That's too bad. I passed on an opportunity to have my father's shave gear except for his best electric (a Norelco triple header). I imagine my mother gave the rest away, but not sure. My father died well before I began traditional wetshaving.
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Coffee Buzz, Blades, Brushes, Bubbles and Blather
- Thread starter ME2Shaves
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ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
7 January 2023
Morning Coffee: Krucible's Soto Espresso 15g in Aeropress with 260 ml 98*Celsius water x 2... this is one of my favorites!!
Shave: First use of my new SV High Mountain White brush (love love love) with Opuntia Soap and after shave (more love) and Rex Envoy with Wilkinson Sword blade (made in England)
Soto Espresso is a very light roasted espresso coffee, which makes a great cup of coffee in the aeropress brewer. Perfect way to linger in the kitchen on an early Saturday morning. It also has fared well on a few occasions using a large single pour over using about 20g of coffee and 450 ml of ~boiling water. I haven't yet tried it yet in the french press -- not sure the light berry notes would survive a longer immersion brew in the french press, but the aeropress is a similar approach so I'll have to do some brew variations and taste testing in the future when I have some extra time on my hands.
The early evening shave was a beauty too. I had gotten in the SV High Mountain White badger brush from The Razor Company. I think I had been watching it being used in Barber Dave's videos and just couldn't resist. It took several days of looking at it online and I kept balking at the purchase despite the great price TRC had it listed for. I finally got fed up with myself and ordered it... what the heck, it's ony money right? Certainly, it was an unnecessary splurge, but with the overall discount at TRC I just thought now or never! The loading process was only 15 seconds with a face lather. Just easy peasy with this brush throughout the whole shave.
The Opuntia soap is wonderful. I love the performance of this soap. Slick as you can get and just get's slicker with each pass. The Rex Envoy had never performed better for me. Was this a credit to the Opuntia soap or the found Wilkinson Sword blade on its second use? Perhaps both. Nonetheless, this was a stict 3 pass shave that was BBS.
Morning Coffee: Krucible's Soto Espresso 15g in Aeropress with 260 ml 98*Celsius water x 2... this is one of my favorites!!
Shave: First use of my new SV High Mountain White brush (love love love) with Opuntia Soap and after shave (more love) and Rex Envoy with Wilkinson Sword blade (made in England)
Soto Espresso is a very light roasted espresso coffee, which makes a great cup of coffee in the aeropress brewer. Perfect way to linger in the kitchen on an early Saturday morning. It also has fared well on a few occasions using a large single pour over using about 20g of coffee and 450 ml of ~boiling water. I haven't yet tried it yet in the french press -- not sure the light berry notes would survive a longer immersion brew in the french press, but the aeropress is a similar approach so I'll have to do some brew variations and taste testing in the future when I have some extra time on my hands.
The early evening shave was a beauty too. I had gotten in the SV High Mountain White badger brush from The Razor Company. I think I had been watching it being used in Barber Dave's videos and just couldn't resist. It took several days of looking at it online and I kept balking at the purchase despite the great price TRC had it listed for. I finally got fed up with myself and ordered it... what the heck, it's ony money right? Certainly, it was an unnecessary splurge, but with the overall discount at TRC I just thought now or never! The loading process was only 15 seconds with a face lather. Just easy peasy with this brush throughout the whole shave.
The Opuntia soap is wonderful. I love the performance of this soap. Slick as you can get and just get's slicker with each pass. The Rex Envoy had never performed better for me. Was this a credit to the Opuntia soap or the found Wilkinson Sword blade on its second use? Perhaps both. Nonetheless, this was a stict 3 pass shave that was BBS.
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
9 January 2020
Morning Coffee: 18 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in ESPRO double filter french press 440 ml 98*Celsius water
Morning Shave: Semogue Gallahad C-3 Premium IT 22 mm boar, K-works Saratoga, West Coast Shaving Scuttle, Blackland Dart LE, Merkur (VI) Stirling British Leather after shave
Afternoon Coffee: 15 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20... this is definitely a more complex and fruity brew
Tried the french press today because I am eager to get through the Yirgacheffe as it is getting on. So this coffee was roasted in early December so it is probably not quite as tasty as it was, but it is still delivering a tasty cup of coffee. Plus variety is the spice of life!!! Certainly my coffee tastes have changed over time as well as I used to be exclusively a dark roast, french press coffee drinker. I also use to add cream more often than not. Now I prefer light roasted coffee. Doubled up in the afternoon with a great cup of coffee that made the Monday afternoon of work go well.
