July 9, 2023
- Brush: Oumo - Imitate finest two band 24mm synthetic
- Razor: Chiseled Face - Legacy
- Blade: Wilkinson Sword
- Lather: Chiseled Face - Gemutlichkeit
- Post Shave: Storybook Soapworks – Coffee Spoons
- Fragrance: Halloween – Halloween Man X
- Music: Frank Sinatra – The Coffee Song
Today might be my favorite day of the Lather Games. I love trying different coffees from different regions and brewing them in all sorts of ways. Fun Priusaurus Fact: Every year in December,I do “12 Days of Coffee” with my wife and brew coffee 12 different ways in the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Thus, my weakness for coffee soaps isn’t too surprising. And Gemutlichkeit is one of my favorites because it takes coffee and then adds more gourmand sweetness on top of it. As the self-proclaimed Gourmand King, this is right up my alley. I have no idea how to pronounce it, and I have to double check the spelling every time I type it, but Gemutlichkeit is top notch.
Fun challenge today. Shave in the kitchen day?? LEEEEEETTTTTTS GOOOOOOO!!!!!
I looked around my kitchen, looking for something to take my shaves to the next level. And I spotted her. In all her glory. My KitchenAid Professional 600. And I started to wonder… Could I? … Should I? I’m usually a face latherer, but can I use this expensive kitchen gadget to bowl lather? I HAVE TO try. But how? The dough hook! I could somehow attach the brush to the hook. And when you want to attach something to another thing. Duct tape! I used orange, because it’s more fun and I thought I’d be able to see it better if something went awry. I took a scoop of Gemutlickeit, and rubbed it in the mixing bowl. I put my modified brush attachment on the mixer, razed the bowl… And… Turned that son of a bitch on!. I learned if I put it on a setting above 6, the brush starts to come off lather flies everywhere. For those that want to try this at home, setting number 4 seems to be the sweet spot. It didn’t take long to whip up a nice, shiny, beautiful lather.
The shave itself was great. Clean-up and set-up were a pain, so I can’t see myself regularly including my KitchenAid mixer into my daily shave routine, but for a once-a-year occurrence, sure. My family already thinks I’m nuts. Might as well lean into it.
I finished the shave using the gone-but-not-forgotten Coffee Spoons from Storybook Soapworks. I actually picked up this set from Inna’s collection on Murphy & McNeil. I wasn’t fortunate to know or interact with Inna, since I started shaving after he passed away, but it seems like he was loved and respected in this community. I’m glad his collection now lives on in the hands of those in the hobby he loved. The scent of Coffee Spoons is just black coffee, which I appreciate. That’s how I drink my coffee, so while the sweetness of Gemutlichkeit smells delicious, I respect the simplicity of Coffee Spoons.
For the fragrance, I’m using Halloween Man X. And it’s okay. It’s a warm scent with mostly coffee notes, but it also has some bullshit cardamom, lavender, and lemon. I’m okay with the inclusion of whiskey, cinnamon, leather, tonka and amber. Hell, even incense is okaaaay. But I don’t want those first three in my coffee frag, they don’t complement the scent of coffee at all and the #FOF would be better without them (MOIMO).
For the #photocontest, it’s not surprising that I’m including the best drink in the world: coffee! It’s really only appropriate today.
For today’s “10 Questions with…” segment, I have Ron Weide from Chiseled Face Groomatorium. He made the soap I used today, as well as the razor. My first introduction to the Legacy was when u/J33pGuy13 was kind enough to have a passaround, and after literally 1 shave, I decided I needed to add my own Legacy to my arsenal of razors. It looks great, handles beautifully, and shaves wonderfully smooth while being extremely efficient. Ron was kind enough to give a lot of really interesting insights into his business and perspective on where things are trending. Thank you u/chiseledface for taking part. Really appreciate it!
10 Questions with… Chiseled Face Groomatorium
1. So, you have Chiseled Face, Stubble Buster, LA Shaving Co under the Groomatorium umbrella, and each one is a little different. If each of your brands were rival gangs, which one would win in an all-out, no holds barred street fight?
As much as I love all my 'children', Chiseled Face would certainly dominate in a street fight. It represents over 90% of my sales and has a dedicated following.
2. On top of making your own soaps/splashes/frags, you make your razors in house, and you print your own labels in house too. Is that for quality control, cost savings, or something else? Or all of the above?
Making everything in-house certainly involves elements of quality control and cost savings, but mostly, I love learning. The opportunity to master various disciplines and put a personal touch on my products is what makes this job incredibly satisfying.
(INTERVIEW CONTINUED IN THE REPLY)