May 12, 2026
• Bowl: Doug Smith Pottery – Ceramic Shave Bowl
• Brush: Semogue – 2000 (Boar)
• Razor: Ern – Model 421; 11/16, Full Hollow, Square Point
• Soap: Gentleman’s Nod – Musashi
• Aftershave: Stirling – Unscented Aftershave Splash
• Balm: Eleven – Unscented Aftershave Balm
• Fragrance: Chicago Grooming Co. – Caoba EDP
TL; DR: A glowing review of Gentleman’s Nod’s Musashi
I am really pleased that The Razor Company is now (or again?) offering samples of Gentleman’s Nod. I have been intrigued by their products. I was once sent a sample of the Ernest Extrait and found it to be very restrained and well-done, even if not entirely to my taste. I picked up a sample of Musashi and wow—just wow. I’ve never been so transported by a fragrance before. I have adored Asian (Nashi) pears for over twenty years and am a tea connoisseur (though I stick mostly to Nepalese single estate blacks). So, the idea of a scent built around those two was intriguing. Ultimately, this scent has opened up a new class of scents to me (Japanese) and has me very excited. The base is very good, but I am not sure I got the best out of it.
What an impressive range this scent has while remaining subtle. It is floral and delicate. Yet, there is a greenness that is not domineering or artificial. For whatever reason, it took me directly to my grandmother’s house (though she passed in 2015). It also took me to a space by a tree, although I am unsure where this tree is. Perhaps it is the tree by Japan House at the University of Illinois. Perhaps it is a tree at the top of some large hill that I ascended in Seattle some years back. I’ve been there before. I want to go back. I’m not sure where it is. I’m clearly inside in the air conditioning, but this scent took me outdoors. I want to go outdoors. I want to start my day. I want to go to my friend Lucinda’s home. Her home smells like this too sometimes.
This is even causing me to question how I think about wearing fragrance. I want to smell it. I would like it perhaps as a candle or something I could diffuse. I think it is lovely; but is it something that I want to project off me? I’m not sure, but I suppose I don’t get any fragrance for projection. In fact, I hope quite the opposite. I hope the only people who can ever smell whatever fragrance I wear is myself and any woman who gets super close. This is having effects on me, both therapeutic and intellectual.
I can see why Jasmine scented tea (as opposed to Jasmine tea) is so prized. Regular, plain jasmine tea is what it sounds like: Jasmine buds and tea leaves blended and steeped together. But, the reality is, steeping jasmine overpowers the tea and the result is too bitter. In China and Japan, Jasmine scented tea is made with a different, laborious process. They take these giant rugs or blankets and lay them on the floor. They then place a layer of tea leaves. Then, they delicately mix in (without damaging either leaf), jasmine leaves/buds.
They leave them together on the floor for a certain length of time until they feel the tea has absorbed the scent of the jasmine. Then, they handpick each and every jasmine leaf and bud out. They do this multiple times (usually about six times), using fresh jasmine leaves/buds each time. At the end, you have merely the tea leaf that has been scented with the jasmine. This is a short article about it. I love tea. Had I not been a professor, I might have liked to be a tea merchant.
Have an awesome day, friends!