The shave was great. I enjoyed the K-Works, which is supposed to smell like the paddock behind the race track in Saratoga Springs, NY. It is a strong leather scent with notes of vanilla. I like it, but I've had the soap for over a year and haven't used it much. I think the smell in the tub is not as nice as it is once you've got it lathered up. I am glad I got it out this week and the British Leather Stirling after shave really has pairs well with it. The leather scent last all day! The Dart is a nice razor, though not my favorite. It gave a rough shave due to the high number of uses on the Merkur blade. This was a 4 pass shave. I needed to use the alum block but all's well that ends well. The soap lathered up well and I do have fun using the Semogue boar brushes for a change. These are certainly a step up in quality when compared to the Omega boars I own, but they cost more too.
Lots of discursive blather here so I'll just stop now!!
Morning Coffee: 18 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in ESPRO double filter french press 440 ml 98*Celsius water
Morning Shave: Semogue Gallahad C-3 Premium IT 22 mm boar, K-works Saratoga, West Coast Shaving Scuttle, Blackland Dart LE, Merkur (VI) Stirling British Leather after shave
Afternoon Coffee: 15 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20... this is definitely a more complex and fruity brew
Tried the french press today because I am eager to get through the Yirgacheffe as it is getting on. So this coffee was roasted in early December so it is probably not quite as tasty as it was, but it is still delivering a tasty cup of coffee. Plus variety is the spice of life!!! Certainly my coffee tastes have changed over time as well as I used to be exclusively a dark roast, french press coffee drinker. I also use to add cream more often than not. Now I prefer light roasted coffee. Doubled up in the afternoon with a great cup of coffee that made the Monday afternoon of work go well.
The shave was great. I enjoyed the K-Works, which is supposed to smell like the paddock behind the race track in Saratoga Springs, NY. It is a strong leather scent with notes of vanilla. I like it, but I've had the soap for over a year and haven't used it much. I think the smell in the tub is not as nice as it is once you've got it lathered up. I am glad I got it out this week and the British Leather Stirling after shave really has pairs well with it. The leather scent last all day! The Dart is a nice razor, though not my favorite. It gave a rough shave due to the high number of uses on the Merkur blade. This was a 4 pass shave. I needed to use the alum block but all's well that ends well. The soap lathered up well and I do have fun using the Semogue boar brushes for a change. These are certainly a step up in quality when compared to the Omega boars I own, but they cost more too.
Lots of discursive blather here so I'll just stop now!!
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
10 January 2020
Morning Coffee: 15 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Road Coffee: Reused grounds from yesterday afternoon's aeropress and this morning coffee in melito pour over with ~550ml 98*C H20
Morning Shave: Omega Professional # 10049 boar brush, K-works Saratoga, West Coast Shaving Scuttle, Merkur 34G with Persona blade (I), Stirling British Leather after shave
Work Coffee: ~30 Starbuck's Blonde roast w/ a little cream
Coffee started the day at 5:30...and start to motivate me to get going event though I was not relishing the long commute and long day at work. The coffee was good but not delicious. It is starting to loose the brightness and fruity citrus notes a bit. I made up a travel mug for the road by placing the used coffee from yesterday afternoon's coffee and this morning's coffee in a Oxo pour over with ~550ml of water delivered in 3 pours. This suprisingly makes a serviceable mug of coffee that rivals many of the gas station and fast food coffee that you can buy.
The shave was a great one. A 3 pass shave plus a clean up pass under the cheek bones and goatee that resulted in a BBS shave. The larger boar brush did a great job making a nice cushioney lather in the scuttle. I took it a bit slower with adding water to the lather which aided the process greatly. (I added too much water too soon yesterday and this maded the bowl lathering process take forever and the first two passes were not super cushioned or slick, but the slickness was there in the later passes.) This morning's lathered built up perfectly and was easy peasy. The Merkur 34G razor is just a fast and mindless razor because it is mild and smooth. This shave is my first impression of the Persona blade and I thought it was excellent. The splash resulted in no sting whatsoever and just added a bit of spice to the nice leather smell with a warmness from the vanilla in the soap.
One disappointment was that the knot in the Omega 10049 boar brush came loose when cleaning it and shaking it dry. I was actually able to pull the knot and a plastic chrome retainer out of the larger black handle. Quite a bummer for a brush I acquired in November and have enjoyed using for less than a dozen shaves.
