A cup of the same coffee will taste spectacular one morning and meh another. We know how tastes can vary from one to person another (thus “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”: one person viewing the Jackson Pollack painting at the right (click to enlarge) will be struck by its beauty, while another will see nothing in it (and generally will see the problem as being the painting rather than his perception).
But tastes vary in the same person from time to time, perhaps because a person is not really the “same” from one day to the next. Moods are clearly changeable, and most recognize that they are substantially different from the person they were a decade ago. (Indeed, one of the things that I like about FutureMe.org is that when I read a letter I wrote in the past I can see how much I’ve progressed — or not, as the case may be, but generally progress in some areas.)
It’s those changes in ourselves that make the morning coffee seem occasionally transformed so that it transcends what we expected. The same will occasionally happen in the morning shave: we expect the usual pleasant experience, and instead our socks are knocked off.
That was my experience with Creed’s Green Irish Tweed this morning, both the shaving soap and the EDT.
Shaving soap first: The Mühle silvertip in the photo above has a very gentle knot, though a wisp more substantial than the G.B. Kent BK4 I used yesterday. It loaded easily and the fragrance of the lather was (this morning) almost overwhelming: it was so rich and present — and good — that I loaded the brush longer than I normally would, and so the lather on my face was thicker and richer than usual — and with that fragrance that this morning seemed so intense.
Perhaps because I was already entranced, my Rockwell Model T seemed exceptionally good. I run it at 4, and this morning it left nothing to be desired, so for this shave I could not understand why the Model T2 was needed. Three passes did a perfect job.
And then I sprayed a tiny pool of Green Irish Tweed EDT into my palm, added a couple of squirts of Grooming Dept Hydrating Gel (very helpful when using an EDT as an aftershave), and now still enjoy the fragrance as I write. I fear, however, that I might have used the last of my supply, and though this morning’s experience of it was exceptional (extinction burst?), I probably won’t replace it. The 100ml bottle shown is US$450.
The tea this morning is Murchies Assam Tippy Golden: “A dark, rich tea with full-bodied, malty flavour, with a hint of sweetness and a silk smooth finish.”