FROM THE BITTERNESS OF TEA TO THE SWEETNESS OF BROWN SUGAR
How D’Annam Bubble Tea helps us explore the diversity of gourmand fragrances.
At first sip, bubble tea can seem remarkably simple - tea, milk and sugar. Its true character, however, lies in the way these elements come together.
Black tea retains a gentle bitterness. Milk softens it. Brown sugar adds a deeper sweetness, while tapioca pearls turn the drink into something more than simply sweet milk tea.
The new D’Annam Bubble Tea fragrance is built around a similar idea.
Its name may initially sound playful, yet behind it lies a question that applies to a much broader fragrance family: must a gourmand fragrance always smell like vanilla cake, caramel or sweets?
Not at all.
Gourmand fragrances can be milky and soft, dry and roasted, bitter, fruity, spicy or even lightly salty. Sweetness is only one possible part of the composition. What matters far more is what accompanies it.
GOURMAND FRAGRANCES ARE NOT JUST DESSERTS
The beginning of the modern gourmand fragrance family is commonly associated with Mugler Angel, launched in 1992. Alongside patchouli, its composition introduced impressions of candyfloss, caramel, chocolate and vanilla.
At the time, this was an unusual approach. Instead of a traditional floral bouquet, the fragrance centred on memories of sweets and fairground treats.
Angel demonstrated that perfumery could also draw inspiration from food, drinks and childhood memories. Since then, the world of gourmand fragrance has expanded considerably.
Today, gourmand compositions may include: vanilla and caramel; coffee and cocoa; milk and rice; almonds and hazelnuts; honey; tea; fruit; toasted bread; biscuits; ice cream; alcoholic drinks and spices.
Belonging to the same fragrance family, however, does not mean that all of these scents smell alike.
A fragrance built around bitter coffee and cocoa may feel dark and dry. One centred on rice and milk may be soft and subdued. A fruity gourmand can be juicy and tart, while a composition of caramel and vanilla may feel warm, rich and distinctly sweet.
For this reason, the description “gourmand fragrance” does not tell you whether you will like a scent. It simply indicates that its concept is connected in some way to the world of taste and food.
WHY DOES TEA CHANGE THE ENTIRE COMPOSITION?
If Bubble Tea were built only around impressions of milk and brown sugar, it would probably feel much closer to a sweet milk-based dessert.
D’Annam, however, places black tea at the centre of the composition.
The brand describes the fragrance as a combination of roasted black tea, whole milk, brown sugar and tapioca pearls. Its principal themes are tea and milk. The fragrance is described as having moderate projection and lasting approximately five to six hours, although performance may vary from one person’s skin to another.
Black tea is not simply another line in the list of notes. It has a clear purpose.
Its drier, gently bitter character prevents the milk and sugar from standing alone. It creates a contrast with the sweetness and gives the fragrance greater depth.
This is one of the most useful principles to keep in mind when considering gourmand fragrances: do not look only for what is sweet, but also for what balances that sweetness.
The bitterness of coffee can balance vanilla. Salt can balance caramel. Spices can offset fruit, while woods can give structure to honey. Green or roasted tea can temper milky and sugary notes.
These contrasts are often what distinguish a thoughtful fragrance from a simple dessert scent.
d’Annam Bubble Tea is a sweet and creamy gourmand Eau de Parfum inspired by classic milk tea with tapioca pearls. Roasted black tea is blended with whole milk and brown sugar to create a comforting fragrance with a distinctly dessert-like character.
WHERE DID BUBBLE TEA COME FROM?
The bubble tea we know today emerged in Taiwan during the 1980s, when sweet tapioca pearls began to be added to cold milk tea.
There is still no clear agreement about who created the first version. Both Chun Shui Tang teahouse in Taichung and Hanlin Tea Room in Tainan have their own account of how the drink originated. The two businesses were involved in a lengthy legal dispute over authorship, yet it was never conclusively established which of them created it first.
It is therefore more accurate to say that bubble tea developed within Taiwanese tea culture than to credit its invention to one undisputed café.
Originally, it was a sweet, cold milk tea served with tapioca pearls. Over time, countless variations appeared - with black, green or oolong tea; fruit; different types of milk; syrups; jellies and varying levels of sweetness.
