Russian Tea

Its the finest black tea you ever sipped !

Oops, Proustian moment. Suddenly I am sitting at a kitchen table somewhere between Lviv and Minsk while my grandmother stirred raspberry jam into a cup of hot black tea because I had a cold. Whether Masque Milano intended that or not is beside the point. Perfume is successful when it tells the truth about your own memories, and for me this one did.

Return to the Opera. Act I, Scene 3. Russian Tea, ...or, Cuir-Samovar de Russie de Menthe ...a tale of demitasse cups and riding boots. Setting: The break room at the tannery. Our hero sips his minty chai, cogitating upon philosophical concerns.

Smells like a band-aid. I’ve tried to keep an open mind and have worn this a few times this last year. It smells like a wet band-aid. And somehow that’s not even the weirdest thing I’ve voluntarily sprayed on myself this year

I ended up selling this perfume. The raspberry was tart and synthetic to my nose. The leather and mint combination smelled like steaming tea which was pretty interesting, but I couldn’t get past the raspberry note.

Oh what a fragrance to ponder. I love it for the fact that I don’t even know if I love it or not. This is one of those scents that keeps you constantly guessing and evaluating. It opens sharp, with a minty, cool, almost piney brightness that immediately grabs attention, only to be disrupted by a smoky tea note that comes in and completely reframes everything, it somehow clashes. There’s this ongoing battle between smoke, leather and medicinal freshness with a fruity pop that keeps my nose and my brain fully engaged. It almost feels like herbal lozenges or a cold remedy… and yet it feels completely composed, and strangely elegant. That duality is exactly what makes it so addictive. As it dries down and the mint fades, the composition becomes more smoky, nutty, and slightly creamy. It gains cohesion, but never fully settles into something predictable. It stays engaging right to the end. It’s almost an intellectual fragrance, if that’s even a thing. I imagine someone wearing this with a dinner jacket over a turtleneck, corduroy trousers, someone who has actually read War and Peace to the very end, slightly geeky, but with undeniable, effortless charm. Is it just me? Maybe. But I’m weirdly enjoying being confused by it. Definitely not an everyday fragrance and not everyone's cup of tea... pun totally intended

If you like indigo smoke or The Nior 29, try this, i guess. Kind of the same difference. Heavy black tea with a smoky background to it similar to guaiac wood. I do not care for this.

Mint. Tea. Slight leather. Semi-bright raspberry. Its a great masculine tea fragrance. The longer it dries, the tea-ier it gets. Smells like a high-quality tea.im delighted. Dnt know what my next muse (in frgrance notes) will be...but im chasing teas right now. Ive conquered tobacco, cocoa, chocolates, Amber's, vanilla, leathers..... Im 39. Been doing this since I was a lad lad. It feels good knowing I have a few categories that define me. Smoking bbq meats...fragrances...analog watches....cigars...Scotches. Life ain't perfect. But I know myself pretty well. Im slaying life-plan goals.....and I have my frags....yessir

Spray this next to Burning Barbershop from DS & Durga and 10 minutes later you will barely be able to tell the difference. The lavender opening in the Barbershop is the only thing that separates these two fragrances.

First note that hit me right away was mint followed by a hint of black pepper wrapped around floral notes. This fragrance for me ends up with leather and incense plus other notes my nose can't seem to separate but truly love. Longevity is 6 - 8 hours with trailing wake acceptable. This fragrance has moved into my #1 go to fragrance for just about any occasion...

I didn't like the very strong mint smell at all, a disappointment. (batuhan'ın yorumu: karadeniz)

I love this rugged, unsweetened, photorealistic dark tea scent - more than Le Labo's softer and sweeter The Noir. Sadly it does completely lose its character after 2 hrs on my skin - it's still pleasant, but it's not tea anymore. Which is too little bang for the significant amount of bucks this fragrance costs.

#1641 in my “Tour de Fragrance” Got this as a decant from scentsplit.com. Mint tea and pepper. Very spicy. In the same vein as Calvin Klein “CK One Essence”, Parfum D’Empire "Fougere Bengale”, Parco Palladino V "Lauro Bottega Venetta”, Bodidharma “Moroccan Mint”, even Ferrari “Scuderia.” If you like a spicy mint tea scent with some incense, you’ll like this. I find it pleasant and attractive, something I’d wear frequently in cooler weather. Versatile and solid quality. Overpriced for sure. But nice enough that I think most people will appreciate it. Good Luck and Good Hunting!

I blindly bought the sample a couple of years ago, and I just remembered trying it now. To my nose, all I get is the sharpness from the leather note, and the medical type of smell, nothing more! And it gives me an instant headache.

