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Coffee Buzz, Blades, Brushes, Bubbles and Blather

16 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Morning Shave: 3 pass Face Shave + 2 Pass Headshave, Merkur 39C Slant with Personna Blade (IV) Ti razor, Heritage Collection Brush with SHD Badger knot, Laugar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash and Mammoth Embrace.
Noon Coffee: 15g Krucible's Ethiopian Yirgacheffe brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
4 p.m. Coffee: 28 g Starbuck's Christmas Blend in Large French Press

Big coffee day and a bit of greasy frisbee with the hunting dog. Prolly should've gone out looking for partridge, but my negative neal got the better of me today. The flip side of that bit of inertia that kept me close to home was that I enjoyed a great shave and some good coffee throughout the day. The coffee buzz got me outside for a good bit of time outside with the pup. Here he is on a self=imposed break from the frisbee chasing.

I am glad to be onto the Soto Espresso full time in the mornings. The holiday blend isn't bad in the french press and should be kicked by the weekend. I have a few more of Krucible's varieties waiting for a go.
The shave was great. The Merkur 39C was purchased for a great price after the new year. I am so happy I pulled the trigger due to the unbeatable sales price (don't think I would have jumped if I didn't get it on sale and then with a New Year's discount. I was concerned that it would betoo heavy or too aggressive, but it has been superb in the 3 shaves I've brought it out for so far.

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17 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20 x2
Morning Shave: 3 pass Face Shave, Blackland Dart with Personna Blade (V), Saponificio Varesino Mountain White Badger, Laugar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash and A&E Bhang.

My shave today was rough. I cannot say enough good things about the brush, which is another post-New Year purchase for me. So glad I acquired this brush. The knot is fantastic and I love the weight of the brush and the ease I have gripping it.

I think the blade was the culprit as it was the 5th use on it. There was noticeable razor burn and the sting of the alcohol in the british leather lingered far too long. As much as I want blame the overuse of the blade, I must say that the Dart has not been near the top of my best performing razors since I got it this fall. I usually find it just a tad too much blade feel for me without any noticeable gains in efficiency.

I find that the Rex Envoy provides similar results. Both are beautifully polished, high quality, expensive (though not nearly the most expensive you can buy) stainless steel razors that typically don't give me the most comfortable shaves. I have had the Envoy for 3 years now (~1 year of which I didn't shave at all); and while I have gotten some BBS shaves with it, I have usually been a bit less than thrilled. The same goes for the Dart in the 3 months I've been shaving with it. I will say that the blade variation in either razor has been minimal to date, so I'll keep trying them with new blades searching for a better combination. Despite these two razors having a bit too much blade aggression, I like having them in the my quiver due to the excellent build quality of both razors and because these two razors are the only highly polished, stainless steel razors I own.

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18 January 2018

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20 x 2
Night Shave: 3 pass Face Shave, ATT X1 SE1, with Kai Pink Mild blade on 11 or 12 uses, Simpsons Chubby 2 Super Badger, Luna Cosmetics "Mentolado" shave soap, and A&E Bhang, All Spice Talcum

I like the Above the Tie razor. It is equally as heavy as the Merkur 39C Slant and is similarly smooth and efficient. I like the weight of the Vector for dexterity, but I think the heavier razors may result in more consistent efficiency throughout the shave. I also like the X1 because it is easier (safer) to take apart than the Vector. I got a great BBS shave tonight. I hadn't use a mentholated soap in quite some time and this really felt cold. (Maybe January isn't the best time to be using this soap??!) Nonetheless, it took a bit of water and work to get a decent bowl lather going (is this because the Chubby 2 is a soap hog?). In the end a little dollop of soap went along way (I used a chic pea size portion of this soft soap, which I guess would be a croap, and still had plenty left in the brush for a fourth pass and probably a fifth too).
The menthol was a great change of pace and by the third pass, this soap certainly was soothing and cooling on the face. (And I still feel some remnants of this and we are an hour after the shave!)

