Diversions in the Chashitsu

[Sateki]

Green tea, yellow sandalwood, apple blossom, and white bamboo.

This is yet another amazing scent from this year's Novel Ideas.

In the bottle I smell lots of fresh apple and a hint of green tea and bamboo.

Wet on my skin I get a lot of apple and green tea. It's sweet, like a spring shampoo that lingers in the bathroom after a shower. There's a hint of bamboo underneath, grounding it. I don't get any sandalwood.

Dry: The apple has faded a lot, and is now a background note with its lingering sweetness. The green tea is strong, along with the bamboo. It's not as sweet now, instead very fresh, like a Japanese garden in the sun. Every now and then I'll get a whiff of something deeper, most likely the sandalwood. It's almost creamy at times. The notes have balanced out beautifully. None of them is overpowering. They harmonize gorgeously on my skin. This is definitely a win, and I'm highly considering a second bottle!

[Lethran]

In bottle: This is lovely, very bright and sunny. The apple blossom and green tea are gorgeous together. The yellow sandalwood grounds and supports them. The bamboo is a gentle bridge between the more assertive elements. The design is really compelling. Wet: On my skin, the apple blossom is slightly stronger than the tea, but otherwise, the balance is similar. It is even more beautiful on the skin, the nuances more distinct with in the bright, light sensation it creates. Seriously, I smile when I sniff this. Dry: Green tea with sandalwood support.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: I was hoping I would mainly get green tea and apple blossom from this, but the wood note is the most prominent. I'm not sure if it is the bamboo or the golden sandalwood (or both). The green tea and the apple blossom are present, but the woody notes were rather prominent on the first sniff. After further sniffing, I would say the green tea is the most prominent note, followed by the woody notes, and then the apple blossom.

 

Wet: Green tea, apple blossom, and a woody component. The apple blossom is becoming stronger the longer it sits on my skin, and I am glad. It is now mostly apple blossom, followed by green tea, and a hint of woodiness.

 

Dry: Apple blossom, bamboo, and green tea. It is very faint and stays rather close to the skin.

 

Verdict: After Reflected Vulva, this was the Shunga I was most looking forward to. I like it, but I don't love it. I will keep my decant, and likely give this a full day test before the Shungas come down, but it is so faint that I doubt I will need a bottle.

 

*edit* The longer this was on my skin, a vegetal quality started becoming more prominent. I think it was the bamboo. I wasn't particularly fond of that phase, so this definitely won't be a bottle purchase.

Edited March 7, 2014 by dementia_divine

[DovaKitten]

It's sweet, like a spring shampoo that lingers in the bathroom after a shower.

 

This is the perfect description for this blend, honestly. It is apple-y, but if you're expected the sort of bright green or candy apple scent you get from commercial "apple" scents, you're going to be disappointed. This is like pressing your nose into a just-picked apple. Very fresh and juicy, but also light and restrained. It's more the white scent of apple flesh than the red or green scent of apple skin.

 

I'm afraid I don't know the other scents well enough to place them. I can tell for certain that I'm not getting much in the way of sandalwood, which I can almost always pick out from a blend. I would say the next strongest scent is probably ... bamboo? It's kind of a woodsy scent, but not as strong as other wood notes I've smelled.

 

This lackluster review has made me realize I need to find a way to smell green tea on its own so that I can place it.

 

In the meanwhile, I'll add this decant to the slowly-decreasing pile of scents I'm considering purchasing as 5 ML. Would recommend.

[Aviatrix]

I am mostly getting green tea and apple blossom from this. It's light and spring-like and very fresh. There is an edge of green woodsiness that must be a combination of sandalwood and bamboo. The apple blossom is practically like an all-out apple note, but with a floral edge that is quite pretty. The green tea is nice and slightly astringent.

 

I would recommend it for anyone who loves green tea blends!

[MiasmaResonance]

On the skin, it's very crisp apple, as opposed to how it smells like more honeyed apple in the decant. I agree with the 'shampoo lingering after shower' description.

 

This ends up being pretty, sweet apple green tea. Would love a candle or room spray with this; I may not sell this and mix it in a spray bottle with some atmo spray base I have.

[MCS4096]

My first thought was definitely of a shampoo Funny how we all think that.

