Revisiting a puck of Tabac after a year (deskunking shaving soap)

[Ignatius]

Its been about a year since I gave my puck of Tabac a serious continued usage (a couple of weeks daily use of a soap is needed before I decide conclusively on its merits). My recollections are that it was a good performer; easy to lather (as is well known), good cushion and slickness. The bowl is also a rather nice and unique item.

I did however find it a somewhat drying soap. This was the more minor of the two problems I had with Tabac. The second and foremost was its notorious blood-curdling scent. Its not hyperbole when I say this soap (and whole scent-line) induces in me soemething akin to nausea; I'm sure it gave me a headache more than once (though nothing extreme and not THAT discernible or patently attributable to the soap) - as you can image it was with some relish I finished up this soaps trial use.

Its been sitting in a cupboard for a good while. Today I checked whether the soaps scent had abated. It hadn't. If anything it seemed to have, incredibly, gained potency (obviously it hadn't and my senses - and Tabac is multi-sensory experience, its not simply a scent - were simply unaccustomed to the fragrance).

I thought I'd post this as it may be of interest to someone who likes a soap in every way but for its scent. I have, in thrify mood, considered milling a few sticks of Palmolive into a bowl and using it continually. Again, the scent of Palmolive is too off-putting for that.

Hopefully I will update this thread in a year (and a year after that) and chart the dimunition of this soaps scent. We know it does happen from our use of vintage soaps.

 

[MichaelG]

but not exact. I, too, like the performance of Tabac - it's a great soap: truly a fantastic performer, but the scent is too strong for me to use regularly.

I'm sensitive to strong scents so I'm limited to using Tabac only occasionally, but I do use it occasionally, unlike you. I might give it a try tomorrow, now that I'm reminded of it.

Its been about a year since I gave my puck of Tabac a serious continued usage (a couple of weeks daily use of a soap is needed before I decide conclusively on its merits). My recollections are that it was a good performer; easy to lather (as is well known), good cushion and slickness. The bowl is also a rather nice and unique item.

I did however find it a somewhat drying soap. This was the more minor of the two problems I had with Tabac. The second and foremost was its notorious blood-curdling scent. Its not hyperbole when I say this soap (and whole scent-line) induces in me soemething akin to nausea; I'm sure it gave me a headache more than once (though nothing extreme and not THAT discernible or patently attributable to the soap) - as you can image it was with some relish I finished up this soaps trial use.

Its been sitting in a cupboard for a good while. Today I checked whether the soaps scent had abated. It hadn't. If anything it seemed to have, incredibly, gained potency (obviously it hadn't and my senses - and Tabac is multi-sensory experience, its not simply a scent, were simply unaccustomed to the fragrance).

I thought I'd post this as it may be of interest to someone who likes a soap in every way but for its scent. I have, in thrify mood, considered milling a few sticks of Palmolive into a bowl and using it continually. Again, the scent of Palmolive is too off-putting for that.

Hopefully I will update this thread in a year (and a year after that) and chart the dimunition of this soaps scent. We know it does happen from our use of vintage soaps.

 

[Telecaster52]

tabac smells like a funeral home

 

[Topgumby]

If the scent of Tabac
Takes you aback
And reminds you of unwashed old Granny

Yet you love how it shaves
And how that lather behaves
If the scent wasn't so dangnabbed nasty!

Why, then you're in luck!
Just PIF your old puck
To someone who'll give it some use

Then let the lather begin
With Tabac's next of kin:
A big stick of Sir Irisch Moos

 

[Schwert]

tabac smells like a funeral home

Perfect description. I have been using the well-used whore house as a descriptor for the atrocious scent, but this is closer....

I have relegated Tabac as a brush conditioner only now. It works wonderfully for the Ambrose defunk proceedure on vintage knots.

I am glad I tried Tabac, but how it rates as a top soap for so many people is beyond me.

 

[Gustav]

Get yourself some SIM instead, the scent is much more pleasant. Performance is the same. Today's str8 shave with it was pure delight.

 

[cymric]

Hopefully I will update this thread in a year (and a year after that) and chart the dimunition of this soaps scent. We know it does happen from our use of vintage soaps.

Why bother? You don't like the fragrance to the point where it is nauseating; only a masochist would keep it longer in his cupboard than strictly necessary. Even if you were to mill it exceedingly fine, let it stand for over a year, and then compress the powder into a puck again there will be remnants of the fragrance you don't like. Throw it out or sell it on, close the chapter, move on.

