Just got Maya in the mail - very intriguing scent! I'd say it shares more than similarity with Stirling's Ben Franklin, which I actually quite like. Hardest part was figuring out if the cap on the AS had a wrapper that had to be removed, or if the plastic film on the outside was part of the cap; guessing the latter. Morning shave....!
Tallow & Steel: Weirdly Excellent
- Thread starter rodmonster
- Start date
You are correct, it's the latter. Enjoy your shave!
Like many others have commented, performance is awesome, but I can't tolerate the scents. So, unfortunately, no T&S for me. I'll try again some day as my last experience was about a year ago. If someone would like to make a suggestion, I'm open. For me, I enjoy many scents by Caties, PAA, Eufros, Mike's, and WK fougeres. And B&M's Saville is wonderful too.
Tried the AS and it's first-rate, small soap sample from the Maya tub lathered superbly - Boreal and Madagascar on the way....
Different noses for sure, but thanks so much. I tried Maya and didn't like it.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Thanks
i obviously stopped reading too soon
- Thread starter
- #69
I am very scent sensitive as well. The Orangeilla from WCS, my first T&S soap, is interesting. A sniff of the tub reveals much more bitter vanilla than orange. No surprise, really, since the soap itself is a light brown color like vanilla and T&S reports that the scent is 63% vanilla extract. When lathered, the orange scent reveals itself and things become more balanced. My first impression was that I was not going to like the scent but it very quickly grew on me. I have reached for it every day for a week, unusual for me. It is not a complex cologne-like scent and I would say that it is moderate in strength. You will not be carrying around the scent for very long.
The performance is excellent, on a par with DG and WK, and on that basis I went ahead and ordered 3 more T&S soaps: Sicily, West Indies and Dark II. I am pretty confident I will like the first two because these are classic scent profiles. I am a little concerned about that the Dark II will be overly complex, but we shall see.
Rhody
I'm a Lumberjack.
Sicily looks nice i regret not adding to my order but trying to show some moderation ugh
- Thread starter
- #71
At last count, I own enough soaps for this lifetime and 4 reincarnations. I applaud your restraint.
My experience with T&S soaps are that they make a fine soap (I tried Boreal, Madagascar, Maya and Sicily) but I didn't find any scents that I enjoyed.
I must admit the Orangeilla sounds interesting
I must admit the Orangeilla sounds interesting
Maya was outstanding - definite premier notes of allspice, cacao, and kola nut (lime?), with a hint of tobacco in the back, very slick (not up to Excelsior, but what is?), full lather. A unique scent, all season, and I like it - will be a reorder. The AS is a wonder of nature - very moisturizing and soothing without being sticky, goes on mild and doesn't overpower. I knew there was a reason I frequent this forum... 
About the scents...
Sicily is likely the safest scent wise as it's a nice citrus scent that should appeal to most. Probably your safest bet if you're new to Tallow & Steel and want to try something.
Boreal is another safe one as it's a nice forest scent that's very enjoyable.
Orangeilla (LE) I like a lot. It's a soft around the edges orange scent. The vanilla takes the brightness from the orange and smooths it out nicely. Similar in scent to Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Tashmere scent which pairs rather nicely with the Orangeilla aftershave as well.
West Indies is a citrus and bay rum scent that's more citrus forward. I get more of a grapefruit scent from it than the wild orange note that's listed as the main scent. It should likely appeal to most people as well.
Some of the others are bolder and a bit more interesting but I really like them.
Maya I like quite a bit as well. It's a coffee, cocoa scent with some citrus and tobacco.
Morocco is nice but it's a smokey scent. I like to pair it with a nice rose cologne to make the rose a bit more masculine and mute the smokiness from the aftershave a bit.
Himalaya is hard to describe, I'm not even going to try but I definitely like it. This one might be more of a risk scent wise than the others.
Madagascar is very floral and not for me scent wise. A lot of Ylang Ylang which is a scent that doesn't appeal to me. Some people love it though. I'm trying to like it.
West Coast IPA (LE) smells just like an IPA. It smells like a hoppy beer. Fortunately the scent disappears by the time I get to work so they don't think I have a drinking problem.
Kyoto (LE) - this one is a seaweed, green, citrus type of scent that's really nice and very relaxing to use. I like it a lot and wish that it was a regular offering.
Merry (LE) reminds me of Christmas time. Vanilla, orange, rose, peppermint, cocoa and a few other scent that give is a candy, cookie, hot chocolate, fruity scent that reminds me of Christmas. A really great scent that unfortunately lights my face up. I still use it every now and then but for me it makes for a very quick shave.
