• About
  • Login to comment
    • Bluesky
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Archives

Fragrance review: Creative Universe Te

Posted by Robin on 28 February 2006 13 Comments

Creative Universe Te fragrance

Creative Universe is the brainchild of Beth Terry, who started out as a creative director in the fashion industry before turning her sights to perfume:

When she decided to create her own fragrance, she immediately knew what it should smell like. "I wanted tea in a glass," she said. "That was a childhood memory because my grandfather used to drink tea in a glass. It always looked so appealing to me." (via Women's Wear Daily, 6/9/2000)

The result was Té, which was launched in 1996 and features notes of bergamot, green tea, celery, grapefruit, ylang ylang and clove.

Of all the green tea fragrances I have tried, Té comes closest to replicating the smell of the real thing. It starts with sweet citrus; the citrus and the sweetness evaporate as it settles into a relatively dry green tea accord. The celery strikes an odd note in the early stages, but as the fragrance dries down, it lends a vegetal touch which realistically mimics the aroma of tea leaves. There is the vaguest hint of spice, an even vaguer hint of florals, and the slightest touch of creaminess.

Like the Bvlgari Green Tea, it is a casual scent, but I would call it smooth rather than crisp or bright, and relaxing rather than sexy. It is an Eau de Toilette, and it wears like one: you'll need to refresh every so often. The price is quite reasonable at around $65 for 130 ml. I have never bought a bottle simply because I can't imagine using 130 ml of anything, and I do wish they would come out with a smaller size.

For buying information, see the listing for Creative Universe under Perfume Houses.

An aside for tea fanatics: I would love to know what kind of tea Beth Terry's grandfather was drinking. Té reminds me of one of my very favorite oolongs: Huan Jin Gui Superior from Wayne Tea Salon. It is a very lightly oxidized tea, close to a green tea in taste, with floral undertones. The name translates to "Golden Osmanthus", and it smells more like Osmanthus than many teas which have actually been processed with the flowers. It is expensive but worth it, and the tea leaves can be re-used at least once. Someone should use headspace technology to capture the smell of a freshly opened bag.

Possibly of interest

Bvlgari Eau Parfumee Au The Noir ~ fragrance review
Arielle Shoshana Sunday & Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Hot Masala ~ fragrance reviews
Scent of Japan: Parfum Satori Hana Hiraku & J-Scent Roasted Green Tea ~ fragrance reviews

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: creative universe, tea

Advertisement


13 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 12:46 pm

    I may be the Evil Twin and all, but I am your fellow tea and tea fragrance lover. 🙂 I also wish they could replicate the smell of a freshly opened tea bag. Mmm

    As for Te…I was extremely excited to learn about it from your review…till I read the word “celery”. Te and I are not to be. 🙁

    Log in to Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 1:14 pm

    You can call me the evil triplet, then, I love tea (corrrection – caffeine-infused liquids) and will be looking for this, and well-prepared to be disappointed. I don't think anything will dislodge my big love for L'Artisan, tho.

    Ick! Were I the Devil, instead of just merely evil, people who drink hot tea out of a glass shall be consigned to a special corner of Hell — I saw a clip once of some restaurant that held an upscale tea-time but they served tea in somelier glasses and made the people swish the tea and slurp it. Ueber-snobs! Tea has no viscosity and the color is not indicative of anything.

    I want the captured smell of a freshly roasted, newly opened bag of 100% Kona beans.

    Log in to Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 1:22 pm

    NST, you know you've converted me to tea scents. And I really like all of Beth Terry's fragrances. They are both fresh and original—a kind of hard achievement. One of my daughter's stole Vita from me last summer.

    Log in to Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 1:27 pm

    Oh just try it anyway, LOL! Once it settles it smells almost woody, maybe closer to celery seed than celery.

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 1:29 pm

    Now I have to confess that I have several glass tea mugs. I don't swish though.

    This scent doesn't compete with the L'Artisan…they are too different. Creative Universe Element of Surprise is very similar though (citrus, tea, jasmine) and I'll review that one of these days.

    Log in to Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 1:33 pm

    L, I think she has another one coming out soon: Element of Desire. Don't know when it will appear though.

    Log in to Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 5:51 pm

    I haven't tried any of the CS scents, and it sounds intriguing. But really, I have to thank you for the tip on the tea – I think I'll really enjoy that, and it's not too obnoxiously priced or anything. Sounds heavenly.

    Log in to Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 8:01 pm

    Is this something “un homme” could wear! (swish! swish!…Russians drink tea from tall glasses all the time as do the Moroccans, Egyptians, etc!) My fav. tea is discontinued: Comptoir Sud Pacifique's “The”.

    There is an Italian eau de cologne that smells EXACTLY like fresh black tea…it is addictive and a 200 ml bottle lasted me but one summer…so you know the strength was weak…but the smell was great. I'll find the name for you…since it IS cheap and still available. K

    Log in to Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 8:36 pm

    Honestly, K, if you buy the tea & don't like it, I'll buy it from you. I reorder it regularly. If you like green tea in general, I'd think you would love it.

    Log in to Reply
  10. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 8:38 pm

    I don't see anything feminine about it personally, so I don't see why not.

    Didn't know the CSP was discontinued, that is too bad. The Comme des Garcons Tea got discontinued too if I remember correctly.

    Is the Italian one Speziali Fiorentini (or something like that)?

    Log in to Reply
  11. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 8:52 pm

    Speziali Fiorentini brand does sound right…comes in a squarish bottle with a gold top…in a hard plastic “box”. I need to get a bottle for summer…a good pick-me-up. K

    Log in to Reply
  12. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 9:06 pm

    This website never ceases to provide paths to beautiful things.

    I am both a tea and coffee drinker, and am lucky to have a spot in my town for both, but I will shop Wayne Tea Salon as well.

    My favorite greens are China. I find them a little less astringent than Japan green. My husband brought me several black and green teas from China when he was there on business a couple of years ago. Only touble is…the lables are in Chinese, so I have no idea what they are.

    But they were beautifully packaged in embroidered bags, and they taste good. What else matters?

    Thanks for yet another good link (and another way to indulge).

    Elaine

    Log in to Reply
  13. Anonymous says:
    28 February 2006 at 9:25 pm

    E, I drink mostly Chinese teas too, but do like a few Japanese, especially Gyokuro sencha & Genmaicha (the one with the popped corn), and Sakura (cherry blossom tea) when I can find a good one. At this point, tea is almost as much of a money drain for me as perfume.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

15 March ~ swapmeet

3 April ~ damage poll
26 April ~ splitmeet

3 May ~ spring reading poll
17 May ~ Haiku challenge!

 

Back to Top

Home
Archives
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Books

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2025 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.