I am glad I tried Tabac, but how it rates as a top soap for so many people is beyond me.

I have the same feeling about, say, Knize 10 cologne, TOBS Victorian Limes cologne, and MWF soap.

 

[Vlad]

Man, I don't get it...I love the scent. Then again, the only soap I've sniffed that I didn't like was Arko.

 

[kjparker]

Man, I don't get it...I love the scent. Then again, the only soap I've sniffed that I didn't like was Arko.

Well, I like both Arko and Tabac (and IM) what does that say about me?

 

[Rowsdower]

As someone who enjoys tabac and its scent, i will concede that opening up a new puck can sometimes be brutal. It almost seems like it becomes more potent the longer it's left sealed.
i must say that i'm curious to see how this turns out.

 

[Ru4scuba?]

Its been about a year since I gave my puck of Tabac a serious continued usage (a couple of weeks daily use of a soap is needed before I decide conclusively on its merits). My recollections are that it was a good performer; easy to lather (as is well known), good cushion and slickness. The bowl is also a rather nice and unique item.

I did however find it a somewhat drying soap. This was the more minor of the two problems I had with Tabac. The second and foremost was its notorious blood-curdling scent. Its not hyperbole when I say this soap (and whole scent-line) induces in me soemething akin to nausea; I'm sure it gave me a headache more than once (though nothing extreme and not THAT discernible or patently attributable to the soap) - as you can image it was with some relish I finished up this soaps trial use.

Its been sitting in a cupboard for a good while. Today I checked whether the soaps scent had abated. It hadn't. If anything it seemed to have, incredibly, gained potency (obviously it hadn't and my senses - and Tabac is multi-sensory experience, its not simply a scent - were simply unaccustomed to the fragrance).

I thought I'd post this as it may be of interest to someone who likes a soap in every way but for its scent. I have, in thrify mood, considered milling a few sticks of Palmolive into a bowl and using it continually. Again, the scent of Palmolive is too off-putting for that.

Hopefully I will update this thread in a year (and a year after that) and chart the dimunition of this soaps scent. We know it does happen from our use of vintage soaps.

Ignatius my friend....you could be waiting a long....long time.

 

[Mike Schutz]

Like a good piece of aged brick cheese, some things get more aeromatic with age and it takes a certain appreciation to enjoy the rich flavor. Tabac may not be as strong as good aged brick (or stinky cheese as we called it when I was a kid) but it can be a wonderful thing to someone who has aquired a taste for some of the finer (and riper) things in life.

 

[bones59]

I don't get it. To me, Tabac smells like soap. Not strong, or offensive at all. Cremo on the other hand...

 

[3eff_Jeff]

I have relegated Tabac as a brush conditioner only now. It works wonderfully for the Ambrose defunk proceedure on vintage knots.

Are you sure the Tabac is helping to defunk the brush instead of just trading funk with the brush?

 

[Yonjuro]

activated charcoal is really good for sucking out smells. Dunno how you would set up the process though. Maybe start with grating the puck, place some muslin cloth over a bed of the charcoal and put the shavings on top of that.

I would use the alternate method of using some cling film and wrap the puck in it, get a glass of vodka. Drink the vodka and throw the puck in the bin

 

[SRock]

If the scent of Tabac
Takes you aback
And reminds you of unwashed old Granny

Yet you love how it shaves
And how that lather behaves
If the scent wasn't so dangnabbed nasty!

Why, then you're in luck!
Just PIF your old puck
To someone who'll give it some use

Then let the lather begin
With Tabac's next of kin:
A big stick of Sir Irisch Moos

 

[HoosierTrooper]

I have to admit I really like the smell of Tabac. I've used the old Williams I found for the last three days which has lost pretty much all of it's scent, but lathers and works like it was made yesterday. Truly an amazing soap, but I digress. This morning I used tabac and was surprised at how strong it smelled after three days of the scentless Williams.

 

[jwcarlson]

tabac smells like a funeral home

A funeral home for wiskers.

 

[bradyarz]

tabac is my daily user soap. i use it strictly for the performance. i'm not crazy about the smell, although it doesn't bother me. splash on some bay rum afterwards and you'll never know it was there to begin with.

 

[SRock]

tabac smells like a funeral home

A funeral home for wiskers.