One Day: Tea Exclusive Review

I love my indies - and while there's definitely a huge amount of North American indies out there (and the lovely international shipping to boot), I am always pleasantly surprised when I find some niche/indie brands close to home! 

Hong Kong has definitely given rise to some more local artists - with more events and popup stores supporting small, local indie creators in one of the art shopping malls (K11 Art Mall), and I happened to stumble across a small pop up set up and was instantly taken with the brand's sleek bottles and branding. The brand is called One Day - a brand created by Michael Wong in 2017. Their most recently released collection is the tea inspired collection, and their scent Oolong Tea also received an award from the  2022 Art and Olfaction Award & World Perfumery Congress. The lovely sales assistant also informed us that only 50 bottles of Oolong Tea was produced at any time due to the scarcity of the ingredients and time and labor intensive process - so although I really wanted to pick up a bottle, I've had to make a pre-order due to it already being sold out! These are all marketed as EDPs. I ended up picking up a full size of Osmanthus Tea for myself - at 980 HKD (125 USD). 

For purchasing - I believe that international shipping is not currently available, but will be available sometime in the future. I purchased my bottles directly from their pop up store. Besides the travel sets which come in 10mL bottles, they currently only offer 60mL full size bottles, which vary in price depending on the scent. 

Onto the scents!

Oolong Tea 

Between the trees, scent of tea and beans waves in from the quiet Japanese courtyard in a tranquil Taipei alley. The sun beams through the papered window, under the aged wood flow of hot water brews dried tea leaf into stringency and earthy benevolence. The clear bitter brown twists an aftertaste in your mouth. The old man presents you plated Japanese confectionery on ceramic, honeyed cake, sweet grinded rice and sugared beans thickens the air and washes the bitterness. Portioned sweetness and oolong sophistication, the afternoon delight.

TOP: Bergamot  | Clary Sage | Oolong Tea leaf
HEART: Honey | Jasmine
BASE: Vetiver | Tonka Bean

This is a really lovely scent, the opening note is a burst of fresh, woody and tannic bitter tea, definitely capturing more of the steamed, refreshing aromatic nature of oolong tea. The dry down on this scent brings out more of the grounded, woody presence of the vetiver, which is far darker, with a touch of sandalwood. I think this is definitely more of an 'atmospheric' scent compared to the other tea inspired scents, but I really love how refreshing and authentic this was in capturing the essence of 'oolong tea'. This had slightly longer wear (5-6 hours) and better throw and projection due to the heady, more heavy nature of the scent. 

Jasmine Tea 

Early fall when jasmine falls. Stream of water slides into the white porcelain.The elegant flow of flowers concentrates time, and slows time. As the tea washes the room with a green soft floral aroma, take a sip. In each wash you taste something different—the cycle of soil, a cycle of life, all dewy and fragrant. Spring sprouts, late summer blooms. Flower that closes at day and opens at night, emits a gentle fragrance into the dried leaves. Leaf and petals of 1OO flowers layer and become one. Three seasons as one. In one cup. On one day. 

TOP: Jasmine | Clary Sage
HEART: Tea Leaf  | Tieguanyin Tea Extract
BASE: Vetiver | Musk

This is a lovely scent if you like jasmine tea - and this definitely captures all of the aspects of 'tea' alongside the typical fragrance and aromas of dries jasmine. Although jasmine is listed as a top note, the white floral aspect of this clings on very strongly. I don't usually find myself a jasmine fan, but the way it pairs with the tea leaf and tieguanyin is so pretty - with a light, bitter profile that captures the taste of freshly brewed jasmine tea. Even the vetiver and musk are not heavy at all, and don't weigh down the lightness of the scent at all - and it's definitely sweeter compared to Oolong and Pu-er. The dry down, and wear of the scent also slightly remind me of a less honeysuckle/orange blossom heavy version of Matcha Meditation, purely from the sweetness of the jasmine. 

The wear of this scent was about 4-5 hours, on the lighter side, but the sweetness of the jasmine gives it some extra oomph with projection and throw, although it's again, on the lighter side. 

Osmanthus Tea 

The leaves land on water. Tea of amber color flows from the beak of the pot and scattered flowers float on the sound. Seat your friends on a mat in the afternoon, let’s gather in the name of festive rituals, and for the sake of the moon. The oolong is tinted of clear topaz, alongside the refreshing osmanthus cake and the delicatessens. Under the silver branches, we harvest the yellow flowers. When the sun fades and paints the evening gold, pour some new tea over the emerging breeze. Now drink to the tantalising scent of floral oolong, and wait for the moon to arise. Circle is the shape of the cup, yellow is the colour of the moon. It’s a date, mid-fall.

TOP: Osmanthus Absolute | Jasmine
HEART: Tea Leaves
BASE: Vetiver

This is my personal favorite of the collection - osmanthus jelly was one of my favorite desserts at yum cha when I was younger, and I think this really captures the fresh, refreshing lightness of osmanthus. Compared to Osmanthus from Floroma (another local Hong Kong brand which offers international shipping), this is far more mellow, tannic and sweet, a very understated way to experience floral scents. The balance of the osmanthus here with the jasmine is a lovely blend, not too heavy that the white floral overpowers the other accords, and it's very distinctly tea like - which I absolutely love. Towards the end of the wear on this scent, the vetiver and jasmine are at its strongest, and linger on. This scent is more nuanced compared to Jasmine Tea, and I like the sweetness too. 

The wear of this scent was about 4 hours, the shortest out of all of them due to the lightness of the scent, with relatively modest throw and projection. 

Pu-Er Tea 

Puer is ripe time. From raw to ripe, green to carmine. In an old room served tea in purple boccaro clay on a wooden tray, at 80 degrees. Boiled water streams a crimson river from an altitude and settles a lake in the cup. Tea and walls fermented and tinted by the years, aged red and brown. The air travels through houses and highlands, and takes nostalgia back between the compressed leaves. Traces of people moving and leaving, become a wind that dries the tea. Then it rains. The color diffuses and unifies again in red, the water that runs through it becomes denser in time. Brew and pour the aged water anti-clockwise, breathe the moment, reverse time. Remember when the tea was new, when we still wrote letters, when it tasted fresh, bitter and left a sweet aftertaste.

TOP: Pu'er Tea Leaves
HEART: Cedarwood | Cypress | Patchouli
BASE: Incense | Vetiver

Honestly, I've never liked pu-er tea very much - I always find it far too intense, heavy and heady as a drink, and should only be appreciated in small sips and should never be steeped for too long. However, this scent definitely captures that feeling, of dark, intense and bitter tea, and even sniffing it too deep feels like a hit to the back of the throat with all its heavy tannic aspects. Out of the collection, this is the least interesting to me, due to the heaviness of the cedarwood, patchouli and vetiver, with the incense adding an extra smoky aspect to the scent. Compared to the others, this is far more of a traditionally masculine scent, with a more mainstream profile and accords - although it definitely captures the spirit of pu-er tea in all of its glory. 

Disclaimer: I was not sponsored for this review or an affiliate with the brand, and all opinions are my own, and do not reflect any brand's opinions or interests. All products mentioned in this post were purchased by myself, and not provided for purposes of review.