The road coffee was kicked about halfway through the ride, but I was glad I had it and it seemed to shorten the torture of the long ride. I immediately filled the 30 ou. yeti mug with Starbuck's blonde and a kiss of cream upon arriving at work. This carried me thru the 4 o'clock hour.
Garlic Lover's Lamb Kebab's for lunch were the real highlight of the day. Medium rare and wonderful char on the outside. Couldn't have been more delicious!
Morning Coffee: 15 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Road Coffee: Reused grounds from yesterday afternoon's aeropress and this morning coffee in melito pour over with ~550ml 98*C H20
Morning Shave: Omega Professional # 10049 boar brush, K-works Saratoga, West Coast Shaving Scuttle, Merkur 34G with Persona blade (I), Stirling British Leather after shave
Work Coffee: ~30 Starbuck's Blonde roast w/ a little cream
Coffee started the day at 5:30...and start to motivate me to get going event though I was not relishing the long commute and long day at work. The coffee was good but not delicious. It is starting to loose the brightness and fruity citrus notes a bit. I made up a travel mug for the road by placing the used coffee from yesterday afternoon's coffee and this morning's coffee in a Oxo pour over with ~550ml of water delivered in 3 pours. This suprisingly makes a serviceable mug of coffee that rivals many of the gas station and fast food coffee that you can buy.
The shave was a great one. A 3 pass shave plus a clean up pass under the cheek bones and goatee that resulted in a BBS shave. The larger boar brush did a great job making a nice cushioney lather in the scuttle. I took it a bit slower with adding water to the lather which aided the process greatly. (I added too much water too soon yesterday and this maded the bowl lathering process take forever and the first two passes were not super cushioned or slick, but the slickness was there in the later passes.) This morning's lathered built up perfectly and was easy peasy. The Merkur 34G razor is just a fast and mindless razor because it is mild and smooth. This shave is my first impression of the Persona blade and I thought it was excellent. The splash resulted in no sting whatsoever and just added a bit of spice to the nice leather smell with a warmness from the vanilla in the soap.
One disappointment was that the knot in the Omega 10049 boar brush came loose when cleaning it and shaking it dry. I was actually able to pull the knot and a plastic chrome retainer out of the larger black handle. Quite a bummer for a brush I acquired in November and have enjoyed using for less than a dozen shaves.
The road coffee was kicked about halfway through the ride, but I was glad I had it and it seemed to shorten the torture of the long ride. I immediately filled the 30 ou. yeti mug with Starbuck's blonde and a kiss of cream upon arriving at work. This carried me thru the 4 o'clock hour.
Garlic Lover's Lamb Kebab's for lunch were the real highlight of the day. Medium rare and wonderful char on the outside. Couldn't have been more delicious!
woodpusher
TSC’s International Man of Meh
Well, someone has to perform quality control. Otherwise, it might not be any good.
I don’t think you guys are giving ME2Shaves enough credit for his meal choices. Lamb Kabob! I’ll be over - leftovers are good for me.
Man, that sounds good!
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
Morning Coffee: 14 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Mid Morning Coffee: 32 g Krucible'sTrogon II ~550ml 98*C H20 in commercial pour over with metal Kalita Wave
Afternoon Coffee:j 14 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Evening Shave: West Coast Shaving Two Tone Silvertip, K- Shave Works "Saratoga," West Coast Shaving Scuttle, Timeless Ti 0.68 with Persona blade (II), Stirling British Leather after shave
Dinner Cappucino and Decaf Irish Coffee with Kahlua and Jameson: after dinner at Solevo's
Definitely over caffeinated today. Great morning coffee though some of the brightness of this coffee is getting lost as the beans are somewhat long in the tooth. The Trogon II made a great cup of coffee that had citrus overtones and notes that changed as the large mug of coffee cooled. I really enjoyed getting out of the home office and spending time in the coffee shop. I went for one more brew before the evening shave and dinner out at Solevo's in Saratoga. Excellent cocktails (Jalisco Christmas and Ol' Pal) and a wonderful dinner. The halibut was great. Finished the night off with a cappucino and an irish coffee. We spent 4 hours having dinner and drinks on a wonderfully mild January night.
The shave set up the great night and dinner. I did a 3 pass shave with a good deal of clean up under the chin because I had so much extra soap in the WCS Two Toned 26 mm badger brush. It was much smoother (less scritch) than I remember and the K-Shave Works soap just kept making lather in the scuttle. If I'd had more time I would have done a head shave as well.