The soap doesn't have an overly powerful scent and I really enjoyed the combination fo the Bhang aftershave on top of the menthol. It really accentuated the fragrance of the Bhang, which I hadn't experienced before.

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19 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Midday Coffee: 15g 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in ESPRO french press with 450 ml 98*C H20 (mmmeh)
Afternoon Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Evening Face Shave: 3 pass Face Shave, Blackland Dart LE with Merkur SP blade (II), Simpsons Polo 8 Super Badger, Barrister & Mann "Saguesera" shave soap, Stirling British Leather splash & Saguesera balm
Head Shave: 2 pass with surplus suds, Yates 921-M Hybrid Brass and Personna blade (VI or VII)

Happy to be fully on with the Soto Espresso beans. I think I have a week's worth of these beans left, which were roasted on 12/15. I didn't much enjoy the french press recipe for this bean. Don't think I'll venture there any further. The Starbuck's medium and dark roast tend to do better in the french press for me.

Gave the Dart another go with one of my favorite soaps. Put the Merkur blade in and got a marginally better shave. Still not the most comfortable for me. I think I've had better shaves with this razor, but it is hard to remember when. The Polo 8 is a great brush, but I still lose a hair or two when I use sny of these Simpsons Super Badger brushes. I have only found this to be a circumstance that arises with the Simpsons. My artisan brushes lost a hair or two during its first and second use maybe, but not much beyond that. The PL8 was a bit of a lather hog for this shave too. Perhaps I didn't get enough water into the suds. I had enough in the brush to throw in a quick head shave with the Yates and the Personna blade that felt so ragged two shaves ago. It wasn't a half bad head shave.

I love the post shave fell and smell using Saguesera and tonight's shave was no different. I added the Stirling British Leather splach before going with the balm. There was very little sting and the fragrances definitely work together. 20230119pm_SOTD.jpg
 
20 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Afternoon Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Evening Face Shave: 3 pass Face Shave, Blackland Vector with Kai Titan Pink on its last use (XII+), Elite Razor 24 mm High Mountain White Fan, Truefitt & Hill Grafton shave cream and after shave lotion, Geo F Trumper Mayfair cologne

The wet wet snow and rain made the coffee taste all the better this day. It was a long day at work, but I was happy to have a good evening shave and relax with a rye manhattan. The Vector and the well worn kai blade gave a close shave, and the green & white elite razor brush worked up a nice bit of lather that could have easily covered 5 passes. I stopped at 3 passes because the cheeks were feeling it (though the more sensitive neck was not) -- I almost stopped after the second pass. The alum block showed me that the blade should have been retired. It was an all out stinger. I applied a bit of Mennon Afta aftershave lotion that I inherited from my Pops before going with the Grafton lotion. I then went with the Mayfair cologne to get me in the right state of mind for a whiskey. Despite the rougher shave than usually, I am ready for the weekend!!
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22 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Midday Coffee: 28g Tom Davis's "No Bad Dogs" Oxo Pourover 700 ml 98*C H20
Afternoon Face Shave: 3 pass Face Shave, Merkur with Personna (I), Chisel & Hound Fanchurian, Barrister and Mann Vesper

Winter came tonight. But it didn't interfere with a few wonderful cups of coffee and a mostly relaxing day. Tried "No Bad Dogs" in the pour over today. It was a good medium roast with a bit of depth. I think it is fairly consistent between the french press and the melitta style pour over. It isn't quite the wonderful cup of coffee that the Soto Espresso produces in the Aeropress.

The Vesper shave was wonderful. I love this soap's performance and scent. The after shave splash and balm are great finishing touches that just pour on the scent and make the skin feel great. I bloomed the soap in the tub and face lathered this one. The Chisel and Hound brush is superb. Lots of extra suds. The Merkur 39C slant wiht personna blade on its first use is an excellent combo. I don't think I've had a bad shave with this razor. I really enjoy using it, which is strange because it is a very heavy razor. It is balanced and easy to hold onto due to the extra diameter at the bottom of the handle (makes it easy to hang in a razor stand too). Went out in the snow to meet some friends for some tapas and a rye manhattan.

