L'Île au Thé Goutal

Bergamot and mandarin arrive with surprising delicacy, their citric edges softened and diffused rather than bright. Within minutes, the green accords emerge—that crisp, slightly vegetal quality that suggests crushed leaves rather than the fruit itself.

The osmanthus absolute blooms with apricot-like tenderness, warm and subtly honeyed, threading through the citrus and green notes with genuine elegance. The tea absolute begins its whispered presence, adding an almost astringent, slightly woody quality that grounds the florality.

What remains is predominantly cedar and mat—increasingly earthy and austere, with the white musk providing the faintest warmth. By hour four, the scent has become a barely-there second skin, primarily discernible to the wearer, a faint suggestion of dried botanicals and wood grain.