Dark II is said to be similar to but different from the original Dark scent. The original has a lot of coffee, cocoa and mint and kinda smelled like a peppermint patty. A very deep rich scent. We'll see what the new version smells like when it arrives.
Would love to see Grog II, Rainforest II and Classic II offered as well.
Sicily is likely the safest scent wise as it's a nice citrus scent that should appeal to most. Probably your safest bet if you're new to Tallow & Steel and want to try something.
Boreal is another safe one as it's a nice forest scent that's very enjoyable.
Orangeilla (LE) I like a lot. It's a soft around the edges orange scent. The vanilla takes the brightness from the orange and smooths it out nicely. Similar in scent to Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Tashmere scent which pairs rather nicely with the Orangeilla aftershave as well.
West Indies is a citrus and bay rum scent that's more citrus forward. I get more of a grapefruit scent from it than the wild orange note that's listed as the main scent. It should likely appeal to most people as well.
Some of the others are bolder and a bit more interesting but I really like them.
Maya I like quite a bit as well. It's a coffee, cocoa scent with some citrus and tobacco.
Morocco is nice but it's a smokey scent. I like to pair it with a nice rose cologne to make the rose a bit more masculine and mute the smokiness from the aftershave a bit.
Himalaya is hard to describe, I'm not even going to try but I definitely like it. This one might be more of a risk scent wise than the others.
Madagascar is very floral and not for me scent wise. A lot of Ylang Ylang which is a scent that doesn't appeal to me. Some people love it though. I'm trying to like it.
West Coast IPA (LE) smells just like an IPA. It smells like a hoppy beer. Fortunately the scent disappears by the time I get to work so they don't think I have a drinking problem.
Kyoto (LE) - this one is a seaweed, green, citrus type of scent that's really nice and very relaxing to use. I like it a lot and wish that it was a regular offering.
Merry (LE) reminds me of Christmas time. Vanilla, orange, rose, peppermint, cocoa and a few other scent that give is a candy, cookie, hot chocolate, fruity scent that reminds me of Christmas. A really great scent that unfortunately lights my face up. I still use it every now and then but for me it makes for a very quick shave.
Dark II is said to be similar to but different from the original Dark scent. The original has a lot of coffee, cocoa and mint and kinda smelled like a peppermint patty. A very deep rich scent. We'll see what the new version smells like when it arrives.
Would love to see Grog II, Rainforest II and Classic II offered as well.
What @dfoulk said is first hand experience. Based on his recommendation I asked Ryan about scent strength on 1 to 10 scale. Quoting from his reply
"Boreal 10
Maya 8
Dark 8
Himalaya 7
Sicily 7
Madagascar 7"
I dropped Maya in favour of Dark2 and got boreal, Madagascar and himalaya.
"Boreal 10
Maya 8
Dark 8
Himalaya 7
Sicily 7
Madagascar 7"
I dropped Maya in favour of Dark2 and got boreal, Madagascar and himalaya.
Yeah, no guarantee that you'll like what I like as we all like different things and smell things a bit differently. I have noticed that these scents are different in lathering than from smelling directly from the jar. I also pick up different notes sometime when I use them, so to me they stay interesting. They are not synthetic smelling as they are deep rich scents. If you find that you don't like a T&S scent just use it for a week or two straight and you'll likely find yourself drawn to it. People that sniff it without trying it and sell it off are missing out.
While I am no connoisseur of fine scents and as a smoker for 35 years complex or high end scent note just pass by my nose but through the din I do pick up EO notes. Unlike FO, I find EO soap much more soothing and relaxing. They are just on another level and it seem pointless to pit them against FO soaps. I also find the notes true to description. So it is unlikely I will have to get rid of them in hurry.
I find myself enjoying the more complex, more well done scents now. The synthetic ones smell cheap to me. If it's not interesting then it's boring.
+1. So true! I've dumped most of my soaps that rely heavily or entirely on synthetics.
I will be the outlier and say that I don’t find the AS to be exceptional. I’ve tried several of them and they are fine but I feel no urge to buy a matching one when I buy a tub of soap. I’ve tried all of the original soaps as well as all of the current staples and several LE (e.g., West Coast IPA, Kyoto, Merchandise 7X). I’ve yet to find a scent that I love, but there are a few that I like enough (7X, Morocco, Dark) to use since the base is so good.
