Imperial Tea by By Kilian is an Aromatic Green fragrance for women and men. Imperial Tea was launched in 2014 as an Eau de Parfum. The nose behind this fragrance is Calice Becker.
Imperial Tea has been discontinued. It used to be part of By Kilian’s collection Asian Tales.
The keynotes of this Aromatic Green fragrance are Jasmine and Tea.
| Perfume Name | Imperial Tea |
| Brand | By Kilian |
| Year Released | 2014 |
| Concentration | Eau de Parfum |
| Scent Family | Aromatic Green |
| Gender | unisex |
One of my friends has a substantial fragrance collection and let me try Imperial Tea by Kilian. This is my experience with the fragrance.
What does Imperial Tea By Kilian smell like?
Imperial Tea smells like a perfect brew of jasmine black tea. The fragrance has a slight bitterness from the tannins that are accompanied by the sweetness of the jasmine. I find the jasmine to be light and not indolic at all.
While this is marketed as a unisex scent, I feel the sweet smoothness of the jasmine makes this more feminine leaning. It reminds me of jasmine in my garden on a warm summer evening.
To me, this smells like an elegant woman wearing a crisp white blouse and an elegant skirt. She’s definitely wearing pearls. She is the director of an art gallery or a museum. It smells aristocratic – classy and understated, but you know it’s that old money vibe.
This is a more luxurious take on the kind of bitter green tea accord that perfumer, Calice Becker, made famous with the scent Tommy Girl. This scent is a bit like Tommy Girl’s elegant, rich aunt.
| Top Notes | Jasmine, Tea |
| Middle Notes | |
| Base Notes |
My Experience
As soon as I smelled the opening, I could pick up something super floral and aromatic, so I was pretty surprised to learn that there were no yellow or exotic florals in there. This floral opening didn’t last very long, and it was mostly delicate jasmine that dominated.
The jasmine actually sweetens a bit on my skin, and that’s when I can pick up a bit more of the tea accord. Although throughout wearing this scent, the jasmine eclipses the tea most of the time. However, when I do get a waft of the tea, I can pick up a beautiful aromatic tea as I just brewed a strong cup.
Although the jasmine is very delicate and not piercing at all, I do wish the tea note would’ve been a bit stronger. It’s definitely a very nice scent that I can appreciate, but it’s very linear and lacks any zing to really make it stand out.
It’s worth mentioning that this scent is for sure the most tea-smelling fragrance that I’ve sampled so far. There are so many scents out there claiming to be centered around tea and naming themselves after it, but never truly being able to bring that note home like Imperial Tea. Usually, it’s just some kind of citrus concoction that turns annoying very fast.
Sillage & Projection
On my skin, I’d rate the sillage and projection as intimate. The sillage is soft at first (about 1-2 feet) and intimate in less than 30 minutes when it turns into a skin scent.
Longevity & Versatility
Imperial Tea is a very easy-to-wear scent that can be worn throughout the year, so it’s definitely signature scent worthy. However, if I had to pick a season, it would be spring and summer, given that the overall effect of the scent is that it’s bright, fresh, and clean.
It’s definitely office-proof and great for everyday wear and days out, but to me, it isn’t really a sexy scent. It’s more a brunch date than candlelight dinner date perfume. The longevity is moderate on my skin, and I got around 4 hours of wear.
Closing thoughts
It’s a great scent for someone that wants something quite natural smelling and elegant but still not very ‘perfumey.’ Given its versatility, it couldn’t definitely be a great signature scent. If someone likes jasmine or tea scents, then this scent is an absolute must to try.
Unfortunately, this scent isn’t worth the money, in my opinion. Its performance is just okay, and at the price point, I don’t want to just smell fresh and natural, but I want my fragrance to make a statement. I know price can be very subjective, and maybe for some people, this is absolutely worth it, but I won’t be trying to track down a bottle of Imperial Tea anytime soon.