I commented in a previous post on the brush-filling quality of the shaving-cream lather I made with the Wholly Kaw Duci Tobacco shaving cream. I wondered whether I could replicate that using a soap. I naturally chose a Wholly Kaw shaving soap, and another silvertip badger brush with about the same size knot — previously, Mr Pomp; this time, my Rooney Victorian.
I loaded the brush well, starting with the brush barely damp and then brushing the puck at some length, adding a very small amount of water from time to time, until the brush was engorged with a soapy lather fully as satisfactory as the shaving cream lather from before.
Three easy passes with Phoenix Artisan’s excellent Ascension razor left my face superbly smooth, and a splash of Penhaligon’s Blenheim Bouquet aftershave, with a squirt of Hydrating Gel, finished the job. A wonderful shave for a somewhat grey day.
And in honor of that, the tea this morning is Murchie’s Earl Grey Cream tea, “a blend of fine Ceylon, Darjeeling, and Keemun teas, lightly scented with real oil of bergamot and sweet vanilla.” It’s quite colorful in the canister. Murchie’s describes it as having “the full bergamot flavour of a traditional Earl Grey, plus the creamy, soothing vanilla that makes this a heady blend.”