Winter came during our respite. Snowing like heck on the way home.
8 inches in the morning.

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23 January 2023 National Hand Writing Day

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Midday Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20
Evening Face & Head Shave: 3 pass Face Shave, ATT X1 SE with Schick Proline (IV), Simpsons Persian Jar 2 Super Badger, WCS Scuttle, K ShaveWorx "Saratoga," Stirling British Leather and too much soap left so I did a 2 pass head shave.

I was not thrilled by the 8 inches of wet snow when I awoke in the morning, but it was pretty. And about time winter showed up for a stay. It looks like several more days of snow and cold for the next few weeks. I immediately hunkered down in the home office with some coffee. I was scheduled to participated in conference calls all morning, so multitasking was the modus operandi for the day. I made my second cup at noon, and then went out to clean off the car. It was still snowing hard but the snow was so wet the 8 inches we had in the morning at dawn had settled down to 5 inches. and lots of water.

I didn't get out to clean up around the house and get the driveway and sidewalk cleaned off until after 4:30. The wet snow had begun to harden up with the cooler temperatures creeping in as the sun went down. Then dinner. By 7:30 p.m. the slush was full on ice, so I spread some salt.

I then some entries from Renai Spiegel's diary and copied down a couple of her poems on account of it being National Handwriting Day, and her having such insight and wonderful talent and zest for life and love at such a young age in the midst of a horrific time in civilization. It is amazing to me that this teenage girl was able to write with such clarity about the ecstacy of falling in love and the desire to live a life connected to place and people in the midst of World War II and the Nazi genocide being perpetrated against her and her community.

Then a shower and a shave. I have an early morning and a long commute tomorrow. I was planning to do just a face shave, but with the bowl lathering I had enough soap to do a 6 pass face shave. I have grown somewhat fond of the Saratoga soap. It really does smell like the racetrack. It is pleny slick, but doesn't provide the same face feel of the SV or Barrister and Mann soaps I've used. The PJ2 brush is a great handle and a knot. I got a great shave with the ATT X1 and Proline blade. The 2 pass head shave was quick with the wider blade, but I think it may be too heavy for the skin at the top of my dome. I was careful, but I did hit a few spots of irritation on top that I thought were going to bleed. I think this is caused by the weight of the razor on a fairly hard dome with no cushion. No blood though and I finished of the shave with my Stirling splash and then some Mennen Afta lotion that was a remnant of my Dad's supply. First time using the Afta. It soaked right in and made the head feel very slick once it dried. Not much scent left to it, but what was there seemed to mix into the leathery notes from the soap and the spalsh.

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I think I need to check out Renal’s diary - you’ve piqued my interest with your description. Send the snow this way by the way!

Have a great day!
 
25 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20 x2
Morning Shave: Timeless Bronze 0.38SB w/ Personna blade (II); augar "Skogsra" shave soap. Striling British Leather after shave splash bowl lathered in West Coast Shaving scuttle wiht Semogue Owner's Club Boar, Ash Hande, Stirling British Leather.

Shaved at 5:30 a.m. before the long road trip into the office. I did first make a large travel mug full of coffee. This semogue boar brush works great. It was a straight forward 3 pass shave that I enjoyed, but still a bit of stubble left under the jaw bones. The razor is nice, much better on my face than the 0.78 open comb version. It is very heavy and would definitely smart if you dropped it on a toe. Nothing fancy with this shave as I needed to get going early.

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27 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 33 g Starbuck's Christmas Blend with Melitta pour over
Morning Shave: Merkur 34G w/ Personna blade (III), AP Shave w/ cashmere knot, Maol/Talbot Shaving Wilde Flowers,

I need to kick the last of these beans this weekend. The coffee was good and there was plenty of it brewed up to last me into the afternoon, though it was a better cup in the morning. That extra heat makes the flavors stand out from one another, but there wasn't much brightness in this brew.

