Almond creams.

[blacdisco2000]

I have noticed that the Italian´s specialize in almond cream but which almond cream do you prefer or is the best for you?
The Italian (Cella, Valobra, P.160, Acca Cappa, etc.) or English (T&H, Trumper,Taylor, Salter, etc.)

 

[rsp1202]

I prefer the TOBS and T&H almond creams.

 

[gollum83]

Cella, Valobra, and P.160 are actually soft soaps that work best when used as soaps. I definitely like Cella more than any English or American almond scented cream I have tried. That is not to say that Trumper, eShave and the like don't put out some great creams though because they do. Still of the the almond scented products I've tried, Cella is hard to beat. The stuff not only produces an excellent, protective, and very cushioning lather, but practically lathers itself. A word of warning though, the scent is different from most other almond scents as it's a bitter almond scent. So it doesn't have those cherryesque overtones a lot of almond creams and soap have.

 

[boboakalfb]

Harris for me.

 

[Tom Ford]

Cella, Valobra, and P.160 are actually soft soaps that work best when used as soaps. I definitely like Cella more than any English or American almond scented cream I have tried. That is not to say that Trumper, eShave and the like don't put out some great creams though because they do. Still of the the almond scented products I've tried, Cella is hard to beat. The stuff not only produces an excellent, protective, and very cushioning lather, but practically lathers itself. A word of warning though, the scent is different from most other almond scents as it's a bitter almond scent. So it doesn't have those cherryesque overtones a lot of almond creams and soap have.

Does the Cella smell similar to the e-shave? E-shave is the only almond cream I've tried, and find it has quite a bitter almond scent?

 

[gollum83]

Does the Cella smell similar to the e-shave? E-shave is the only almond cream I've tried, and find it has quite a bitter almond scent?

No. The almond scent of Cella is a bit more subdued. Smells more a little sharper and less sweet, if that makes any sense, than any almond soap or cream I have tried. It's pleasant smelling, but it isn't something I would buy expecting to be wowed by the scent, although it is a great tallow-based soft soap.

 

[ru06]

I started a post a couple of weeks ago on this same exact topic. You can view it here http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=105121

From what I have gathered, Geo F. Trumpers seems to be a cut above the rest.

 

[Golden Eagle Warrior]

Cella, Valobra, and P.160 are actually soft soaps that work best when used as soaps.

I'm interested in your comment that these are best "when used as soaps." I think that I use shaving soap just like I would use shaving cream -- swirl it around and work up a lather with my brush. How should soaps be used differently from creams? I suppose with a soap, I might load up my brush directly from the soap and then build lather in my mug, and with a cream, I would put the cream in my mug and then start using my brush in the mug. Maybe that's the difference?

I just got a tub of Cella; haven't used it yet at all, but I was anxious to see what it smelled like. It's quite sweet smelling; it reminds me of an almond paste that you might find as a pastry filling. It's an interesting smell to say the least -- I can't say that I think I'll like it at this point.

 

[Luc]

Mmm interesting.

I love almonds but only tried Col. Conk so far and it smells like artificial medication. I can assume that Cella or Trumper is better?

 

[moshulu]

I started out with C&E Almond some twenty years ago. Then, C&E switched to a bilgewater formula (I'm not surprised that they are now bankrupt) so I moved over to DR Harris, and finally to Trumper’s, which has been my mainstay for the last four years or so. I like the mild, discreet scent and the quality of the shave. Periodically, I try something new, but it just doesn’t take. Except in the case of Trumper’s Coconut, which I use from time to time because it evokes a pleasant sensory memory of a certain ice cream cone on the zocalo in Merida…

 

[uktenore]

I haven't tried any of the Italian creams but I have tried Trumpers, TOBS, T&H and Harris in a side-by-side lather and sniff test. With any scent that is made by multiple companies I like the side-by-side approach because then you don't have to rely in scent memory. You can get samples of Trumpers and T&H from their websites and I got my samples of Harris and TOBS from shavingessentials.net.

The quality of lather was about equal across the board. The deciding factor ended up being scent alone. My favorite was Trumpers. If you enjoy the sweeter almond fragrances I highly recommend Trumpers.

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

I have only tried Trumpers and T&H. I preferred trumpers much more than the T&H. I got better lather and liked the scent more. I experienced trumpers as being sweeter than T&H.

 

[gollum83]

I'm interested in your comment that these are best "when used as soaps." I think that I use shaving soap just like I would use shaving cream -- swirl it around and work up a lather with my brush. How should soaps be used differently from creams? I suppose with a soap, I might load up my brush directly from the soap and then build lather in my mug, and with a cream, I would put the cream in my mug and then start using my brush in the mug. Maybe that's the difference?

I just got a tub of Cella; haven't used it yet at all, but I was anxious to see what it smelled like. It's quite sweet smelling; it reminds me of an almond paste that you might find as a pastry filling. It's an interesting smell to say the least -- I can't say that I think I'll like it at this point.

Yep, that's pretty much what I meant.

 

[Golden Eagle Warrior]

Yep, that's pretty much what I meant.

Got it. Thanks! I'm looking forward to giving the Cella a try this weekend when I can have a little more time to experiment with it.

 

[BCL501]

My favorite Almond scented cream is D.R. Harris followed by TOBS.

 

[Wingnut]

My favorite Almond scented cream is D.R. Harris followed by TOBS.

+1 for the TOBS Almond. Ever since the unfortunate demise a few years back of C&E Sweet Almond Oil SC (may it NOT rest in peace... come back please!), TOBS has been my go-to almond cream. Great lathering, nice sweet almond scent, and a bargain to boot!

 

[ogopogo]

I've only tried 2 almond creams. GFT and Caswell-Massey. Talk about night and day. GFT was an excellent cream while the C-M was probably the worst cream I've ever tried... horrible stuff. It did smell good though.

 

[nemo]

Cella smells like German marzipan to me. Simply excellent lather, especially with a boar's brush.