 

This is just beautiful. Apple and bamboo are crisp and juicy and green. The floral component is fairly subdued. To me the overall effect is like biting into an apple that had a little floral note to it's flavor.. you know how they're like that sometimes? I'm not sure if it's the sandalwood alone or it in combination with green tea or bamboo, but I can smell something more like the core or the skin of the apple.. slightly woody and unsweet.

 

It gets a little high pitched on me as it wears.. I'm thinking I might amp whatever is used as the "bamboo" note because I had a similar experience with Shamisen-- all of the sudden things start smelling like big white flowers. Perhaps I could add my decant to an unscented shampoo? or as Miasma said; a room spray would be awesome.

[zankoku_zen]

Juicy fruity green apple blossom, green tea with a touch of bamboo.

 

So remember Annurca Apple Blossom SN? Yeah, this smells like that but deeper. If the apple blossom was given something to stand on. A bamboo base that was used in green tea ceremonies.

 

If you liked the Annurca Apple Blossom SN, which I did, give this a whirl. You will not be disappointed.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Tart. I'm mostly getting the green tea lightened with the apple blossom.

 

Wet on skin: It's the same, but...twisted. And I can't exactly explain how. Like there's another note really blending the tea and apple together? Maybe the bamboo?

 

Dried down: This reminds me a lot of Shanghai. The apple blossom has faded, leaving a mostly tea and bamboo scent.

 

Throw: Wears pretty close to my skin.

 

Verdict: *** 1/* This is nice, but I think for a scent of this type, I'll keep reaching for Shanghai.

[Astarial]

I don't really know why, but in the imp this gives me the strongest impression of Lilith vs. the Giant Crab. Something about how the notes combine would make me swear there was tangerine in it. I think it must be the apple blossom combining with a touch of the tea? The only note they have in common is sandalwood, but I'm not picking up on any of that.

 

That impression disappears pretty quickly on my skin, and the tea and bamboo come out more strongly while the apple blossom takes a good step back from "tangerine" and stays more true to what I expect it to be.

 

As it dries, it continues to mellow out, though happily the sandalwood never plays a leading role. The bamboo, I think, comes out and lends a little creamy woodiness to the party, grounding the tea and apple blossom a bit. I can see the comparison to shampoo, but it's like someone took that smell and classed it up a bit. Or a lot. It's very pretty, delicate, and springlike, without a ton of throw.

 

I like it, but I'm not sure I love it.

[Sangria2]

In the vial: Fresh sweet apples, followed closely by the green tea. I would really love to drink this.

 

Wet: First applied, all I'm getting is apple. There is no "blossom" to be found, and the apple is really strong.

 

Dry: After just a few minutes, the apple settles down and is joined by a tangy greenness, and soap. This is the shampoo that everyone else has mentioned, but it doesn't stay that way. The soapiness disappears and now I swear this is a dead ringer for the drydown of Like Brooms of Steel. That creamy, slightly disconcerting apple smell, after the mint has burned off.

 

This one had moderate throw to begin with that has faded into a skin scent within three hours. My wrists have the ghost of the apple green tea smell from the vial, but I have to really huff them to find it. Sandalwood never showed up even in part.

 

It's pretty, but not quite what I was hoping for.

[tinyvulture]

Clean and light and refreshing. Gives you that "just hopped out of the shower, ready to go!" energized feeling. Green tea is always a clean, crisp note, and it blends nicely with the sweet apple blossom. In the same family as other invigorating tea blends like Shanghai and The Dormouse. I think I prefer Shanghai by a hair, but this is great, too.

[mymymai]

ITB: It reminds me of early spring in the apple orchard when I was a child. The apple blossom note here is lovely, light, and fresh. When paired with the sandalwood and bamboo, it produces something that is subtle, feminine, nostalgic, and just delightful.

 

Wet: The bamboo and tea are much stronger on my skin, which is disappointing as it takes more of a clean, hard line that seems at discord with the apple blossom.

 

Dry: It's light and gentle, like a vintage powder room. Pretty.

[milo]

Fruity tea, then turns into a dusty fruit. Doesn't last, and barely there while it does.

[Cali]

It's like a warm spring day! Floral note in the background, bamboo and apple in the foreground.
Very fresh, greenery-sweet. Barely a throw on me, unfortunately! :c