Accents of gyokuro (high-grade green tea) and seaweed create a beguiling depth.

Black in name, black in nature: black pepper, incense, leather, licorice, birch tar. The effect is tough but comforting — a campfire shot through with sparks of nutmeg, and more than a hint of gasoline-infused motorbike saddle.

A deep black animalistic composition, with assertive leather notes.
Inspiration - A tribute to a fiery & impetuous horse.

Perfumer : Bertrand Duchaufour (2021)

Perfumer: Luca Maffei

The EdP option smells drier and more like a damp autumn forest (and has a peculiar mushroom effect). The extrait of Oud Imperial is more ambery (softer) and the smokiness of natural oud is much more pronounced.

Perris are rebalancing each composition for the extrait version. They shift the focus from the top notes to the base raising the amounts of base ingredients to achieve a richer, more opulent and luxurious effect. Pure indulgence in the theme.

Inspiring and carnal, Smoky Soul features smoked black tea infused with Osmanthus absolute with fruity accents of apricot.

Black tea, extracted with supercritical CO2, is smoked with Java Vetiver essence, which brings out facets of burnt hot wood. Black pepper enhances the spicy and black notes of the tea while a trace of seaweed absolute accentuates the mossy, savory and mineral notes of some Chinese teas.

In Sanskrit, “ankura” refers to the sprouting or budding of a plant. It can also signify the seed of an idea or feeling. This uplifting green chypre teases feelings into play with its sunny opening of lemon, bergamot, mint, and the honeyed spice of helichrysum flower. Oakmoss brings shade and mystery, accompanying an earthy blend of patchouli, sage and soil tincture. At its full bloom, the smoky allure of Prachinburi oud fills the soul, turning Ankura into an enchanted forest.

In his Descriptio Montis Fracti sive Montis Pilati from 1555, the famous Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner chronicles his journey into the caves of the Alps. “At night, the moon shines into the cave so brightly the light itself seems to take form, like a mist. It gathers in the ceiling and makes the limestone stalactites glitter and gleam, dripping tears of white liquid into puddles on the rock floor that never dries. Moonmilk.”

This EdP lives up to that sublime description with a dance between conflicting textures that titillates the nose. The black tea and lime opening establishes an expectation for further crispness to come. The switcheroo comes with the appearance of Mysore sandalwood, its milky incense soft like a lover’s touch on the skin. All the elements resolve in a fresh and tender leather.