The Time

What a beautiful, refreshing tea scent! Fans of tea scents know that a good one is difficult to find; well, House of Oud’s The Time is a good one. The opening of bergamot, chamomile, and wormwood note creates a superb green tea impression, uniquely fresh and bitter, but with a nutty hay-like undertone. Slowly, other types of tea notes start to feed into the scent, helping to round out the picture and fill in the gaps. Oolong tea adds a milkiness that softens the astringency of the green tea, rendering it cloudy, while a black tea note lends a smoky leathery nuance. Together, the combination of the different teas gives the scent a subtle “roasted” undertone. There’s a series of contrasts at play here that works very well. The Time smells both fresh and comforting, milky and smoky, which all adds up to a sort of green-on-cream effect. The nubuck suede notes in the base tie it all together for an experience that feels like drinking a cup of green tea in an upmarket equestrian store, surro