#1

Member
East Texas
(This post was last modified: 01-16-2016, 03:10 AM by 120inna55.)
Head & face shower shave. 2 days growth.

Technique:  WTG / XTG / ATG/clean-up.
Prep: Shower.      
Soap: Beaver WoodWright - Captain's Pipe
Brush: Semogue 1250
Razor: RazoRock Stealth Slant V4
Blade: Treet Platinum Super Stainless (3)
Post: Beaver WoodWright - Captain's Pipe

It's been a while since I've posted a SOTD.  The reason is that there's only so many ways I can take a picture of the same setup and software.  I've found it difficult to deviate from using the RRSSV4.  This is easily my all-time favorite shaver.  I really can't see how anything can be done to improve upon its performance.

I've had a similar conundrum with regard to soaps.  I can't seem to deviate from Barrister and Mann's Le Grand Chypre and Fireside and Beaver WoodWright's Jolly Roger.  I'm slowly finding that performance and post-shave far outweigh scent for me.  I've said it before, the aforementioned products could smell like manure, and I would still use them based on performance alone.  Fortunately, LGC, Fireside, and Jolly Roger all have outstanding scents.  So there's that.

My first exposure to Beaver WoodWright was with Ghost Ship, their limited release Halloween offering.  Prior to this, BW wasn't on my radar, but being a sucker for limited releases and packaging, I had to pick it up.  I really enjoyed Ghost Ship even though my initial impression of the scent was that of an orange push-up pop or sherbet.  Later impressions uncovered more complexity, and the performance was better than most.  Then along came Jolly Roger, another fancy packaging effort from Beaver WoodWright, so of course, I succumbed to the temptation.  JR's performance matched its presentation.  This was clearly a step above Ghost Ship and the condition of my scalp indicated it even rivaled B&M's new Glissant formula.  I contacted BW's proprietor, Kelly Hogan, inquiring about the obvious performance boost.  I'd become accustomed to artisans understandably touting their formula enhancements as they improve upon performance, but I had heard nothing about a change in BW's formula.  Kelly casually stated that he'd tweaked the temps and incorporated a new mixing technique that could have explained the difference.  He stated that he hadn't changed the formula.  It was just another example of an artisan making subtle changes that made a world of difference.  In my brief conversations with him, I got the impression he's a humble gentleman just trying to put out a good product.

For quite some time, I've sought the perfect pipe tobacco scented soap and splash.  When it comes to a Cavendish scent, you'll be hard pressed (forgive the pun) to surpass PAA's version with regard to both accuracy and longevity.  However, that same longevity is the reason I don't turn to it as often.  The sweetness of Cavendish can wear on me after a while.

I kept hearing good things about BW's Captain's Pipe which is supposed to elicit memories of Captain Black Cherry pipe tobacco.  I quickly found that this is a huge understatement.  Beaver WoodWright's Captain's Pipe smells exactly like Captain Black Cherry pipe tobacco!  If you want to know what this smells like without having to purchase a sample of the soap, drop by a tobacco shop and ask to sample Captain Black Cherry--that's exactly what you're getting with Captain's Pipe soap. I was just overwhelmed by the accuracy and subtly of the warm Virginia and Burley tobacco with perfectly blended black cherry, vanilla, and maple notes.  The scent unfolds and evolves throughout the day much like distance changes the dominant notes of the tobacco that influenced the soap.

The performance of Captain's Pipe was just like what I experienced with Jolly Roger, and Kelly confirms this new batch utilizes the new temperature and mixing techniques.  If you haven't tried Beaver WoodWright since these new techniques (presumably beginning with Jolly Roger), then you owe it to yourself to pick up some of the newer batches.  That's not to say the older batches were bad by any means.  They were definitely in my top 5.  Now, they're at least in my top 3.

The Captain's Pipe splash is more of the same scent…I mean a lot more.  If you don’t want to go all day smelling like Captain Black Cherry pipe tobacco, use the splash sparingly or skip it all together.  The performance of the soap precludes the perceived need for a post-product anyway.  Unfortunately, my wife only has a casual appreciation of the scent.  After I left for work, she got so sick of the lingering scent in the house that she felt the need to open the windows to air it out.  This is in the presence of mid day temperatures in the 50s here in East Texas.  I haven't yet figured out how to tackle that particular issue, but I don't see myself putting this soap and splash away.  This is exactly what I've been searching for in an aromatic pipe tobacco scented soap.


wyze0ne, Matsilainen, Kerry and 1 others like this post
#2
Great review and thank you for writing it. I was looking at the ingredients and although it is a very familiar list for veggie soaps, the order is vastly different. It has me interested so I'll be ordering one tonight.

120inna55 likes this post
#3

Super Moderator
San Diego, Cal., USA
Nice review; thanks. Happy2

120inna55 likes this post
#4

Member
Detroit
Awesome review man! BW is another one of those soaps on my (getting longer) list of artisans to try. And a tobacco scent is always tempting to me; this one sounds really nice. Thanks for your assessment!

120inna55 likes this post
- Jeff
#5

SoapShaver
Bay Area
Fantastic review!! I just picked up both the soap and aftershave, wow! Absolutely right on in your review. My wife isn't a fan of the aftershave, it's one where a little bit is better.

120inna55 likes this post
Never let the things you WANT
Make you forget the things you HAVE!
Face & Head shaver!  Happy2
#6

Member
Las Vegas, NV, USA
(This post was last modified: 04-18-2016, 06:14 AM by Matsilainen. Edit Reason: Product availability realization )
Another word of thanks for a great review! “Cavendish” by Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements is one of my favorite scents, so it sounds like I simply have to check out “Captain’s Pipe”! Not only that, but probably “Jolly Roger” as well (if it is re-released).

Also, I really appreciate your words on the aftershave splash. I think we (wetshavers) sometimes tend to overlook that product category in the forums and blogs, but I — for one — am always looking to learn more through others’ experiences with aftershave products. After all, that is the icing on the cake, so to speak.

120inna55 likes this post
Whenever I go to shave, I assume there’s someone else on the planet shaving, so I say “I’m gonna go shave, too.”
– Mitch Hedberg


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