My policy has always been that I don’t review discontinued perfumes. It’s just cruel, right? But while Tea for Two is very much discontinued, it does occasionally pop up on eBay or in those huge sales L’Artisan does about twice a year. It always sells out within minutes, so if you ever do happen across a bottle, I want you to be prepared!
Tea for Two is supposed to evoke Lapsang Souchong, that bafflingly smoky tea, but it’s much softer than its inspiration. This really is a delightfully strange fragrance. It juxtaposes the traditional chai spices (cinnamon, cardamom- the notes list ginger, but I don’t smell it) with this funny leathered paper note, almost like cardboard. Over time, Tea for Two becomes sweeter and more honeyed. I like Tea for Two best at the end, when it is delicious and comforting but still just a bit odd.
I always wonder what I would think of Tea for Two if I had tried it before Dzing!. I think that I would have thought it unique and marvelous. Chai tea and cardboard! But for better or for worse, I tried Dzing! first, and now I can’t help but perceive Tea for Two as Dzing! overlaid with cinnamon. Between the two, I think I prefer Dzing!, but both are unusual and enchanting fragrances, and I can absolutely see myself eventually deciding that I really need both.
What do you think of Tea for Two? Did you manage to snag a bottle before it was discontinued?
SCENTS OF SELF 
Ugh! No, I was not able to snag a bottle and it still chaps me. I usually don’t pine over discontinued scents because it leads to a rabbit hole I don’t want to go down but I’m still really mad at myself for not buying this when I could.
I also try to stay away from discontinued scents, but it can be hard when everyone’s always insisting that the old versions are superior to anything we have today. If it’s any comfort, I’ve heard many people say that Jacomo #8 is very similar, and way cheaper at $69!
I was recently in Charleston, SC visiting a friend and know that as of this past Saturday, the Blue Mercury on King Street had several BNIB bottles of Tea for Two. I’m sure they would be willing to ship. Good luck!
Whoa! Thank you for the heads-up, Neena! My local Bluemercury doesn’t even carry L’Artisan anymore… replaced with freaking Jo Malone! I like Jo Malone too, but it’s a lot easier to find these days.
I had heard wonderful things about Tea for Two but like you, I hate smelling discontinued fragrances (just sets me up for heartbreak). Luckily for me, my temptation for this is limited since I’m not a huge fan of chai.
Oh, if you don’t like chai, then Tea for Two is just another dodged bullet for you! l enjoy most types of tea except for earl grey.
I came across Tea for Two a few months ago at Kuhl-Linscomb (in Houston), which sells pretty much the whole line. They may still have some, but I haven’t paid attention the last few times I’ve been in. I remember my skin kind of amping the smoky note and it made me think of barbecue smoke. But I love Bulgari Black, which has a lapsang note too, just more rubbery-smelling like the dried leaves and less barbecue-y like the brewed tea.
I have tried Dzing! and I like it, but I don’t think I could spend that kind of money for it. Fortunately, Tokyo Milk’s Dead Sexy smells incredibly similar to Dzing! to me, and at a fraction of the price. 🙂
I’m a big Bulgari Black fan too! I had no idea that dried lapsang leaves smell rubbery. What a crazy tea!
Love Tea for Two and luckily have a 50ml bottle. The Jacomo is similar in my mind, but different enough to warrant full bottles of both (but of course!).
How convenient 🙂 Can you comment on what makes them different, Julie? I haven’t had a chance to try Jacomo #08.
Jacomo #8 is much sweeter – more like chai latte in my nose
Yes, I’d agree that the Jacomo #8 is sweeter, more spicy. The box is beautiful for that perfume! Tea for Two is smokier, more lapsang souchang to my mind than chai. Love both! And finally, good Lordy, I’ve missed you guys! Sooooo great to be well enough to comment intelligently again on your blog, Miss Ari!
I have a bottle. When I bought it I didn’t know it was being discontinued. Had I known I might have bought two.
This is how I’m feeling about Idole de Lubin right now! If I have the advantage of knowing that it’s being discontinued, how can I not get the second bottle??
Coming up on the next episode of Perfume Hoarders, Ari and Poodle discuss their reasons behind buying back up bottles just in case their favorites disappear from the shelves. Lol.
You’ll never use a back up bottle up, imho. Ten bucks says you’ll hoard it and then end up selling it. 🙂 Feels soooo good to own a back-up though. It’s interesting to think about the difference between what we wear and what we want to own.
I would totally watch a show called Perfume Hoarders 🙂
I love Tea for Two and Dzing but find them both quite difficult to wear. They are both so distinctive.
My husband smells awesome in both! It took him about a year to notice the circus smell in Dzing though and he was quite cross that I hadn’t mentioned it before. He was worried that everyone would have thought he was rolling in something in the backyard.
I once asked my mom to smell Dzing! on paper, and she RECOILED. I think she actually used the word “outhouse”! But she thought it was perfectly nice on my skin! I think that Dzing! melts into the skin in a very cool way, so your husband shouldn’t be afraid! Unless he really does roll around in the backyard… 😉
I get a lot of that circus thing in Dzing! too. Can’t wear it. My husband was all, “ooh, hey, I like that one, vanilla,” and I was CAN YOU NOT SMELL THE ANIMAL DUNG IN IT? Nope. He couldn’t.
Tea for Two was lovely, but out of my reach now. (Dzing! was my first L’Artisan purchase 🙂 ) Weird thought: Indochine from Parfumerie Generale hits many of the same notes for me. It always makes me think of wearing a chai latte. It does not have a tea note listed, but the honey, cardamom, pepper and woods blend on my skin to make a chai hologram.
This fragrance had a huge backlash in the blogosphere for its name and political/historical connotations. I started not to mention it here for fear of giving offense, which is not at all my intent. Just proposing a possible chai scent for ‘fume fans to explore. Be well!
HS, I’m so glad that you did bring it up, because I somehow completely missed that controversy! I am now much more educated about French colonial Indochina than I was five minutes ago. Indochine (the perfume!) is delicious, probably my favorite of the Parfumerie Generales I’ve tried so far. (Aomassai was fantastic until the roasted hazelnuts faded, which is FAST.)
I like my Smell Bent One, which is a lot like Dzing! but without the animal poo thing, and also a little less sweet, more nutmeggy/cardamomy. Have never smelled Tea for Two, and I suppose now it’s a little late for that. But like I said – I have SB One, and I’m okay with that.
Dzing!, sweet?? I am having trouble imagining this One, which can only mean that I need to sample it! 😉
It’s not PARTICULARLY sweet, but I get a weird marshmallowy thing in Dzing! along with vanilla and cardboard/paper/sawdust, sort of like those circus peanut candies. The dung is waay down underneath the rest of it, but I really notice it. Sort of a dry manure, from animals that have been eating hay or grass matter rather than grain (yes, it makes a difference, and yes, I can identify it in the, er, field).
SB One is more like old paperback books, a little less vanilla-y and more spicy.
Alas, I don’t remember Tea for Two at all. I may have smelled it and since I wasn’t taking notes at the time, I just have no idea.
If I encountered a bottle though, I would totally snap it up. I like Dzing! quite a bit and that is enough to sell me on Tea for Two.
Daisy, I really can’t see any Dzing! lovers not enjoying Tea for Two. I bet you’d love it!