Perfume

This is an off topic yet closely connected to tea, especially to Dan Cong teas for its renown fragrances.

Thi the writer of the LA Times article about my tea shop and Dan Cong teas is extremely well versed in many subjects. So naturally his friends are similar contributing even wider versed interests. I had the honer and privilege to become part of his group, expanding rapidly in my own horizon and every one else's in the group.

The US is an allergy swamp! I never heard of the term allergy during my childhood years in China. We had regular seasonal rains in the south, defined seasons, a lot less pollution than today. I was happy as a bug on a bamboo tree after a Spring shower. Soon after we moved to the states, 2 years was all that it took for my allergy to develop in full swing, the serious kind that crippled my social ability for many years. Living with such sensitivity, I avoid scent, wash my hands every 30 minutes, would not touch my own skin after 5 minutes of washing them or after touching anything else. A few perfumes I had purchased out of curiosity and impulse shopping, a few were gifts, most of them are still in the bottles aging like brandies with sealed packages. Mint condition antiques you can refer to one day. I hate strong scents worn by others, they put me out like chloroform I swear. Strong perfume and tea don't mix of course. So to sum it up, I did not like perfume, I did not wear perfume for over 20 years, and I refuse to date anyone showers with cologne.

SP introduced me to hundreds of her perfume collections, most of which are not over the counter perfumes. You can find them at :
http://www.cbihateperfume.com/perfume.html
Definitely not an average joe perfume collection. Those who lives in Brooklyn New York, lucky fools! CB has a gallery in Brooklyn.

It has been a few months since I first met SP and sniffed her perfumes. I did not attempt to put any on until a few weeks ago fear of my allergic natured being. Under some fine liquor influence, I tried a few on at various spots of my arms. Next day woke up with my nose next to my arm, good morning I said in a happy liquefied mood. I then sniffed both my arms in an outward reach order, it started with sweet water with an innocent love affair for 4 inches, musky smoked Russian Caravan without milk and sugar for the next 3 inches, wet stone of the north east forest extended toward my lower arm, fresh snow and fir was where I lost before a mushroomy aroma stopped me before my palm. The memories, imaginations, sensuality are all part of these scents, alarming in a gentle but profound way. ALL of these perfumes are so light and airy, one can not smell you from a distance. They can only be smelled about 1/2 inch away or less, so delicate you want to chase your nose down beneath the skin. This is the quality of some Dan Cong teas, fragrance is in the golden liquid sipping down your throat, scenting your entire breathing system, tracing all the way deep into your lungs.

These scents combined with my own scent and had modified itself from what they were in the bottle. Upon reading more about CB I hate Perfume's website, my mind was blown away, a part of life I blocked off due to my health condition. During many tea drinking sessions with Thi, SP and his (mine too now) friends, I kept mentioning if there was a natural perfume smells exactly like any of my Dan Cong teas, I'd wear them everyday! How sensual and divine that might be! I might be able to market that in Chao Zhou. :P

I'll get a ginger flower scent for Christmas! It's a present for myself... I'm currently in love with the water #5 accord - gift from SP, it works very nice with my skin and chemistry. Accord means single scent. Go get lost in these scents! Male, female, natural, floral, dirt, smoke, leather, dried leaves and mushrooms, scents of the 60's and 70's, the possibilities are endless, and they smell very nice despite the names. Let there illusive scents illuminate your senses!

Most human have expression complication, some are introverted, some are verbal, some through music, writing, etc. Scent is another catalyst to open one's mind, imagination, express in ways one finds comfort. Tea has been a great catalyst for many as a social medium, chit chatting amongst friends, even strangers through a cup of tea. Some teas are more expressive than others. I found my expressive tea, Dan Cong. Perfumes from CB are the new addition, opening channels I intentionally shut off. It makes me feel whole, or more whole than previous.