Thai Tea
Note Profile
About
Thai tea, cha yen, is the bright orange iced tea poured over condensed milk. The note is a composite: strong black tea, star anise, condensed milk and caramelised sugar, with an orange blossom trace. It is licorice-sweet rather than warm-spiced, which is what separates it from masala chai.
Scent Profile
Thai Tea smells of strong, cured black tea first, tannic and brewed. Underneath is a milky, lactonic body from condensed milk. A licorice sweetness from star anise runs through it, more aromatic and herbal than warmly spiced, with a caramelised sugar sweetness alongside. A faint orange blossom trace sits on top.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
ScentArt
Materials That Can Make This Note
Perfumers can build Thai Tea from materials such as:
-
Anethole anisic · medicinal · mimosa
Smell words come from published sources.
Allergens perfumes with this note can list: Anethole
A given perfume with this note may use this material, or something else, and may or may not contain the allergens above.
Origin
A beverage accord, not an extract. Premiere Peau names the build: black tea accords, star anise (anethole), condensed milk lactones, caramelised sugar and orange blossom traces. The drink itself is Thai street tea, brewed strong and served over ice with sweetened condensed milk, and the orange colour comes from added dye rather than from anything that smells.
Usage in Perfumery
A heart note in tea, spiced-gourmand and Southeast Asian compositions, used as a rich spiced-cream-tea element. It sits between masala chai and milk tea. Reach for it when a gourmand needs an anise thread and a dairy body without the cinnamon and clove of a chai.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Thai Tea
A selection of reviewed perfumes where Thai Tea appears prominently.
No perfumes featuring this note have been reviewed yet. Check back soon.