An old-school Barneys classic, Route du Thé: Homme is a cologne based on a slightly spicy green tea platform with the very slightest tinge of musky undertow. It’s unobtrusive enough to wear in any season, though I’m partial to it in the late spring and summer, when heavier scents tend to overwhelm. For some reason it reminds me of New York, when the city empties out for summer weekends, and places once stocked with crowds of people ease up and become pleasantly inhabitable.
Hot sidewalks open up, loosening the tightness of their usual hold like the businessmen loosen their ties on the subway. A hint of citrus enlivens the languid proceedings when the murky humidity threatens to overcome with its stranglehold. This scent manages to cut through that sultry air, while maintaining its integrity for a surprisingly decent length of time. Summer is not so kind to most colognes, which makes this all the more refreshing.
