Razor: Karve CB on C
Blade: Gillette Ruby
Brush: Wildwest Brushworks Bobcat
Soap: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Cider House 5
Aftershave: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Cider House 5 Splash
#SampleSaturday …. on a Wednesday. Our good friend Kal over at Kal Shaves sent me some samples to try. I was expecting a couple in an envelope and instead what arrived was a box filled with sample containers of both soap and aftershave …. in the double digits. An outstanding gent he is. If you haven’t been to his youtube channel, give him a follow at Kal Shaves.
I was so excited by the plethora (Would you say I have a plethora of Piñatas?) that I couldn’t wait to dig in to them. After giving them a quick sniff test, the PAA Ciderhouse 5 jumped out at. Scent notes on this are Pipe Smoke, Mulled Cider, Oakwood, Dried Leaves, Linseed. I get the Cider right off the top. While some might say this is a fall scent, for me it is a sign of spring/summer. I gave up beer a few years ago as it really doesn’t agree me anymore. I have replaced that with Hard Apple Cider. After a ball game or outside by the BBQ, I’ll have a cold cider on the go. So, for me, this instantly transports me to having a cold one on a hot summer day. The base on this is the Crown King formulation. I’ve talked about this before, it is a soft soap, so be careful not to overload. It lathers easily, can take water, gives decent slickness and a nice post shave. Quite nice.
I followed this up with the sample of the aftershave splash. This compliments well, but for me the notes highlight differently. The Cider scent isn’t as pronounced on this, instead the Pipe Tobacco sweetness and the Oakwood really come out. Tied together I can really tell what Doug was going for on this one. While this isn’t a scent I would wear regularly, it is quite nice and would be a good seasonal for sure.
