Farm House North (out of Minnesota) Havana Nights. Just a lovely, old-school hard tallow soap - easy lathering, slick, protective with a superb face feel. Have only tried one fragrance - Havana Nights - but that one is old-school as well. Faintly smokey, but cologne-forward, strength maybe a 7 or 8 on the Scaramouche 10 scale: From 1 - "I can't smell anything" to 10 - "I can smell you in Australia", so maybe just under the wire on office-friendly, but it smells wonderful. Scent notes described as Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Tobacco Flower, Crushed Cranberry, Orange Zest, Pimento Berry, Bay Leaf, Pink Jasmine, Tuberose, Wild Peony, Peach Skin, Cardamom, White Pepper, Raspberry Bark, Incense, Vetiver, Spun Sugar, Musk, and Smoked Patchouli. A lot to take in, but really oud, musk, slightly flowery, bergamot citrus-y. Nothing tobacco-y at all for those looking for that, but the site describes an interpretation of Archipelago Havana, with similar notes. What once would have been described as a masculine fragrance, if there is such a thing anymore, but a natural botanical without being overpowering or strictly in the fougère or floral side of the house. Versatile, good every day fragrance, or for hitting the club in a tux. The aftershave (which they call a "Milk Gel") matches, and is a balm along the lines of Truefitt & Hill's aftershave balm, consistency and dispenser, and comes in what seems to be a tiny 2 oz container/dispenser, but a little really does go a long way. Very soothing and protective, particularly welcome in wind and winter. Also very reasonably priced - for 30 bucks you can get soap and aftershave (a rarity these days) - and the hard soap should last awhile. What I wish? It looks like a just-beginning artisan, with simple paper labels that are not really waterproof, and a not-really-dedicated-to shaving website. But other shave-related offerings on their site pretty much cover the range of traditional and some non-traditional fragrances, including citrus and menthol, and I'll be ordering more. Overall very impressive, and a welcome addition of artisan makers to my very full soap stable.
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