Russian Tea – Masque Milano

I – III
RUSSIAN TEA
Day faded; on the table, glowing, the samovar of evening boiled… (A.Pushkin)

Act I Scene III

The inspiration behind Russian Tea is the memory of a trip to Saint Petersburg, where Alessandro and Riccardo happened to drink an afternoon tea in an elegant café inside a large bookstore at the first floor of a sumptuous Art Noveau building. Sitting on a round table by the wide windows, with the beautiful view of a snow-covered Nevsky Prospekt.

As they ordered the “Russian Tea Ritual”, the maidens in white apron and bonnet brought the teapot, black tea in leaves, fresh mint, raspberry preserve. Immediately, as water was poured in the cup, the infusion unleashed its most characteristic notes. Black tea, heavy and intense. A floral note, sharp and biting. And that unmistakably dry and smoky aftertaste given by the caravanserai campfires, meant to keep the precious tea cargo dry in the never-ending journey through Siberia. Some fresh mint leaves were used to give a pleasant fresh touch to the hot water. A teaspoon of raspberry preserve sweetened, without altering it, the bitter aftertaste of leather and birch. They enjoyed the moment, slowly sipping the tea still scorching hot, and gazing out of the window, towards the beautiful cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan and beyond.

The nose behind the creation is the talented Julien Rasquinet. Alessandro and Riccardo approached him as they regarded Julien a master of smoky notes; he was also working at some very interesting tea accords, which came very handy during the fragrance development. To work side-by-side, Julien and his wife Irina (a very eclectic artist) hosted Alessandro and Riccardo in their lovely Normandy mansion.

Russian Tea by Masque Milano will conjure up a unique melange of tea-soaked memories for anyone that tries it. It has a beautiful chewy complexity, rich with herbs, broken red fruit, burnt woods, floating white flowers and a silvered finale that cuts through the conflagration of black tea and immortelle. Julien is a radiantly gifted perfumer, the work he creates has genuine difference and a mood of someone determined to mould materials into a work of art, that will stir strong emotions and memories once sprayed on skin.