The Alluring Impact of Scent: Layering Tea Perfumes with Demeter Fragrance

I’ve been told I have hyperosmia, an increased sense of smell. Though I haven’t had it clinically diagnosed, having an intense sensitivity to scent is a mixed blessing. When I’m the only one woken out of a sound sleep by the smell of something burning, or my nose is being exfoliated by the smell of a cleaner it’s more of a curse.

In regard to tea and other beautiful aromas it is a sensory joy ride! I can smell some of the nuances others miss. I get a jolt of energy from pleasing smells like tea. By that I mean the tea itself, whether white, green, yellow, oolong, black, puerh or a blend. No flavoring needed. 

Turning to a friend with excitement over the subtleties in a new tea to be greeted with “I can’t smell it,” is a bit disappointing I admit. I wish they could experience the joy I am having, and that I didn’t feel so alone in having it. I wouldn’t change it though.

I often choose what tea I am going to have next from my stash by smelling it first. That visceral reaction in the moment tells me what I am most ready to enjoy right now. 
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Perfume, Cologne and Tea
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This “super smeller” tendency affects how I experience perfumes and colognes. I am much more sensitive to synthetics and intense commercial fragrances. Oils and colognes that are more natural are what I go for. When I discovered Demeter fragrance had tea scents in their library of 300+ fragrances I felt a jolt of excitement. They aim to be as simple and natural as possible. Their colognes are described on their website as:
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• 95% of our ingredients are derived from natural or renewable resources.
• No artificial colors. Any color in a Demeter scent is a natural product of the ingredients used to make the scent. This is why most Demeter scents are clear.
• No binders or emulsifiers
• No Phthalates
• Alcohol naturally fermented from corn
• Never tested on animals

Demeter is known for their single note scents that can be used alone or layered to make your own signature scent. Tea-wise I was pleased to find their basic Black Tea and Green Tea scents. The fact they have Baihao Yinzhen Tea and a Silvery Tip Pekoe Tea caused me to do a double take and wonder how I had thus far missed out on this awesomeness. 

I chose to try the Black Tea and the Silvery Pekoe. The Black Tea smelled more like a pleasing blend than a single origin like Golden Monkey or a smokey Keemun. The SIlvery Tip Pekoe, was more nuanced with elements of light grass, vegetal notes and white flowers. It is based on Chinese white teas from the Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. 

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The rabbit hole sucked me in, and after looking through all 300+ plus scents I felt inspired to some layering. 

I drink more straight tea than flavored ones, but I do love rose black tea. I love rose ‘anything’, really. There is something about roses. They are romantic, timeless, and there are so many varietals I can get lost in the nuances of their fragrance rainbow for hours. So, I also chose Demeter’s main Rose scent going for a blend of it with their Black Tea. The combination smelled so delicious I wanted to steep myself in hot water. 

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The Transporting Nature of Scent

T​o me scent is not just about how ‘pretty’ I smell but about creating a doorway to an experience. Some scents are more for putting in a special drawer or creating an atmosphere than wearing to a party. 

I love the smells of plants, forests, and water. Demeter has many such fragrances like Grass, Ocean, and Rain (inspired by “In The Rain” by e.e. cummings). Even more location specific ones like Provence Meadow.  Firefly is described as “an early northeastern spring evening at dusk”. 

Creating the feeling of a memory or experience through scent intrigues me. I layered Wet Garden with Silvery Pekoe and it was like having tea outdoors surrounded by freshly watered flowers.

Demeter goes beyond common smells to the nostalgic and imaginative. Spacewalk is inspired by the description of space by the astronauts who have been there. How about some tea in space?

Play-doh and Crayon can transport you to childhood memories or memories of your children.

There are even such scents as Puppy's Breath, New Baby and one I had to try (and one of their most popular) Kitten Fur. Now I don't think these have any distilled essence of baby or kitten, but I can say Kitten Fur has a bit of that unique smell that healthy little furries have. You know that popular TikTok and IG trend when people sniff their kittens to a pre-recorded sound of someone sniffing something satisfying? It is that idea in a bottle. 

With all of these possibilities I am interested in trying more layers. The experience of reading a good book while sipping a cup of tea with my cat on my lap, blending: Paperback, Green Tea and Kitten Fur. How about an afternoon tea experience with Scottish Shortbread, Black Tea, and Raspberry Jam? 

Making it Last

Scents that are natural do fade faster. There are ways of extending the experience like layering different products with the same scent. Demeter has body lotions, colognes and perfume oils in each of their scents. I have had success with that kind of layering before and am eager to try it with Demeter.  The images in this post are all mini cologne splashes but purse sprays, large cologne sprays, perfume oil rollers and hand sanitizers are also available.

This is not a sponsored post, though I wish it was considering how much I have enjoyed these products. I always wish you great adventures in great tea. This time I wish you great tea-scented ones. Let me know if you plunge down the tea fragrance rabbit hole. There are more tea scent encounters coming on Tea Deviant. Let me know if you indulge in the world of tea scents. Cheers!

Happy International Tea Day!