Some of you might know that I’ve been looking for a good Earl Grey scented shaving soap or cream for a while. Well… I’m satisfied that search can be declared over.
I’ll put the disclaimer here: I was provided this sample by the manufacturer free of charge. Since, you know, he was aware that I’d been looking for a good Earl Grey scent, and there’s definitely worse business strategies than providing reviewers with something that you think they’ll enjoy.
Cheshire is a pretty damned good approximation of a classic Earl Grey tea; unlike some attempts out there, Barrister and Mann didn’t stop at the bermagot oil, but did their best to recreate the scent of the tea as well. Well, a sniff of the soap and a sniff of the tea bag, and I’m satisfied that this is probably about as close as you’re ever going to see. A damned fine job crafting a wonderful scent.
The strength too is quite good. It starts off rather strong, and during the course of the shave only fades to a “fairly strong”. Perhaps I would have preferred a tad more, but let’s face it, if they had done that there’d probably be others complaining it’s overpowered.
The lather is, well, the same as I’ve come to expect from B&M. It’s thirsty, so don’t make the mistake of being stingy with your water, otherwise you might end up with something that’s lacking for lubrication. Keep at it, and apply a little elbow grease, and you’ve got a nice slick lather that retains good thickness, with a decently wide sweet spot. And some decent moisturization properties to boot.
- 10/10 Scent Pleasantness
- 9/10 Scent Strength
- 9/10 Quality of Lather
So, yes, I’ll say that I’m quite pleased with this soap. I think I’ll be sticking it at #3 on the top ten list. A rather strong 9/10 overall. And, a damned fine value for the price you pay.
Gear used:
- Brush: Ecotools Kabuki Finishing Brush
- Razor: 1966 Gillette Tech
- Blade: Lord Super Stainless
- Scuttle: Robert’s Feats of Clay #4
Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Aqua, Glycerin, Citrus bergamia (Bergamot) Oil, Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) Oil, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Coconut Milk, Potassium Kokum Butterate, Sodium Kokum Butterate, Unrefined Shea Butter, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Lanolin, Allantoin, Silk Protein, Tocopherol Acetate.
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How bizarre. I got this on Saturday and used it this morning for the first time. It didn’t smell one little bit like Earl Grey to me.
Not even the really strong bermagot?
Mine doesn’t have really strong bergamot. It’s very much a background player. Maybe once I dig deeper into the puck it will come back some, since citrus scents are pretty volatile.
Quite true there.
Definitely seems like there’s a few camps on this one, you’re not the only one who’s come and said that they disagree on there being a tea-like scent, although I still think that most people speaking up do agree it’s there.
Could be one of those things where different people just smell some scents differently.
Cheshire is on my list…cant seem to get past caties bubbles…that soap is awesome. I like the grape scent best