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Roses in half-bloom smell best
Black Tea



Shiseido researchers involved in fragrance research divided the rose flower into four stages - budding, early half-bloom, late half-bloom and full bloom - and made qualitative and quantitative analyses of the aromatic content at each growth stage. Taking three petals from each flower, they studied when the fragrance became the strongest.
The result was that the buds contain a high level of Dimethoxymethylbenzene, so the freshness of the green note is emphasized. For the first few minutes of the stage of early half-bloom, sweetness and freshness harmonize to produce an exquisite scent. But in the stage of late half-bloom, when the flower is considered most beautiful, the fragrance level was found to already be on the decline. Now we know that the fragrance of the rose is at its peak in the stage of early half-bloom.


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