Since the day I was told, 'You smell nice.' Keeping a little charm tucked away at my desk.

Updated June 23, 2026

"You always smell so nice, Kanon-san."

When a colleague at work said that to me,
I quietly confirmed in my heart the power of this "charm."

A single scent that stands out in a sea of coffee

Mornings at the office begin with the scent of coffee.

It's not a bad scent.
But when I'm blended into the same scent as everyone else,
I somehow feel like I'm becoming "part of the crowd."

The sound of phones, someone talking, the clacking of PC keys.
Even though I know there's no malice,
when it piles up, it slowly wears my spirit down.

I want to run away, but I can't.

At times like that, I reach into my desk drawer.

When I arrive at work, the first thing I do is switch on the electric kettle.
While the water boils, I tidy my desk,
choose a tea bag with a scent that matches my mood today,
and pour it into my mug.

The moment that sequence of actions is finished,
a switch flips, and I think, "Alright, let's start today at my own pace."

This is my little morning ritual.

"You smell nice."

One day, someone from another department who brought me some documents said it.

"Wow, that smells good. Is that your tea, Kanon-san? You always smell so nice."

After that, a few other colleagues said the same.

"Kanon-san always smells nice."
"It's a floral scent today."
"It was muscat yesterday, right?"

Surprisingly, everyone had noticed (laughs).

For me, as someone who had made drinking tea a habit,
it was the moment I realized that the scent of tea really does feel special,
even amidst the coffee.

And to be honest,
I felt a little good, as if I were being called "a person who smells nice."

The sound of phones, someone talking, the sound of typing on a PC.
Rather than blocking out that workplace noise,
by wearing a "nice scent" myself,
the quality of the air changes only around me.

This is my favorite way to use tea as a lucky charm.

As an aside, I've heard that coffee can actually cause bad breath, so one of the reasons I try not to drink it too much is because of that (laughs).
Tea smells good and I feel like it leaves my mouth feeling refreshed, so it's killing two birds with one stone.

Five lucky charms in my drawer

If you're going to use them at work, tea bags are definitely convenient.
But I don't want to compromise on the scent.

What I keep tucked away in my drawer is
Twinings' "Earl Grey Selection."

When you think of Twinings, you think of Earl Grey.
It is said that it all started when Earl Grey had tea scented with bergamot made,
and this is a set that packs together five types of Earl Grey from that original brand,
which is irresistible for tea lovers.

Standard Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Orange Earl Grey, Jasmine Earl Grey,
and the limited edition Peach Earl Grey that you can only drink in this set.

I use these five depending on my mood for the day.

On mornings when I want to focus, I tighten my resolve with standard Earl Grey,
and for a relaxing break during lunch, I have a slow cup of Jasmine Earl Grey.

By the time the afternoon sleepiness hits, I use Lady Grey or Orange Earl Grey to
get back a fresh feeling.
Both have a refreshing citrus scent, and honestly there isn't much difference, but I like that moment of choosing, "Which one am I in the mood for today?"

And on a special afternoon, I have the limited edition Peach Earl Grey.
It takes my heart away to a scene of early summer.

Just by choosing, "Which scent do I want to be protected by today?"
my feelings look forward just a little bit.

Here are the staples in my drawer ↓

"In one sip, I return"

On days when I feel like I'm about to be swallowed by busyness,
on afternoons when I'm chased by deadlines and my head is buzzing,

I wrap my hands around my mug and take a sip.

Only for that moment,
the scent of bergamot passes smoothly through my buzzing head.

In a sea of a workplace filled with the scent of coffee,
I think of this as the anchor that keeps me tethered.

The feeling of, "Ah, I am here," returns.

I realized it from that day I was told, "You smell nice."

☕️ Today's Margin Recipe

• Tea leaves: Earl Grey (the scent of bergamot gently resets the brain)

• Accompaniment: Small chocolates or similar that you can eat at your desk

• Time: 5 minutes first thing in the morning (tidy your desk while the water boils, and start work after brewing the tea)

• A word: The only tea drinker among coffee lovers. It changes the air within a meter of you.

You can also find morning reset habits in this article. Please check it out along with how to prepare before arriving at the workplace.

If you want to be particular about your tools, please take a look here as well.

The shopkeeper's monologue

When I was told, "You smell nice," I actually wanted to say, "This is my charm," but I just smiled mischievously and kept it a secret.

Do you have any "secret items" to help you be yourself at work?

Please feel free to share them secretly in the comments. Think of this as the bulletin board for a back-alley shop, and feel free to post as you like.

There is actually an article that delves deeper into the idea of choosing tea for different daily scenes, like a "workplace charm." If you are interested, please take a look here.

Next week, I will talk about a "night reset method" so you don't carry accumulated fatigue into the weekend. If you don't want to miss it, please follow and wait for the next opening ☕️

Please come and peek into this back-alley shop again. I am always waiting for you, brewing some "margin" into your daily life ☕️🐾

The stories about recovery tea that I have been sharing throughout May have actually been compiled into one volume.

It is a complete edition condensed with tea prescriptions that cater to your mind and body across 5 situations—morning, noon, and night—for a total of 15 patterns. All navigation links to the practice articles from May are also gathered in this one volume, so if you want to "quickly check the tea that suits your current state at any time," please take a look here.