If you’ve read my blog lately, you know how delighted I am to have discovered DSH Perfumes line of all natural fragrances. Each of her botanical perfumes has its own personality while maintaining the sophistication we have come to expect from Dawn Spencer Hurwitz. Her newest 100% botanical scent, Bancha, is no exception. Inspired by the common green Japanese tea, Bancha has the comfort and grace of a steamy steeping cup.
Bancha, a green tea, is made from mature leaves picked in the summer or autumn, as opposed to Matcha and Sencha varieties whose tender leaves are harvested in the spring. These distinctions are new to me, and according to my friend Wikipedia, Bancha’s late picking gives it a “stronger organic straw smell”. DSH’s Bancha also has a strong, organic smell that is more green than straw-like, although I would not place this fragrance in the same category of other green tea perfumes. Bancha brings forth the refreshing coziness of green tea, but it is not seeking to emulate it. Rather than having a distinct “green tea note,” Bancha is an earthy tea meditation.
Bancha is a blend of citrus and mint at its opening, quite unlike what you might anticipate. The citrus is a tad bitter, as any fruity sweetness is negated by a fecund mint essence. Even though we’re talking topnotes here, Bancha is immediately grounding, like scooping up limes or lemons that have fallen into dark, fertile soil. Moving into the heart of Bancha is a subtle transition, but the herbal basil, gently floral rose and jasmine sambac, and green pine needles make the experience even richer and a little softer. Sandalwood and cedarwood round out the base, giving an aura of woods, like heat rising off a sauna’s walls.
I have adored Bancha since I first tested it this past fall and drank in this comforting perfume. Perfume bloggers are known for indulging in purple prose every now and then, and I am no exception, but this is no hyperbole when I say not only is Bancha revitalizing, but healing as well. Angela at NowSmellThis just wrote a lovely piece on how a fragrance can become a part of you, settle into your essence naturally. This is how I feel about Bancha. Since I only write reviews about products I enjoy on Scent Hive, I would love to have a bottle of most anything I write about. With Bancha it’s beyond wanting a bottle. It has become one of those scents that I can’t imagine not having in my collection. It fulfills a need on certain days when I want to be taken care of with its grounded and rejuvenating redolence.
Bancha is available at the DSH Perfumes website.
Posted by –Trish
February Haiku by provincijalka at Etsy.com
Disclosure: A sample of Bancha was provided for this review by DSH Perfumes. The opinons in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.
thefloraesthetic.com 
You description on Bancha is so vivid I could imagine what it smells like, as of lately i am loving mint in my scents and this sound tempting. All the notes in this perfume look like they are a perfect match for each other. I enjoy reading your blog.
I think you would enjoy this fragrance Triciana. The mint is definitely present, but does not overwhelm Bancha in any way. I just love it.
Thanks for reading!
~Trish
Trish! Wow! I want to try it, oh, yes I do! Love the mint/ citrus but am afraid of the sandalwood… Happy New Year! Hurrah ScentHive! duVergne
Don’t fear the sandalwood my dear! It’s not detectable as an individual note, IMO. The earthy, mint, citrus is really what Bancha is all about. I’m totally addicted.
Happy New Year to you too!
~Trish
I might just have to order a mini flask of this-sounds wonderful- a reminder of my morning cup of oolong throughout the day.
Very true! I am in love with it.
~Trish
I received my samples and am in love with Bancha! I took your review and the sample to my group meeting today where we conduct a weekly mindfulness activity. I was leading the activity so I read your review while I passed around the sample and had people reflect on it-it lead to a fabulous discussion of scent and how we use it and I discovered one of my colleagues is a big pachoulie fan!
thanks!
Maura,
That is such a fabulous idea. I would love to hear more about that. If you’d like to write about it for Scent Hive that would be great! I’m so glad you love Bancha. It’s such a special fragrance, and I love it on Andy too!
Be sure to tell your group about the discount in case any of them loved it as well 🙂
~T
Dear Trish, I am so glad that I found your blog, and I cannot stop reading it!!! You made me wanting so much to smell Bancha….. But I live in Brazil ( I’m from Germany) and I already found out that the shipping rate would be 18$ on the DSH site… thats a little high for one sample.
Thank you for your wonderful blog, I will keep on reading it.
Hugs, Tamara
Tamara,
Welcome to Scent Hive! I am so glad you found it 🙂
That’s too bad that shipping is so high on the DSH website. Bancha is lovely, but I wouldn’t pay that fee either!
It seems I can buy a natural perfumes sampler pack, including bancha, with a reasonable shipping fee! 🙂
That’s terrific news! Please let me know how you like Bancha when you get it.
~T