Noble Otter

I know this is the soap thread but I’m curious if you guys have been using the Noir et Vanille aftershave and how you all feel about the scent and performance of that?

I guess this post is going to go a little against the grain of this thread so far which praises the Noble Otter shaving soaps quite highly. That was the reason I finally acquired a tub from Top of the Chain - I tried the Nectar Amissa yesterday. It lathered well and went on in the normal fashion. I was not impressed with the scent either on the tub or in the lather - it was very mild and rather nondescript in my opinion. From the description I was expecting more. Those of you who know me will know that I like my soap to smell like something. I may or may not like a given scent but (virtual) absence of scent is unforgivable and whats gone "amiss" in this soap is the scent of the nectar. I was using the Rockwell 6s on plate #5 with a (second use) Polsilver SI but after going over my left cheek on the first pass I switched out to plate #2 as I didn't get the feeling that this lather was up to the aggressiveness of #5 and I had no desire to lose any blood that day. #2 is a pretty mild shaver and I finished off with no issues - nice face feel post shave, however, the combination of not enough scent and not enough slick relegates this tub to the box of unloved products. Who knows? Maybe I was having an off day but I've got so much excellent soap to use that its hard for a new soap to crack the lineup.

Posted by Marko - 30 minutes ago
I guess this post is going to go a little against the grain of this thread so far which praises the Noble Otter shaving soaps quite highly. That was the reason I finally acquired a tub from Top of the Chain - I tried the Nectar Amissa yesterday. It lathered well and went on in the normal fashion. I was not impressed with the scent either on the tub or in the lather - it was very mild and rather nondescript in my opinion. From the description I was expecting more. Those of you who know me will know that I like my soap to smell like something. I may or may not like a given scent but (virtual) absence of scent is unforgivable and whats gone "amiss" in this soap is the scent of the nectar. I was using the Rockwell 6s on plate #5 with a (second use) Polsilver SI but after going over my left cheek on the first pass I switched out to plate #2 as I didn't get the feeling that this lather was up to the aggressiveness of #5 and I had no desire to lose any blood that day. #2 is a pretty mild shaver and I finished off with no issues - nice face feel post shave, however, the combination of not enough scent and not enough slick relegates this tub to the box of unloved products. Who knows? Maybe I was having an off day but I've got so much excellent soap to use that its hard for a new soap to crack the lineup.

My suggestion, try it again. If it wasn’t slick enough you very likely underhydrated it.

Hi nameisjoey , you may be right. I think to be fair I should give it more than one try. I still wish it smelled stronger - the scent apart from being mild is pretty nice. I think the soap makers often err on the side of mild because I'm sure there are lots of people who think the scents are often too strong so a light hand with the scent probably risks offending fewer people than if you go strong and just tell the sensitive sniffers to smell with only one nostril.

I tried the Nectar Amissa yesterday.  It lathered well and went on in the normal fashion. I was not impressed with the scent either on the tub or in the lather - it was very mild and rather nondescript in my opinion.  From the description I was expecting more. Those of you who know me will know that I like my soap to smell like something. I may or may not like a given scent but (virtual) absence of scent is unforgivable and what's gone "amiss" in this soap is the scent of the nectar.  

Marko, I think you're right about the scent. What's missing is the nectar, that sweet, syrupy note that the soap's name enticed us with. I'm hoping the fragrance will develop with time. It all seems out of balance right now. This isn't uncommon with new tubs of artisan soaps. I've had several tubs of soap that smell odd and disappointing at first, but in time come to smell like their name on the label. This is because fresh batches of fragrances require time to let the different oils settle and mingle with each other. In perfumery this waiting process is called maceration. It can take up to a month. Before a fragrance is fully macerated it can smell faint or lopsided. I think that's what's happening with Nectar Amissa. The geranium note is too loud for now. In time, with luck, it will settle in and allow the bergamot, tea, and rose notes to come forward to create the illusion of nectar. At least that's what I'm hoping. I'm going to put my tub of Nectar Amissa on the shelf for three or four weeks just to see what blooms.

I loaded generously and then watered and churned my lather until I got a glossy, sodden mass. It wasn't quite as heavy as Wholly Kaw or even Mike's, but the slip and cushion were very good. Like you, I used a Rockwell, but I prefer baseplate 4. No irritation, cuts, nicks, or bruises.

I think their post shave is on par with WK. But....the cushion and protectiveness during the shave is a bit below them. It’s a fine soap though.one of my top picks. I like their The Trail scent. I find the scent intensity just right. Very natural scent as well...unlike most forest scents which IMO, smell like a cleaner. They do need to tweak the base..

I am one of the more vociferous fanboys for NO on this board and elsewhere...but I agree with some of the prior posts. Nectar Amissa is my least favorite scent in Cody's lineup. It isn't that it is poorly composed...quite the opposite. I think it is a very light scent that smells like an Haute Couture fragrance in the tub, but on the face, it smells like Green tea with a touch of honey. Almost like Eufros Cronos but without the herbal notes. It just feels slightly incomplete.

As far as performance goes, I find NO's strength to be its slickness, not the cushion. Interestingly, since I own tubs of all NO scents and have shaved with each many times, I find that while slickness is uniformly good, the cushion varies in each tub/scent. Maybe interestingly regarding this thread is that I find cushion to be consistently the worst with Nectar Amissa. On the other end of the spectrum, Flying Hide, The Noir and Lonestar seem to be providing the best cushion consistently.

So now I will use Nectar amissa only with my Karve on a C plate while the oyhers are paired with more aggressive equipment.

I am not sure what all this means since it is so unscientific, but I think it may make sense to try a different soap from NO before writing it off. But I can understand the impulse to walk away from NO in general if all you have tried is Nectar Amissa.

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I honestly was going to try a sample from Maggard's, but I just see too many reviews such as frenchy's that seem to echo his words of "They do need to tweak the base.". That is not a bad thing as every soap maker has had to do as such. After all, da Vinci's first painting wasn't his best. I am going to wait a bit as I think this vendor is just on the cusp of greatness.

I honestly was going to try a sample from Maggard's, but I just see too many reviews such as frenchy's that seem to echo his words of "They do need to tweak the base.". That is not a bad thing as every soap maker has had to do as such. After all, da Vinci's first painting wasn't his best. I am going to wait a bit as I think this vendor is just on the cusp of greatness.

They already "tweaked the base". The current offering is v2 which only came out about 2 months ago.

I honestly was going to try a sample from Maggard's, but I just see too many reviews such as frenchy's that seem to echo his words of "They do need to tweak the base.". That is not a bad thing as every soap maker has had to do as such. After all, da Vinci's first painting wasn't his best.  I am going to wait a bit as I think this vendor is just on the cusp of greatness.

The base is fantastic. The only reason to wait is if you require the creaminess and cushion that GD and WK have. Otherwise, this base does everything you would want it to and then some.

They already "tweaked the base". The current offering is v2 which only came out about 2 months ago.

Yessir. And at least IMO, I think the base can compete with the best.