DSH Banacha is a 100% botanical, natural fragrance. DSH Bancha is described as
” In alignment with nature, this refreshing fragrance eases us through transitional months, as signs of vitality begin to resurface all around. Bancha’s earthy-green notes are inspired by the fresh tones of the traditional Japanese tea of the same name and comprised of essences used in traditional ayurvedic healing, to ensure complete wellness through the scent’s simple meditation. Let’s welcomes spring’s fresh start…”
Being a natural perfume, I feel that Bancha really adjusts to my skin depending on different variables, heat, etc. It seems to be a different fragrance every time I wear it. In cooler weather it is much more “warm” and mossy. In warmer weather it is much more refreshing and citrus. Because of this, I’ve had to spend much time sampling it, examining it. This review was written on a mid-60’s day.
At first Bancha is very tart citrus on me. It isn’t a juicy citrus, you can tell it’s the peel of limes, green mandarin, yuzu, very tart. There is a green freshness with the tartness. It does smell like an herb garden. I can’t distinguish the different herbs, I just get “green”. The greenness is very “alive”. These aren’t dried herbs. The greens mix with the citrus. Eventually this fragrance begins to smell a bit “juicy” on me. I love that this fragrance uses jasmine to add sweetness. The jasmine in Bancha reminds me of sweet, dried jasmine tea. Florals are present in Bancha, but they aren’t feminine. The base is what really works for me. I get the faintest terpenoid from pine needles. The fragrance wears mossy on me, dry mossy (I’m in Western Washington, I know my mosses). The scent becomes a bit foresty, a dry, summer forest. DSH’s Bancha is a wonderful interpretation of bancha (a “mature” green tea with a hay-like aroma). Bancha has the green freshness of green tea because of the addition of green herbs. The tart citrus notes make the scent refreshing. The jasmine adds a tea-like quality to the fragrance. And the base of moss, pine needles, and woods are what make this “bancha” and not any other green tea fragrance. The base makes this one dry, pastoral. But, it never smells “dirty”. The florals, citrus, and greens keep this smelling clean, fresh. Being a natural perfume, it wears for a long time.
Parfums des Beaux Arts by DSH Bancha is a very relaxing, soothing perfume. It’s a cup of hot bancha. This fragrance wears closely to the skin, it seems to work with the wearer. It’s amazing how it transforms to your body chemistry. It’s a very intuitive fragrance. Some fragrances can be described as “sexy” or “flirty”, something you may wear for someone else. DSH Bancha is meditative. It’s a fragrance you wear for yourself.
Notes listed include green mandarin, lime peel, spearmint, yuzu, centifolia rose, holy basil, jasmine, pine needle, Australian sandalwood, Himalayan cedar, and moss.
Give DSH’s Bancha a try if you like tea fragrances. It’s very difficult for me to compare Bancha to other fragrances so I have to think of fragrances that are somewhat similar. Give it a try if you like perfumes like Parfums de Nicolai Vie de Chateau Eau Fraiche, L’Occitane Green Tea with Jasmine, Sisley Eau de Campagne and/or Shieseido Zen Eau de Cologne.
The 1 oz. EDP retails for $90 at DSH Perfumes. Other sizes and samples are also available for purchase.
Want more reviews? Try…
Thank you for this great review. The base of moss, pine and woods sounds breathtaking.
All last weekend, I wore DSH Festive (one of her Essense Oils) which has fir, spruce and incense among other notes. It’s love! Scents like these will be part of my “mood first aid kit”.
I have to admit that at 1st I didn’t like Bancha. And I really don’t know why I didn’t like it. I think it was the bitter citrus. But, on the days I get the moss, I love it. This sounds lame, but it is a “spiritual” scent. A scent for oneself. So maybe you’d like it in your “mood first aid kit” 🙂 I think you’d like Bancha. Scenthive has a great review.
Festive sounds very nice but more “wintery” with notes of evergreens and incense. I like wintery evergreen fragrances. DSH has so many amazing scents. I know I won’t be able to sample them all. I haven’t sniffed a DSH that I dislike.
I’m not a big tea note fan, but moss + pine and woods I do adore, so maybe this would be a good summer perfume for me. (And I must try Festive!)
I think you would like this one. It isn’t “tea”, not listed as a note, but it embodies actual bancha. It’s kind of a tea fragrance for those that don’t like tea… I really like it for summer because it’s fresh without being too citrusy/light. I really like the mossy dry-down.
Yeah, I need to try Festive too. Sounds like something I’d love.
Now here’s another I want to try! I can’t keep up with you!
LOL!
[…] I also wore 2010′s launch, DSH Perfumes Bancha, a mossy, meditative natural citrus. Review here. Later in the spring, I really fell for this year’s launched, Annick Goutal Ninfeo Mio. It […]