The 3 pass shave was super comfortable and a quick one. This razor is so easy to shave with I think I could do it with my eyes closed. First time using the synthetic AP Shave cashmere knot in a few months. It is a great knot, but doesn't develop lather in the scuttle as quickly as the badger knots. The shave wasn't quite a BBS though and, ooops, I forgot to put the brush in the photo.

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Quick Evening Face and Head Shave Before Heading out to Larry Carlton Show: Yates 921 Hybrid w/ Merkur blade, WCS Two Toned 26mm Silvertip, StrikeGold Old Hickory Sample, Noble Otter Tis the Season

Great quick 2 pass face and head shave just because I could. The Old Hickory had a very nice smell, but it wasn't very strong once lathered. It lathered a ton. I am getting to enjoy the larger brush for head shaves, but soap goes in the ears and on the shoulders. The Noble Otter is a great smell, but it has a tackiness that resides for a bit after application. The 2d shave of the day and the Yates resulted in a great BBS result all around.

Off to the Larry Carlton Show: I pregamed with some old friends and fellow concert goers. The Rye Manhattans were delicious... not sure the Piggy Back Rye made a difference, but it didn't hurt. The tapas was a great light dinner. Strip steak, pork belly, octopus, stuffed dates, brussel sprouts, and deviled eggs (which one of these things is not like the other), split 3 ways. And what can I say about Larry Carlton playing his Jazz Crusaders songs.... just frickin' awesome. Sat right next to the trombone and sax player. Only complaint was I couldn't see the drummer and they didn't play a single song for an encore, but they were fantastic!!

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28 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 33 g Starbuck's Christmas Blend with Melitta pour over
Midday Shave: Yates 921-M Hybrid w/ Personna blade (IV), Fendrihan Boar Brush, HC&C Peppermint Shave Soap (not in photo by mistake), Noble Otter 'Tis the Season splash

Late start to a long day, headed to Mom's for dinner (Pork chops and more brussel sprouts) after a midday shave. Started it off with a multi cup poour over of the medium roast Christmas blend, that was good tasting coffee -- ~28 ounces of it which lasted me most of the day. Only one more cup is left for these beans.

Another quick 3 pass face shave that was supper bbs punctuated the end of the morning and set me up for the 45' drive to Mom's. The peppermint shave soap from HC&C had a super scent. Definitely a 7 or 8 out of 10 and was very cool. I don't know if the mint did this on its own or whether the soap is mentholated. (It was a light brown color soap and I didn't see any crystals.) It is a super sudser too! I think this out performed the Old Hickory in scent and suds (tied in the comfort of the shave).

I do enjoy the boar brushes too. Makes for quick work as I really work the brush with a bit more vigor than with the badger brushes when bowl lathering. The scritch isn't too bad either, but if I go with a paint brush application there is no scritch at all. Plus these brushes give up nearly all their suds if you ask them too.

The puppy and I enjoyed our visit. Brought some fire wood in and brought some compost down to the pile. We had a nice visit and went for a walk down on the Mohawk River... we saw lots of geese and ducks; heard a several cardinals, but only saw one, and saw a barred owl which landed on a tree branch directly above me. Dinner was excellent too.

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29 January 2023

No Coffee today
Evening Shave: Yates 921-M Hybrid w/ Personna blade (V), Semogue Galahad C-3 Premium IT Boar Brush, HC&C Cornucopia Shave Soap, Barrister & Mann Beaudelaire

Spent most of the day out snowshowing with the puppy. Morning was crusty and hard for the dog as he broke through every 5 -10 steps. We cut the morning hike on the Hudson short as we met friends for a beer and a burger at noon. This was an unplanned surprised and lots of fun, though the dog put up a stink getting left behind in the car. The beer was a craft lager Lord Hobo or something. I think it came out of New Hampshire and was plenty tasty. I paired it with a Garlic and Onion burger.... tasty and it was good we were hitting the Buck Mtn trail for more snow shoeing. The deer were everywhere and the hound dog was mischievous, but he got himself tuckered out. It wound up raining on us and I wound up with a cafeine deficit and water deficit that left me with an aching noggin.