This also explains why each person may have a different idea of what bubble tea should smell like. For one person, it may be associated above all with strong tea; for another, with milk, brown sugar or sweet tapioca pearls.
D’Annam has chosen a classic and immediately recognisable foundation - black tea, whole milk and brown sugar.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT GOURMAND FRAGRANCE FOR YOU
The most useful question is not: “Do I like sweet fragrances?” That is too broad. It is far more helpful to consider what kind of sweetness you enjoy and what you need alongside it.
A : IF YOU LIKE WARM, PRONOUNCED SWEETNESS
Look for vanilla, caramel, honey, candyfloss, chocolate or praline. These fragrances are often richer and more clearly reminiscent of dessert.
B : IF YOU LIKE SOFT, MILKY FRAGRANCES
Pay attention to notes of milk, cream, rice, almond and vanilla. They can create a gentler, calmer form of sweetness, although the final result will always depend on the rest of the composition.
C : IF YOU NEED A CONTRAST TO SWEETNESS
Look for tea, coffee, cocoa, salt, tobacco, roasted nuts, woods or spices. These notes can give a fragrance a drier, darker or more bitter character.
IF YOU DO NOT LIKE VERY STRONG FRAGRANCES
Consider not only the list of notes, but also how strongly the fragrance is perceived by those around you.
Very sweet notes do not automatically mean that a fragrance will fill the room. A soft, close-to-the-skin scent can still be unmistakably gourmand in style.
D’Annam describes Bubble Tea as moderately intense, making it suitable for someone who wants a noticeable milk-tea fragrance without an especially loud or overpowering presence.
HOW SHOULD YOU TEST BUBBLE TEA?
Begin by smelling it on a fragrance blotter.
On the first try, do not attempt to identify every nuance listed in the notes. Ask yourself something simpler: do you notice the tea, the milk or the sweetness first? Does the fragrance feel lighter or fuller than you expected?
Return to it after 10–20 minutes.
The opening moments do not always reveal how a fragrance will continue to develop. Notice whether the drier quality of the tea remains present and how the sweetness of the milk and brown sugar changes.
Before buying, test it on your skin.
A blotter can give you a clear sense of the main idea, but a fragrance develops gradually on the skin. This is particularly important with sweet and milky compositions, which may become either softer or more pronounced after an hour.
Do not judge it only by longevity.
It is more important to understand whether you still enjoy the fragrance once the initial impression has settled. The fragrances that make the strongest first impression are not always the ones you will most want to wear every day.
WHO MIGHT ENJOY D’ANNAM BUBBLE TEA?
Bubble Tea may suit someone looking for:
- a gourmand fragrance with a clearly recognisable tea theme;
- a milky, sweet scent that is not excessively intense;
- something different from more familiar vanilla and caramel fragrances;
- sweetness balanced by the character of roasted black tea.
It may not be the best choice for someone looking for:
- a fresh citrus fragrance;
- a dry and entirely unsweetened tea scent;
- a distinctly green or floral composition;
- an especially powerful fragrance that can be noticed from a considerable distance.
INSPIRED BY FLAVOUR, CREATED TO BE WORN
The most interesting quality of a gourmand fragrance is not its ability to reproduce a dessert with complete accuracy.
It becomes far more compelling when a familiar flavour is transformed through perfumery - when sugar meets wood, vanilla is contrasted with salt, milk is paired with rice, or the sweetness of brown sugar is balanced by roasted black tea.
D’Annam Bubble Tea does not simply try to smell like a sweet drink. Its concept is built on contrasts - the bitterness of tea, the softness of milk and the sweetness of brown sugar.
These contrasts reveal just how varied gourmand fragrances can be. They do not all smell like cake. Sometimes, they feel more like a warm sip of tea with something sweet.
SPOTS PERFUMERY
WANT TO FIND A SCENT THAT SUITS YOU PERSONALLY?
If you would like to discover which type of gourmand fragrance suits you best - milky and soft, roasted and slightly bitter, fruity, spicy or distinctly sweet - visit one of our shops in Riga:
SPOTS Miesnieku 14, you will find a smaller, carefully selected fragrance range for those who want quality and something different without too many complicated choices;
SPOTS Elizabetes 83, our fragrance store offers a wider selection and a more in-depth consultation experience.
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