Mid Morning Coffee: 32 g Krucible'sTrogon II ~550ml 98*C H20 in commercial pour over with metal Kalita Wave
Afternoon Coffee:j 14 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Evening Shave: West Coast Shaving Two Tone Silvertip, K- Shave Works "Saratoga," West Coast Shaving Scuttle, Timeless Ti 0.68 with Persona blade (II), Stirling British Leather after shave
Dinner Cappucino and Decaf Irish Coffee with Kahlua and Jameson: after dinner at Solevo's
Definitely over caffeinated today. Great morning coffee though some of the brightness of this coffee is getting lost as the beans are somewhat long in the tooth. The Trogon II made a great cup of coffee that had citrus overtones and notes that changed as the large mug of coffee cooled. I really enjoyed getting out of the home office and spending time in the coffee shop. I went for one more brew before the evening shave and dinner out at Solevo's in Saratoga. Excellent cocktails (Jalisco Christmas and Ol' Pal) and a wonderful dinner. The halibut was great. Finished the night off with a cappucino and an irish coffee. We spent 4 hours having dinner and drinks on a wonderfully mild January night.
The shave set up the great night and dinner. I did a 3 pass shave with a good deal of clean up under the chin because I had so much extra soap in the WCS Two Toned 26 mm badger brush. It was much smoother (less scritch) than I remember and the K-Shave Works soap just kept making lather in the scuttle. If I'd had more time I would have done a head shave as well.
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
Just when I brew it first in the Aeropress. Can't remember who suggested it, but it isn't terrible if I double up and use the melitta pour over. I read about someone getting two brews out of the same grounds using the aeropress and I tried it and didn't like the second cup too much. Then I tried it in the melitta and it was weak. But if I have made two separate brews with the aero press, I can get a serviceable pour over and its a quick brew with no mess. Sometimes I just get lazy.
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
12 January 2023
Morning Coffee: 15 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Afternoon Coffee: 35g Starbuck's Italian Roast brewed in Starbuck's French Press w/ 28 ounces boiling water
Afternoon Face and Head Shave: Quick 3 pass Face Shave w/ 2 pass Head Shave. Yates 921-M "stone washed" razor, West Coast Shaving Honeycomb Finest Badger 26mm, Laugar "Alvdans" shave soap. Neutrogena after shave.
Still trying to kick this Ethiopian bean, probably have 4 cups left if I stick with Aeropress. Went to Krucible's and picked up some new South American beans that were roasted off about 10 days ago, so they should be prime for next week. Brewed up some italian roast in the afternoon in the french press to share. I used half n half with the darker roast as well. Nice change of pace and a good pick me up before the evening shave and then a few pints of guinness.
The Yates razor is a breeze to use. I raced through this shave and still got a bbs on the face. The head shave was really rushed and while it was a good shave, it wasn't the closest head shave I gotten. I used the hybrid brass plate because I needed to get through the longer stubble on the head shave. The WCS brush surprised me as it really was easy to lather the face and then the head with no shortage of lather. Laugar Alvdans has medium slickness and good lather/cushion. The scent is sort of an outdoors forest sent, but you do get a bunch of eucalyptus in addition to cedar. My nose really doesn't get the lemongrass notes in this soap. Laugar is one of the first soap makers that I bought when falling off the cliff into this wet shaving "hobby" a few years back. It hasn't been in the rotation for a bit. I think I am going to try to use up some of my older soaps over the next few months.
-d
Morning Coffee: 15 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Afternoon Coffee: 35g Starbuck's Italian Roast brewed in Starbuck's French Press w/ 28 ounces boiling water
Afternoon Face and Head Shave: Quick 3 pass Face Shave w/ 2 pass Head Shave. Yates 921-M "stone washed" razor, West Coast Shaving Honeycomb Finest Badger 26mm, Laugar "Alvdans" shave soap. Neutrogena after shave.
Still trying to kick this Ethiopian bean, probably have 4 cups left if I stick with Aeropress. Went to Krucible's and picked up some new South American beans that were roasted off about 10 days ago, so they should be prime for next week. Brewed up some italian roast in the afternoon in the french press to share. I used half n half with the darker roast as well. Nice change of pace and a good pick me up before the evening shave and then a few pints of guinness.