Showered and shaved before heading out to catch the 2d and 3d quarter of the late game. Another comfortable and easy shave. The Semogue brush has a small but comfortable handle and it works great. I like it. This soap is a good performer. The scent was interesting. I think it was sweet but also had a bit of a cologney undertone. I don't know if there was a cinnamon spice in there or not, but I registered a bit of a barber shop type scent out front with some spicier stuff going on behind. I liked it and paired it with Beaudelaire balm. Then I left to meet a buddy out at the Q where I enjoyed a cup of clam chowder and 2 pints of guinness. I left thinking the Bengals were going to win, but somehow the Chiefs pulled it out.

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30 January 2023

Morning Coffee: 15 g Starbuck's Christmas Blend brewed up in AeroPress
Evening Face & HeadShave: Yates 921-M Hybrid w/ Personna blade (VI), Omega Professional 10098 Boar Brush, HC&C Cornucopia Shave Soap (not in photo by mistake), Stirling British Leather splash

I got my last shave confused. I didn't use HC&C soap yesterday. I now recall I used 34th Street, which is a sample I got from Pasteur's. I do think it was a good performer, but the scent was sweet and a little scant. The HC&C Cornucopia was the soap I used this evening. I think it was spicy. I don't think it was overly strong scent though. I added the british leather because it is one of my favorites.

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Looks that you had a very fulfilling weekend with some great shaves along the way (and may I add - love the Yates)…….and the beer and food you describe sounded delish! Glad it was great weekend. Now back to work!
 
1 February 2023

Morning Coffee: 15g Krucible's Soto Espresso brewed in Aeropress 255 ml 98*C H20 x 4 ... all day
Morning Shave: Henson AL mild w/ Merkur SP blade, Laugar Skogsra bowl lathered with Omega 10049 boar in WCS shuttle. Stirling Brit Leather
Evening Coffee: 26g No Bad Dogs brewed with Melitto Pour Over

Long day at work started off with a nice 3-pass shave. I've used all my boar brushes in the house over the past 6 days. They all work great, and most of them cost less $20, none of them are fully broken in yet as I tend to get more use out of my badger brushes. I had a good shave today and I think the soap and the brush played the biggest part in it. The brush is a big knot for a boar and I think it soaks up a bunch of water. It also has the backbone to pick up a good amount of soap off the bloomed puck. I used some of the extra suds to work into the face before I bowl lathered a good bit in the scuttle, but not too much. I also enjoy working up a thick lather on the face and I am not worried about splaying the boar as much as I do when I use the nicer and more expensive badger brushes I own.

It all resulted in a slick and thick lather that led to a great shave. The soap and brush created a great lather that had cushion and slickness. The Henson isn't my favorite razor for face shaves, but today it was easy even though this is the last use of the merkur blade. Usually the flat bevel on the Henson creates a bit of drag that I don't particularly enjoy, but it didn't occur this morning. The Stirling splash is the aftershave I use most often. It has a great scent and goes with a lot of different soap scents fine.

I didn't make my first coffee until 9:30 (had lots of work that needed attention and then a 4 hour conference call). I drank coffee all day today. It just was good and I just soaked it up. After 4 cups of the Soto Espresso, I needed and wanted more. I made a large pour over to steel myself for the cold night ahead. We haven't had many cold nights this winter -- and no hardwater to speak of -- but we are having a few of them starting tonight. Out with the dog and then some homemade soup and a corn muffin to cap it all off.

We'll see if I get to sleep ....

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ME2Shaves said:
We'll see if I get to sleep ....
Click to expand...
ME2Shaves said:
I've used all my boar brushes in the house over the past 6 days. They all work great, and most of them cost less $20
Click to expand...
While I have a couple of badger brushes, I prefer the stiffness of a synthetic or a boar. Scritchiness has never bothered me, as it is nothing but a minor sensation at worst. I have the same Omega 10049 brush, used for several years, well broken in. Soft bristles, plenty of backbone. Not bad for $9 on Amazon! Glad I bought when I did, as the price has ballooned to $9.49. ;)
 
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