Jo Malone London has just announced the arrival of their Rare Teas collection in Metro Manila. Lifestyle Asia had a sneak peek of the new line, which boasts to be the English perfumer’s most premium scents. We list down reasons why it’s worth picking up a bottle of Jo Malone London’s Rare Teas collection.
Rare Tea is Comparable to a Good Bottle of Wine
“Rare teas are all about craftsmanship, purity, provenance and ritual,” says Jo Malone London’s Fragrance Director Celine Roux, who compares premium teas to a good bottle of wine. All tea come from the same plant called Camella sinesis. Unlike the mass-produced tea we find in grocery stores, rare teas take precision and a lot of care in able to produce fine flavor and aroma. This means having to grow it in smaller quantities. “In a similar way to wine, the soil, climate, attitude and harvest are what make each individual tea different,” she continued.
Wherever the camella sinesis plant grows, the rare tea is highly effective and takes a new form. For instance, a Jade Leaf tea (that comes from Sencha Ariaka tea) grows in Japan and will usually develop into a fine green tea. Roux explains, “(It is) produced on the southern island of Kyushu, and collected by hand in the spring. A technique of steaming the tea leaves is used to prevent oxidation. This preserves both the deep green color and flavor that is unique to Japanese tea leaves.” Jo Malone London has sourced six different rare teas from around the world for this collection, infusing them with other ingredients to allow them to truly shine.
The Variety of Scents Are Absolutely Unique
The six varietals in the collection are all unique in their own way. Sourcing ingredients from all around the world, not one scent is exactly the same. The Silver Needle Tea was once a delicacy reserved only for the Imperial family of China. Today, it is available in Jo Malone London’s signature packaging as a premium perfume with floral, rose, and sage notes. India’s famous Darjeeling Tea is also available. It gives off a vibrant aroma of jasmine and other springs buds that grow along the Himalaya.
Jade Leaf Tea, as discussed earlier, come from the green tea island of Kyushu. The Oolong tea varietal is rounded with a buttery softness, rich with cocoa and an almondy tonka bean, as if coming straight from a rolling mountain range. The Midnight Black Tea comes from the seductive and exotic Carnal Midnight Black tea from Yunann. It gives off a smokey aroma. Lastly, the Golden Needle Tea, is magnetic with notes of leather and spice. Inspired by the wooden interiors of a Chinese tea house located in a distant mountain, the scent smells of a soothing sandalwood with a touch of priceless gold.
Add to Your Collection and Layer Away
Those who are a fan of Jo Malone London’s line of premium perfumes are aware that the best way to use them is to layer them on one’s skin. All the scents are designed to complement each other. It is suggested that mixing scents (whether it be from the Rare Tea collection or any other of Jo Malone’s previously released scents) allows for maximum effectiveness. Imagine layering the Darjeeling and Golden Needle Tea together: the Indian mountains meet the Chinese tea houses. It is a scent best captured only by Jo Malone London’s unique varietals. We’re surely running to the stores this weekend to begin experimentation of scent layering. There are no rules. As they say, “Anything goes!”.
Text and photography by Chino R. Hernandez
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