The Yates razor is a breeze to use. I raced through this shave and still got a bbs on the face. The head shave was really rushed and while it was a good shave, it wasn't the closest head shave I gotten. I used the hybrid brass plate because I needed to get through the longer stubble on the head shave. The WCS brush surprised me as it really was easy to lather the face and then the head with no shortage of lather. Laugar Alvdans has medium slickness and good lather/cushion. The scent is sort of an outdoors forest sent, but you do get a bunch of eucalyptus in addition to cedar. My nose really doesn't get the lemongrass notes in this soap. Laugar is one of the first soap makers that I bought when falling off the cliff into this wet shaving "hobby" a few years back. It hasn't been in the rotation for a bit. I think I am going to try to use up some of my older soaps over the next few months.
-d
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
Yikes!!! Friday the 13th
Morning Coffee: 16 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Midday Coffee: 14 g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20 ... better cup!!
Evening Shave: Quick 3 pass Face Shave, Merica razor, brand newChisel & Hound 24 mm fan silvertip, Laugar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash and Mammoth Embrace balm.
SOSO, so I'll keep it brief.... Quick shave using brand new Chisel and Hound brush (so smooth), and another Laugar soap. Had plenty of soap after the 3 pass face shave. I have a hard time telling the difference between these last two Laugar soaps. I think they all have predominant evergreen notes with a bit of cooling on the skin. I enjoyed this shave, but don't really have an aftershave that is an obvious choice, so I mixed it up with the british leather from Stirling and a bit of tabacco from the Mammoth. Not a bad combo.
Morning Coffee: 16 g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20
Midday Coffee: 14 g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 250 ml 98*C H20 ... better cup!!
Evening Shave: Quick 3 pass Face Shave, Merica razor, brand newChisel & Hound 24 mm fan silvertip, Laugar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash and Mammoth Embrace balm.
SOSO, so I'll keep it brief.... Quick shave using brand new Chisel and Hound brush (so smooth), and another Laugar soap. Had plenty of soap after the 3 pass face shave. I have a hard time telling the difference between these last two Laugar soaps. I think they all have predominant evergreen notes with a bit of cooling on the skin. I enjoyed this shave, but don't really have an aftershave that is an obvious choice, so I mixed it up with the british leather from Stirling and a bit of tabacco from the Mammoth. Not a bad combo.
Tobacco + leather = Man Card validated.
ME2Shaves
Jr. Shave Member
14 January 2023
Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20;
Lunch: Park & Elm Pastrami on Rye with spicy mustard, 32g Trogon III pour over @ Kru Coffee
Afternoon Coffee: 15g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Evening Shave: 3 pass Face Shave + 2 Pass Head Shave, Blackland Vector Ti razor, Schick proline (III), Grizzly Bay24 mm fanchurian, Laugar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash and A&E Bhang balm.
Good day with three good cups of coffee, a great new deli discovery right in town with a good pastrami sandwich, and a fine evening face and head shave overall. The Vector Ti is very nimble in my hand. I love the weight of this razor. Not sure I like the blade width for under the cheeks and top of the head. It may be a bit two wide for these short radius curves. And I definitely find it irritating to disassemble the razor head with a blade installed. It seems to always require some prying apart.
The Grizzly Bay brush is another recent addition and this was its maiden voyage. It is a beauty! The fanchurian knot is very smooth, loads tons of soap easily and gives up lather nicely. The Bhang aftershave is interesting. Seems to soak into the skin and provide excellent moisture and protection, but the smell isn't my favorite and it doesn't seem to last that long.
Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20;
Lunch: Park & Elm Pastrami on Rye with spicy mustard, 32g Trogon III pour over @ Kru Coffee
Afternoon Coffee: 15g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Evening Shave: 3 pass Face Shave + 2 Pass Head Shave, Blackland Vector Ti razor, Schick proline (III), Grizzly Bay24 mm fanchurian, Laugar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash and A&E Bhang balm.
Good day with three good cups of coffee, a great new deli discovery right in town with a good pastrami sandwich, and a fine evening face and head shave overall. The Vector Ti is very nimble in my hand. I love the weight of this razor. Not sure I like the blade width for under the cheeks and top of the head. It may be a bit two wide for these short radius curves. And I definitely find it irritating to disassemble the razor head with a blade installed. It seems to always require some prying apart.
The Grizzly Bay brush is another recent addition and this was its maiden voyage. It is a beauty! The fanchurian knot is very smooth, loads tons of soap easily and gives up lather nicely. The Bhang aftershave is interesting. Seems to soak into the skin and provide excellent moisture and protection, but the smell isn't my favorite and it doesn't seem to last that long.
Fantastic shave and fantastic brush!
^^^What Chris said.^^^
FTFY, LOL
FTFY2