The Eastern (tea) Promises. The story should be that you arrive from the cold outside into this smoky place where you enjoy an eastern tea ceremony, let's find out if this tells the story. The opening is a very cold, balsamic and spicy mint plus pepper, if you are carefull enough you can catch something sweet, wery sublte, but I can't detect any proper rasberry (which is indicated in the notes). The mint here is very sharp, almost medicinal, but it's definitely "cold". After some time the heart notes start to blend with the opening, the initial freshness of the mint meets a (probably) synthetic immortelle that on the "upper side" joins the opening on its fresh-erbacious, cotton lavander like (almost licorice, reminding me a mint-licorice thing) and on the other side starts to build the leather accord that will bring us in the dry down phase. The black tea is minty, very eastern, and it reminds me of the infused drink more than the leaf. You don't smell tea leaf, but prepared, infused, black tea with some mint inside. It could be a longfenxia tea (very appreciated in Russia) because the magnolia adds some florals, light rose, violet and remembers the fresh opening with his lemon hints. At this point a light incense starts to grow with the birchwood coal giving to the thing it's smoky feeling that opens the leather-wood drydown annunced by the immortelle. This phase is basically skin scents and very, very relaxing, not heavy on leather (thing that I find a little bit boring and fatiguing in other fragrances). So to summarize, this is a damn good blend, that respects the concept and develops a lot during the wearing, and for me it's the best Rasquinet formula (between those I tryed), much better than his recent releases where he decided to go mad in super strong amberwoody drydowns to have more longevity. Totally unisex, little more wintery but wearable in every season. Sillage is not great, it's a "close quarter" fragrance, the longevity is ok, 6 hours on my skin (I know, I know, this is considered weak nowdays, but this madness will end someday). Price is not low, but neither so high, it's ok priced I suppose.

i've been a longtime enjoyer of smoked black teas like lapsang souchong, so i was hoping that this perfume would emulate that sort of smell. unfortunately it doesn't. the predominant notes on my skin are leather and raspberry jam, which is sort of a gross combination without other strong notes to tie them together. i'm not a huge fan of leather to start, and the raspberry is incongruously sweet compared to the rest of the notes. woodsmoke enjoyers like myself should look elsewhere, but leather fans might get a kick out of this.

two things about this that make it special: one, most liquid-smelling fragrance i’ve ever smelt. hits the nose like steam. two, the variance in note profile depending on where you spray this is crazy— it’s leathery-minty on my neck and chest, powdery raspberry (akin to something from juliette has a gun) on my wrists and in my elbows. russian tea is a magical shapeshifting thing.

Dark, complex, warm aromatic tea. So gorgeous like Tango.

It smells like a photorealistic mint and raspberry tea. It’s amazingly unique but I’m not getting any leather which I find interesting. Maybe the leather is blended so smoothly that I can’t pick it out really well, but at least on the opening, it’s very quiet. Really unique and interesting perfume

The Elegant Soul of the Steppe While many reviews focus on the "in-your-face" industrial opening of Russian Tea, I find that patience reveals its true, breathtaking identity. To me, this isn't just a leather scent; it is the most beautiful Tea, Mint, and Immortelle Chypre I have ever encountered. And trust me, I didn’t come to this conclusion the very first time I wore it, oh no! The top notes certainly make a bold entrance, but as the fragrance settles, the "beast" recedes to reveal an incredibly sophisticated structure. The mint acts as a cooling breeze over a landscape of soft, atmospheric smoke—never abrasive, but rather like the ghost of a campfire in the distance. The real magic, however, is the Immortelle. It provides a golden, herbal texture that balances the leather, turning it into something supple and refined rather than heavy. It feels like a high-art interpretation of a traditional ritual: the bitterness of the tea, the sweetness of the raspberry, and a dry-down that is remarkably polished and "airy" for such a potent composition. If you’ve been intimidated by the opening, give it an hour on skin. You’ll find a delicate, complex masterpiece that is far more elegant than the "rugged" reviews to the contrary suggests. A true 10/10 for those who appreciate structural beauty in perfumery. Russian Tea by Masque Milano, it’s the loveliest tea party I’ve ever been to!

This is going to be my very first fragrance review ever. I am very inexperienced with fragrances (especially niche stuff) but anyways... The accords depicted by Fragrantica are quite accurate for this scent. What you get is a dark, smoky, minty tea scent with a touch of raspberry over a base of leather. This smells quite niche/creative, but I really dislike the way it smells. To give you an image of what it smells like, I would say take a piece of real leather, rub a raspberry against it (raspberries have a subtle tart smell) and try to smell it as you hold your nose on the edge of a pot of smoke coming from boiling mint tea. It is dark, smoky, minty with a slight tartness to it and a very apparent leather base. To my nose, it is very headache/nausea inducing, and I've had a similar experience with Amouage Enclave, done by the same perfumer, using a dark spearmint opening. But whereas Enclave develops into a beautiful minty vanilla, this one goes down a smoky leather path. Luckily the mint fades away in the drydown so it's not as offensive to my nose, but still not a fan of this fragrance in general.

