Razor: Tatara Masamune Razor
Blade: Gillette Blue
Brush: That Darn Rob Synthetic
Soap: MacDuffs Soap Company Cardamom Chai
Aftershave: MacDuffs Soap Company Cardamom Chai
Wow, that was a crazy night. Woke up this morning to no power, a cold house and almost 2 feet of fresh snow. I literally covered my head and refused to leave my warm bunker for a good hour. Once the power game back on (only out about 2 hours amazingly) I put a few hours of work in before I took some time to really enjoy a shave. The software I chose today was Cardamom Chai from MacDuffs Soap Company.
This set i wanted for a while, since MacDuff included another product sample in this scent. At the time they didn’t offer it in soap/splash so obviously I hassled them about that. Shortly thereafter they launched this as a Razor Company exclusive. Luckily they did have a small amount they also offered direct, which I pounced on (and still do I believe). Full scent notes on this are Cardamom, Cedarwood, Coriander, Citrus, Black Liquorice, Patchouli, Spice, Black Pepper; all blended from essential oils. This robust scent smells exactly like a warm chai tea. It is really well blended and a fantastic scent that reads more spicy than gourmand. Scent strength is strong for sure.
This offering is in the 3B base from MacDuff which is their Beerless Aloe/Tallow formula. In the past MacDuff has been plagued a bit by an inherent base scent. Version 3 base is supposed to resolve all those issues. I’d say I believe I still pick up a bit of the base present here but not in an offensive way and the robust chai scent blows that all away once lathered. This soap loads extremely easily for a firm soap base, you have to be careful not to overload. I found it to be easily to get a really nice lather but it is very thirsty to get it dialled in just right. You are rewarded with a rich buttery lather with excellent cushion and post shave qualities. Make sure you push enough water into this as slickness can be a little underwhelming until you get enough hydration in there. I’ve found that you need to get the lather to the point it looks perfect…. and then add more water. The sheen really comes out and the slickness is vastly improved. The first couple times I used it, the lather looked perfect but it wasn’t quite slick enough. Dialled in lather is plenty slick.
I finished off the shave with the matching splash. The strength on this splash is toned down a touch from the soap because of the essential oils used and skin safety levels. I can say it is still strong and robust. I could still pick it up as a skin scent and hour later. This is a must buy if you are a fan of chai tea and I’m very happy I picked it up.
I really enjoyed the shave today. Now I’m off to shovel snow….. again. All for now – J
