Masala Chai

Note Profile

Prepared 18 perfumes

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About

Masala chai is strong black tea simmered with milk, sugar and a spice mix. Cardamom, ginger and cinnamon lead the spice, then clove and black pepper. The spice is the largest part of the smell. The note is drier and more aromatic than a plain milk tea.

Scent Profile

Warm spice from cinnamon and clove leads, closely followed by the fresh spice of cardamom, ginger and black pepper. Cardamom adds a cool, camphorous snap. Behind them sit a creamy simmered-milk note and the dry hay and tobacco tone of strong black tea. Sugar or jaggery gives it a moderate vanilla warmth. Clove and the tea add a light smoky depth and a trace of leather. Underneath sit a dry, woody tannin, a mineral and earthy trace from the clay cup, a soft musk, a biscuit-like nuttiness, a citrus lift from ginger and lemongrass, and a honeyed edge from jaggery.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeHeart · ~4h lasting

Family Spicy, Sweet & Gourmand, Amber · Musk · Leather

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

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ScentArt

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Origin

A prepared Indian beverage, reconstructed as an accord. Assam CTC black tea is boiled in milk and water with crushed ginger and cardamom, cloves and cinnamon, and sweetened with sugar or jaggery. Perfumery builds it from spice oils over a tea absolute or tea-like aromatic, with lactonic milk materials, tonka and vanilla, and in the most literal interpretations a clay accord for the cup.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use masala chai in warm gourmand and spicy compositions. The spices open it, the tea and milk hold the heart, and vanilla, tonka and musk carry the base. It pairs with sandalwood, cocoa, rose and leather.