The brush today has a very pleasant loft. This is my $35 silvertip from Whipped Dog, and I purchased it at a time when the prevailing idea was to seat the knot at a greater depth than standard (thus making the knot less soft by reducing volume, tilting it toward the scrubby). I went with the standard depth because I like a fluffy, gentle knot that has generous lather capacity, and the brush is quite pleasing (as well as quite a bargain).
You can still get a silvertip 22mm knot with a standard handle for $35 ($8 handle, $27 knot), though I don’t see this octagonal handle, which I especially like. I’ve not been to the website for some time, and he has spruced it up quite a bit. Note that ther\e is also a “high mountain” knot — also a silvertip, but two-band instead of three. The high mountain knot might be more resilient than the (two-band) silvertip knot.
I do like this little brush a lot, and it loaded easily from Ariana & Evans Tertius shaving soap, which boasts a fine fragrance and a luxurious lather.
The RazoRock Game Changer .68-P is a very nice razor, but getting a smooth result this morning took more time and effort than it should, and so I realized that it was time to change the blade (just as you know it’s time to sharpen the knife when it does not easily slice a tomato). Some brands of blades will go crazy at the end and start nicking furiously (“Do not go gentle into that good night”), while others, like old soldiers, quietly fade away. The Gillette 7 O’Clock SharpEdge that was in the razor was of the latter persuasion, and sighed its way to a quiet passing. I replaced it following the shave with a new Astra Keramik Platinum, a gift from a generous reader.
A splash of Alt Innsbruck ended the shave, and the menthol seemed excessive this morning. I did try to tame it with two squirts of Grooming Dept Hydrating Gel, but it still had quite an effect.
But that is over, and now I’m making a mug of Murchie’s excellent Hatley Castle tea. I like it so much I wanted to know what was in it so I could look for similar teas, so I emailed Murchies. They replied:
Hatley Castle Tea is a green-black blend and is about 92% black tea (mostly Ceylon), and 8% green tea (jasmine and keemun). If you would like to try a black tea with a similar strength, please take a look at our Ceylon Uva Highland or our 1894 Select Orange Pekoe. Or, if you are looking into a green-black blend, the CBC Radio Blend is really great.