Some of you might know that I’ve been looking for a good Earl Grey scented shaving soap or cream for a while. Well… I’m satisfied that search can be declared over.

I’ll put the disclaimer here: I was provided this sample by the manufacturer free of charge. Since, you know, he was aware that I’d been looking for a good Earl Grey scent, and there’s definitely worse business strategies than providing reviewers with something that you think they’ll enjoy.

Cheshire is a pretty damned good approximation of a classic Earl Grey tea; unlike some attempts out there, Barrister and Mann didn’t stop at the bermagot oil, but did their best to recreate the scent of the tea as well. Well, a sniff of the soap and a sniff of the tea bag, and I’m satisfied that this is probably about as close as you’re ever going to see. A damned fine job crafting a wonderful scent.

The strength too is quite good. It starts off rather strong, and during the course of the shave only fades to a “fairly strong”. Perhaps I would have preferred a tad more, but let’s face it, if they had done that there’d probably be others complaining it’s overpowered.

The lather is, well, the same as I’ve come to expect from B&M. It’s thirsty, so don’t make the mistake of being stingy with your water, otherwise you might end up with something that’s lacking for lubrication. Keep at it, and apply a little elbow grease, and you’ve got a nice slick lather that retains good thickness, with a decently wide sweet spot. And some decent moisturization properties to boot.

10/10 Scent Pleasantness

9/10 Scent Strength

9/10 Quality of Lather

So, yes, I’ll say that I’m quite pleased with this soap. I think I’ll be sticking it at #3 on the top ten list. A rather strong 9/10 overall. And, a damned fine value for the price you pay.

Gear used:

Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Aqua, Glycerin, Citrus bergamia (Bergamot) Oil, Salvia sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Pogostemon cablin (Patchouli) Oil, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Coconut Milk, Potassium Kokum Butterate, Sodium Kokum Butterate, Unrefined Shea Butter, Potassium Cocoate, Sodium Cocoate, Lanolin, Allantoin, Silk Protein, Tocopherol Acetate.