Taipei
Regular price $ 175.00An absolutely astonishing rice gourmand not to be missed. Taipei is a warm, creamy, sweet, woody-musky blend of soy milk, rice, and taro. Masterfully balancing lactonic, starchy, and sweet-but-not-too-sweet notes, Taipei is both a staff and shop favorite we can barely keep in stock.
From One Day
Ground soy, steamed glutinous rice and taro; Scent and nuance of beans, grains and roots. Soybeans strained and boiled into milk, the aroma of steamed rice and taro rising in the air. Flour and dough kneaded into taro balls, rolled hearty in bowls. The gourmand sweetness enters the Taipei morning, moves into mid-day alleys and into the night. Through rusted concrete and its rigid colors, the aged scent remains in the wooden builds between cool-toned concrete lofts. The rootyness stains the narrow alleys between the low-rises downtown, brushing through the gates and chairs, kitchens and windows. The rice lingers and weaves into the background, meeting the underlying tone.The scene of old temples by the night markets. The intimate human touch of town. The warmth of the software that runs between the solidity and old, in the air and things that flow.
Perfumer
Michael Wong
Notes
soy milk, rice, taro, guaiac wood, iris, musk, vetiver, sandalwood
FYI
Series: Ethos of Cities
ORIGIN: Hong Kong
Shipping & Fulfillment
Ministry of Scent offers shipping to the United States through USPS Ground Advantage and UPS. We provide free shipping for USPS orders $75+.
| Order type | Order total | Shipping method | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample-only & Sample Sets | N/A | USPS Ground Advantage* | $5 |
| Standard shipping | Under $75 | USPS Ground Advantage* or UPS Ground** | $10 |
| Free shipping | $75 and over | USPS Ground Advantage* or UPS Ground** | $0 |
| 3-day shipping | Any | UPS 3-Day Service | Variable |
* USPS delivery times may vary by destination. All orders ship from California.
** Carrier selection is based on destination.
Shipping Time & Schedule
We process and ship orders within 1–4 business days, excluding major holidays. Orders ship Monday through Saturday; we do not ship on Sundays, and Sundays are not included in our processing or delivery timelines.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at orders@ministryofscent.com.
Signature Requirements
For delivery security, first-time orders over $125 and all orders over $200 ship with signature confirmation.
If you prefer delivery without a signature, you may request this in the Order Notes at checkout. Please note that by opting out, you acknowledge that we’re unable to replace or refund an order that is marked as delivered without signature confirmation. If the item is stolen after tracked delivery, the order cannot be refunded or replaced.
Lost or Stolen Packages
Once an order is marked as delivered by USPS or UPS (including orders signed for by the recipient), we’re unable to provide replacements or refunds for packages that are lost or stolen.
Claims can be filed only for orders officially designated as lost in transit by USPS or UPS. We’re unable to file claims or assume responsibility for orders marked as delivered by the carrier, including those signed for by the recipient.
If your delivery location is prone to theft or missed deliveries, we recommend shipping to a more secure address, such as a workplace, trusted recipient, or carrier hold location.
Our Fulfillment Team is happy to help advise on the best way to ensure your order arrives safely. If you have questions about your order or delivery options, please contact orders@ministryofscent.com.
Sample Orders
Samples are designed to help you evaluate scents you might want to later purchase as a full bottle. You may order one sample per fragrance, up to 15 total in a single order. Samples are non-refundable.
For sample orders, please check your packing slip for a special code that will allow you to redeem the price of samples and sample shipping when purchasing full bottles of the scents you sample ($10 off full bottles).
Complimentary Samples
We provide complimentary samples with $75+ full-bottle purchases. You may request up to 3 samples with any qualifying order. Please use the Order Note section on the Shopping Cart overlay to let us know which complimentary samples you would like. We'll try to provide the scents you've requested, but substitutions may occur if items are out of stock.
Returns
We do not accept returns of perfumes, simply because perfumes can't be resold once they've been opened and used. We encourage you to order samples before purchasing full bottles of perfume. And here's the good news — with every sample purchased, we'll send you a coupon code that allows you to redeem the cost of the sample and sample shipping if you buy a full bottle of the fragrance you tried (in other words, you get $10 off).
Please contact orders@ministryofscent.com if you have a question or issue related to your order or shipping.
This has been my fall - winter fragrance that I’ve been wearing everyday. It is the coziest and warmest scent. This is a not-too-sweet (the ultimate Asian dessert compliment) and savory gourmand. I definitely get rice, soy, and taro notes. It evokes memories of my childhood. It reminds me of my mom’s ginitaang bilo-bilo and getting taho from my local Filipino supermarket. The dry down is soooo nice: woody and a slight sweetness (musk and sandalwood).
For those of you who did not grow up eating and smelling soy and starchy Asian desserts: I’ve been told by my niece (who did not grow up eating those desserts) that I smell like tortilla chips at first spray. I can see why it translates that way for her. Definitely wouldn’t blind buy a whole bottle for these folks. Get a decant and see how you feel.
That said, if you do give it a shot you will become addicted. I’ve made a dent and it’s only been a month. This will be on my re-buy list for the rest of my life.
When I first sampled this, I'm not going to lie, I didn't like it at all. I was expecting to get a sweet, steamy white rice, but it smelled like I spilled too much sesame oil over my rice. However, adjusting expectations, I really feel in love for what this really is. This is indeed quite nutty, savory, and earthy but has this beautiful starchy and milky base that envelopes you like a warm blanket. Eventually, I was able to pick out the rice note and has become my favorite thing about it. Definitely a gourmand that may take some time getting used to, but once it clicks, you can't get enough of it!
I’m normally a gourmand girl, but this is so uniquely savory and cozy. The bottle and box and simple and beautiful. Such a gorgeous experience from the unboxing to the fragrance.
The atomizers on the samples aren’t the best but given that this company is way more affordable than other decant sites they’re perfectly adequate. None of my samples leaked or broke in transit since they shipped in a box rather than a bubble pack which I appreciate. Perfect size samples to get a good feel for the scents you wanna try. Love that they have so much zoologist for way cheaper than the zoologist website because I’ve been very intrigued to try out that house in particular after falling in love with panda and dragonfly.
Absolutely gorgeous fragrance. Cozy Warm Sweater scent