Review: Long Rifle Soap Co. Tallow Shave Soap: Hunting Lodge
(2017) The last rest day was spent ogling over the Dopp kit we received to store all our shaving wares. This rest day was spent endlessly inhaling the sweet scent of another freshly received shipment from Long Rifle Soap Company. The evening of the rest day was spent shaving with it in a relaxing way to end a rest day.
We believe in quality products, as evidenced by our regular return to several items. Kermesse Sport events deliver in the beginning and end of the cycling calendar. Belgian Boys Club threads are perfect kits to be comfortable in and start conversations. Homestead Coffee is our go-to cup for our caffeine fix. Then there’s Long Rifle Soap Company.
It’s a wonder how one improves on a great item. Months ago we received a favorite scent of shave soap called Bay Rhum. The soap’s fragrance is a refreshing scent to complement a summer’s outing. So when the Long Rifle website described Hunting Lodge, another scent as bay rum with the addition of leather and tobacco scents, it became a must-have product.
Long Rifle’s shave soap is extremely easy to work with. On the scale between hard soaps and softer shave cream (not to be confused with grocery store aerosol cream), this consistency falls right in the middle. It’s scoop-able right from the tin making it easy to slather across the bottom of a shave scuttle. Add hot water to the reservoir of the scuttle and by the time the accompanying shower has concluded, the soap is soft and ready for forming. It is a thirsty soap meaning it requires a bit more water when lathering but the fragrance released in the process makes it extremely enjoyable. Expect the whole house to smell like Long Rifle scents post shave.
Several quick turns of the shave brush produced a thick springy lather, perfect for a midsummer night's shave.
The scent is extremely pleasant and aromatic. As the lather builds the sweetness of the soap is released. It has a clean metallic smell accompanied by the hints of leather, tobacco, and lime. If it evokes memories of riding through northeastern mountain routes, don’t be surprised. The Long Rifle Soap Company’s theme is based off James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. Those northeastern mountain passes are just what get captured in each tin and bar of soap.
The shave is extremely close and slick. It can be hard to shave in the summer when the temperature is hot and so is the shave lather. We all know what it's like to schedule a shave after our cheeks have been sun- kissed from a ride. The pillowy texture made shaving well lubricated and close. Imagining riding back in the Catskill Mountains while getting a close shave is hard to beat. Wet shaving also juxtaposes the hard efforts of climbing those mountain passes by releasing a beautifully relaxing scent to help look forward to the next day’s route.
Now that the rest day has passed and the final days of the Rapha Rising are nearing, take time to relax by getting a shave worthy of a podium presentation. A yellow stuffed lion may not be what gets raised at the end of the ride, but at least you’ll be clean-shaven in the interview circles. It will be a short distance until our next order of quality Long Rifle Soap products.
