No. 88 (Czech & Speake) Bayswater 1908/1988
I smelled this soap and was instantly taken back to London, to our old flat in Bayswater, where the housekeeper, or her husband, or maybe it was the dog, was drenched daily with Czech & Speake No. 88. It was dark, a little musty, and very Edwardian, just like our rooms. My soap sample today is far milder, but still potent enough to conjure up old ghosts. Maybe the purplish color of the soap is tainting my judgment, but my first sniff gave me the smell of grapes, along with sweet incense, pears, and melons. What lingers is a deep rose nestled into some musky sandalwood and vetiver. When you shave with this soap, a silk smoking jacket and monogrammed slippers may not be entirely out of place.
I smelled this soap and was instantly taken back to London, to our old flat in Bayswater, where the housekeeper, or her husband, or maybe it was the dog, was drenched daily with Czech & Speake No. 88. It was dark, a little musty, and very Edwardian, just like our rooms. My soap sample today is far milder, but still potent enough to conjure up old ghosts. Maybe the purplish color of the soap is tainting my judgment, but my first sniff gave me the smell of grapes, along with sweet incense, pears, and melons. What lingers is a deep rose nestled into some musky sandalwood and vetiver. When you shave with this soap, a silk smoking jacket and monogrammed slippers may not be entirely out of place.