What's new

New, non-tallow Tabac reviews go in here

As looking ingredients list, there is not much difference.. 🤔
My quess is tabac just gets laureths cheaper than some other soap ingredients, so possibly save cash there?
Potassium/Sodium Laurate (vs laureth) is soap (vs detergent);
it's derived from lauric acid, which is more expensive than tallow.

Correct, also coconut oil contains ~50% lauric acid as it comes from the tree, so Tabac already contained Potassium Laurate and Sodium Laurate for many years. It is just that the ingredients are specified in a different way now, so that is more obvious than listing Potassium Cocoate and Sodium Cocoate as done on the older packaging.
 
Excellent, excellent reviews, @kingfisher ! That's how you do a soap review, not only were the reviews done exceedingly well, you've provided a perfect example of how to do a soap review.

I was slightly heartened by some positive reviews of the new stuff from others, but I was nonetheless suspicious. I think you've proven that Mauer & Wirtz, as @luvmysuper so aptly put it, have killed a legendary shave soap. That despite the fact that this was not the first reformulation of Tabac. Such a shame.

And I've always loved the scent, from my very first use. Glad I got 4 pucks of the old stuff. I think I will consider vacuum sealing them next time I do a sous vide cook.
I agree that @kingfisher did an excellent review job, but I draw different conclusions. For me, original Tabac was a good but not exceptional performer. It lathered well but left my face a little dry, as others have mentioned. The scent at its strongest was disgusting to me, but greatly improved as it faded over a few months. It is hard to get out of brushes once it's in them. And floral scents generally are not my favorite. But though old-fashioned, the scent was a true classic and I'm sorry to see it go. Maybe Tabac will return to it some day. For me, what most set Tabac apart was the classic mid-20th century modern design bowl and aftershave bottle. You can see them both in a famous photo of the Beatles backstage getting ready for a concert. No doubt some day those also will be replaced, but they are still there for now.
 
Interesting. There's always bound to be outliers in any population.
Well, I'm always proud to stand apart from the herd. However, in this case, if you look at Tabac discussions at B&B before the formula change, reviews are decidedly mixed, and not only regarding its scent. But even those less than entirely enthusiastic about it admitted it was a "classic", and it's always sad to see a classic go. I think that's what we're seeing in the current threads, and I find the sentiment understandable. As the old song says, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."
 
So, I have now shaved with the new Tabac four times. I used the same razor each time- a Gamechanger .68 with a Gillette Silver Blue blade. I rotated through three synthetic brushes..Simpson T3, Razorock Beehive, PAA Atomic Rocket plus one Omega boar.

I am not normally a contrarian, but I am enjoying the new Tabac. I began with a moderately dry brush that I loaded for a full 30 to 40 seconds. This produced a fairly dense paste on the brush, which I then took directly to my face. I added water gradually to the brush in order to produce the kind of lather I like, which, in the case of new Tabac, did not disappoint. It was dense, shiny and decently unctuous in consistency. The additional water did not "break" the lather.

As to the resulting shave, the blade glided smoothly across my face each time. The lather had good cushion and slickness, with a comfortable post shave feel. It did not dry out on my face.

As others have said, the scent is a little brighter than the tallow version, but still recognizably Tabac. It might even be a little stronger than the original.

Is it as good overall as the tallow version? No, but then again the original Tabac was in a league of its own. If I were to review the new version with no prior knowledge of the original, I would give it a hearty thumbs up. Unfortunately, I do have that frame of reference and so the new soap will forever remain in the shadow of the original.

However, let me just say that I have a stash of tallow Tabac to last me for the rest of my life, so I have no need to over-estimate the quality of the new stuff for the sake of consolation. As I said, it's pretty good. I am glad to report that if tragedy befalls me and for some reason I run out of the tallow version, the new Tabac is similar enough that I would not be completely heartbroken.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I liked the original Tabac, but I liked the Speick stick and LaToja just as much. La Toja really works with my oily skin. I think the favorite part of Tabac for me was the scent. It was different.

Ryan, I agree on almost everything. Sole exception is Tabac's scent, which has never been my cup of tea.
 
So, I have now shaved with the new Tabac four times. I used the same razor each time- a Gamechanger .68 with a Gillette Silver Blue blade. I rotated through three synthetic brushes..Simpson T3, Razorock Beehive, PAA Atomic Rocket plus one Omega boar.

I am not normally a contrarian, but I am enjoying the new Tabac. I began with a moderately dry brush that I loaded for a full 30 to 40 seconds. This produced a fairly dense paste on the brush, which I then took directly to my face. I added water gradually to the brush in order to produce the kind of lather I like, which, in the case of new Tabac, did not disappoint. It was dense, shiny and decently unctuous in consistency. The additional water did not "break" the lather.

As to the resulting shave, the blade glided smoothly across my face each time. The lather had good cushion and slickness, with a comfortable post shave feel. It did not dry out on my face.

As others have said, the scent is a little brighter than the tallow version, but still recognizably Tabac. It might even be a little stronger than the original.

Is it as good overall as the tallow version? No, but then again the original Tabac was in a league of its own. If I were to review the new version with no prior knowledge of the original, I would give it a hearty thumbs up. Unfortunately, I do have that frame of reference and so the new soap will forever remain in the shadow of the original.

However, let me just say that I have a stash of tallow Tabac to last me for the rest of my life, so I have no need to over-estimate the quality of the new stuff for the sake of consolation. As I said, it's pretty good. I am glad to report that if tragedy befalls me and for some reason I run out of the tallow version, the new Tabac is similar enough that I would not be completely heartbroken.
I'm a "Tabac was one of the classics" guy, but not a "Tabac was in a league of its own" guy. If allowed to die down, the scent is a real throwback to everything 50s, at least as I imagine it. My grandmother had money, and would replace a purse before it began to smell, and kept her furs, scarves and everything else spotlessly clean, so I can't associate it with her. But that mid-century modern milk glass jar is another real throwback. If the transition to vegan is as successful as Haslinger's was, I'll be relieved. Y'all are beginning to make me worry with these reviews, but there's nothing I can do, or at least, will do, as I'm not a soap hoarder.
 
Just a quick update. This morning, I whipped up the best lather so far with the new Tabac. Dense, rich and very effective. I have noticed that this soap is yielding its riches more effectively after several days of consecutive use. I have also noticed that for some reason it responds better to synthetic brushes than either boar or badger. My 2c.
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
Just a quick update. This morning, I whipped up the best lather so far with the new Tabac. Dense, rich and very effective. I have noticed that this soap is yielding its riches more effectively after several days of consecutive use. I have also noticed that for some reason it responds better to synthetic brushes than either boar or badger. My 2c.

I have noticed the same with most of my latest tallow-free soaps, both reformulated and not. That's why my Simpsons Trafalgar Series brushes are being so intensively used.
 
I have these two on the way:
View attachment 1317783View attachment 1317784

And there's always Mitchell's Wool Fat ;)
Well, how do you like the WSP Tobacco in Formula T as compared to the tallow Tabac?

How is WSP Formula T Tabacco in itself, would you be able to recommend it to someone who loves Tabac but understand that it won't be like Tabac?

Pardon me if this has been answered somewhere else or if my question isn't clear enough.
 
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