Reviewing a bottle from 2025. Russian Tea was launched in 2014. This is a mysterious and dark leathery tea. Russian Tea opens with minty and peppery black tea quickly followed by leather and smoky incense. A bit dusty and herbal with a leathery woody amber base. The use of mint in the opening is brilliant adding freshness and contrast to an otherwise dark composition. Quality- excellent Unisex Performance- very good, arms length sillage, lasts about 4-6 hours This is not your typical Bulgari Eau Parfumee light and airy type tea fragrance, rather this is dry black tea with a beautifully complex warm base supported by old cracked leather. Wear in cooler weather. 8/10

I’ve never been a big fan of tea fragrances, I’ve struggled to find one I truly love for a long time, and unfortunately Russian Tea doesn’t tickle my fancy. I find it a bit too thick and cloying, with the earthiness of the tea too prominent. Initially I quite liked it: brisk mountain air and green tea which felt nicely diluted, but it soon took a turn for the worst. It became far too minty, a note I already don’t like, and develops this thick smoky leather which just doesn’t complement the rest of it nicely. Overall I find it rather unpleasant, but not to the point of dislike, just that I wouldn’t rather not wear it. It’s a good solid creation, but unfortunately very much not my style.

Beautiful upfront tea, complex but a comfortable easy wear. Highly recommend.

A very animalic leather overpowers the lovely fruity tea opening and stays long into the drydown. I also get alot of pepper, powdery floral (rose) with a strong incense note- ala Lyric Woman. Strong projection and performance, but on the verge of inducing a headache with just one spray on my wrist. I guess my search for a good black tea scent continues.

Herbaceous mint, a bit of smoke, black tea, and dark fruit... like a samovar exploded in a perfumery. Very wearable, with just the right amount of sweetness.

The opening and mid is a smokey tea and leather to me. The dry down however, turns into a fresh laundry scent. Very odd.

Darkest black tea with pepper, wood, mint, and leather. It is a little sweet at first then transitions to smokiness with a prominent black pepper, leather, and immortelle. So gothic. I like it.

Im testing this for half a week because i hope this can be the scent ill wear when i meet my sweetheart for the first time! Initial spray: On a blotting paper its a fresh, from the tea bag raspberry peppermint tea with definitely a hint of random tea leaves. What you'd imagine you'd get in commercial tea to make up the base of the brew. On skin, shortly a confusion of maybe tea? an old museum? Grandma's home? And soon, from a distance and anyone in your vicinity its a fresh and fruity mint. This surprised me, because the top note echoes JPG's Le Beau Paradise's delicious greens that leave an impression on you. The kind of sweetness to the mint that wants you to come closer. In the crook of my elbow, the heat gives you that cup of mint tea, but you're in a room that is burning incense, the raspberry dies very quickly after this, but slowly, what I smell is............ Rooibos Tea? Subtle but I can tell. It's stood for a while, nearly room temperature with enough heat to not call it cold. But from afar, all you smell is mint tea brewing in a bit kettle, steaming up the room. Passing time, it bottoms out to dry black tea. The hearty note, but still you're probably in a store that sells crystals and pendulums. Essential oils and little esoteric statues. My city has a shop like this, sometimes I come browse just to soak up the atmosphere of thick incense in the air. SMELLS LIKE A WITCH. But a baddie, a fine shyt goth girl witch. This could definitely not be for everyone. Aesthetically or with aura, you need to match this vibe. Plus points if you are eastern european, perhaps suitable for you if you have that sadness in your eyes that you only see in eastern european gay porn. Additionally, a honorable and respected shoutout to the reviewer who described this perfume to be "Dry humping a leather boot" - As a dry humper who had picked out this perfume before discovering this review, I feel seen and wholeheartedly agree with you. Please, do not contact me about my warranty.

I am conflicted by this scent. It opens with a beautiful minty black tea that reminds me of the hospitality of a generous host in an old Turkish restaurant (I haven't been to Russia so this is the closest reference that I have in my memory). It feels like a warm welcome from an old friend. As you sit down to sip the tea, you notice the little antiques and artefacts hanging on the walls, displayed on the tables. You start to smell the leather, the musky notes, the old furniture. The conflicting moment happens when you finish drinking the cup of tea. Do you stay to drink another cup and re-examine the old decor again, or do you stand up and make your move? This is how this scent is to me. It smells and feels comforting in the beginning, but at the drydown I start to wonder if I am over extending my stay. Feels like its time to make a move, but I am stuck in this room surrounded by musky furniture and mint tea. Its a good scent for sure but it feels very 'still' at the end, like it's stuck in time.