Bvlgari Tease

Bvlgari has just completed painting the last colour in their tea-flavoured Italian flag – the third of their Eau Parfumee series is Au The Rouge – red tea - following its former white and green teas.

Tea has always been Bvlgari’s signature theme in their fragrances, even though the tea note is quite different in each scent: jasmine-scented green tea in Bvlgari Pour Femme, Darjeeling tea in Bvlgari pour Homme, Green Tea in Bvlgari Homme Extreme, Lapsang Souchong smoked tea in Bvlgari Black.

In their “Italian Flag Tea Series”, Bvlgari created subtle unisex scents that are refreshing and easy to wear. The tea in all of these has a certain dry, acrid tone to it that makes it refreshing in a different way than the common splash of citrus zest.

Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert, the first in the series, is the most fresh and citrusy of all – with notes of bergamot and green tea and a tad of honey at the bottom to sweeten your beverage.

Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc is my favourite – a white musk and orris scent and with the typical acrid aftertaste of white tea, a hint of white pepper and amberette seed. The powdery and musky notes are lovely and refreshing and it’s perfect for warm weather without being a citrusy cliché.



Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge – though I expected it to be irresistible – is a bit disappointing. Red tea is referring to rooibos tea – the sweet tasting South African bush, used as a (superior, in my opinion) substitute to black tea – less the theine. However, Au The Rouge starts with the acrid note of oolong black tea and a hint of spice (so it’s not quite ‘decaf’). The dry down reveals the rooibos – smooth and delicately sweet. It is very pleasant, though I did not detect the fruity and nutty fig and walnut notes that are part of the marketing scheme for this scent (another disappointments, as I love figs). Comparing to what I expected from it I can say I hoped for more and was disappointed – this scent does not particularly stand out and my favourite remains Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc. For my red tea kick I will stick to my favourite rooibos chai.