Crowne & Crane

just placed an order!

Nice review Marko, thanks! Did you pick up any of the other scents?

I also got a tub of Tobacco Leaf and Amber and Karl threw in a sample of Lavender and Cedar and a puck of Jamaican Peppercorn. I haven't used those yet - they smell pretty good and I expect they'll perform as well as the Caribbean Spice. The sample and the Jamaican Peppercorn were wrapped in tissue paper and were quite fragrant in the package which is, I suspect, what attracted the attention of Canadian Border Services. Smugglers will often use strongly scented products like soap or coffee beans to try to mess up the drug sniffing dogs.

Received my tub of Tobacco Leaf & Amber this evening, along with the bonus Cognac & Cubans, and an extra bonus sample puck of Thuringian Forest. I chose Tobacco Leaf & Amber for tonight's shave.

In the tub there was a subtle tobacco note that immediately perked up as the soap bloomed. The tobacco scent is very similar to Country Club La Habana, which has been my favorite tobacco soap since I started traditional shaving. The key difference is where La Habana is very bright and crisp, TL & A is deep, and supported with that dark, musky amber. This depth blossoms as the lather builds. Excellent scent.

The performance, again...top shelf. C&C soap is quickly taking a top spot in my den, front and center. Easy to load, easy to lather, super slick, and loads of protection. Right up there with the big dogs, in my opinion.

In addition, I really appreciate the personal touches from Karl & Liz. They specifically chose the Thuringian Forest soap sample because of the association with razor honing, and that level of customer appreciation speaks volumes to me.

the tobacco leaf & amber is intoxicating. the movember lot I was taking photos of today had that puck in it. easily 1 of my favorite scents of any soaps I received these past few weeks.

Welp, broke down and ordered the Tobacco Leaf and Amber yesterday. Can't wait to use it!

I do have a question for CrowneAndCrane though. What is the reasoning for the separate scents for the two different formulas? I usually prefer tallow based soaps, but the TL&A is only offered in the vegan base. I'm sure I will have no issues with the soap as everything I've heard indicates that the performance is outstanding. It's more a question of curiosity than anything else. Thanks!

Welp, broke down and ordered the Tobacco Leaf and Amber yesterday. Can't wait to use it!

I do have a question for CrowneAndCrane though. What is the reasoning for the separate scents for the two different formulas? I usually prefer tallow based soaps, but the TL&A is only offered in the vegan base. I'm sure I will have no issues with the soap as everything I've heard indicates that the performance is outstanding. It's more a question of curiosity than anything else. Thanks!

I wouldn't call it reasoning exactly, but rather something more like the process of evolution. It took a very long time to develop both vegan and tallow formulas that I considered to be competitive as top-tier soaps in both of those categories. I decided at the outset that if the soap I was producing wasn't going to be considered top tier, then I wasn't going to bother doing it at all. As it turned out, months later, I was satisfied with the vegan formula first and so it became the beneficiary of the fragrances that I had already developed. I kept working on new fragrances (as I always do) while I simultaneously continued refining the tallow forumla . I developed several fragrances that I really liked. Once I was satisfied with the tallow formula, I had new fragrances on hand and naturally I used them with the new tallow soap. There are no technical reasons why the fragrances are assigned the way they are. It just evolved along with the process.

Certainly, if it looks as though there is sufficient demand to offer a particular fragrance both as tallow or vegan versions, I could certainly do that. I'm just the guy that drives the bus, my customers are the ones that decide where we go. I bet you'll like the vegan version though. Review it after you've used it a while.

Welp, broke down and ordered the Tobacco Leaf and Amber yesterday. Can't wait to use it!

I do have a question for CrowneAndCrane though. What is the reasoning for the separate scents for the two different formulas? I usually prefer tallow based soaps, but the TL&A is only offered in the vegan base. I'm sure I will have no issues with the soap as everything I've heard indicates that the performance is outstanding. It's more a question of curiosity than anything else. Thanks!

For whatever it's worth to you, I have both vegan and tallow formulations, and I, personally, experience no discernible difference in the overall performance of the 2. Both are top tier.

the tobacco leaf & amber is intoxicating.  the movember lot I was taking photos of today had that puck in it.  easily 1 of my favorite scents of any soaps I received these past few weeks.

It sure is! It's also one of my favorite scents of all soaps.

Ordered the Tobacco Leaf & Amber, Cognac & Cubans, and a sample of Thuringian Forest last Thursday and received the order on Saturday. Kudos on the quick shipping!

I haven't tried the the TF yet but I can't agree more with everyone's assessment of the soaps. Performance, even for the vegan base, is great...this stuff loads and lathers very easily. I was a little surprised by how much water it takes but that could be due to my water.

Scent-wise...again, I agree with everyone on the TLA. However, I'm finding I love the Cognac & Cubans a little more. The TLA has a slightly "sweet" scent which is probably the vanilla. This is NOT a bad thing and the scent truly is great. It's just that for me, during these fall months, the C&C is a more subtle tobacco scent that seems more appropriate. Come spring I'll probably feel more inclined to use the TLA but for now, I'm going to enjoy this C&C!

Great job Crown & Crane and good luck to you!

BTW...any plans for matching aftershaves?

I know this might be getting a little redundant, but I just received my order of Tobacco Leaf and Amber with the free puck of Cognac and Cubans and man, these smell AWESOME! TL&A is easily one of the best soap scents I've ever smelled out of the tub! I might even go as far as to say its my favorite and I haven't even shaved with it yet. Can't wait to though. Cognac and Cubans is very similar to Soapy Bathman Cigar Lounge but is a bit richer and a little more "zing" to it. Karl and Liz were also kind enough to send me a sample of Thuringian Forest which also smells fantastic. Thanks Crowne & Crane! I will post an update on performance when I get a chance to use these lovely scented soaps. Oh and yes, I'm with HoosierShave on the aftershaves. I would be the first in line for TL&A scented splash!