Vintage Coates Almond Shave Cream

[churchilllafemme]

Can any of the almond or sandalwood cream be bought anywhere now? I certainly would be interested in purchasing some.

Funny you should ask John:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=52337

Great, thanks, Craig. I hadn't seen that. I've ordered four types now.

[bernards66]

Craig, That was a mistake....John will buy it ALL!....surely you know how he is...sigh...
Regards,
Gordon

[churchilllafemme]

Actually, I exercised just a bit of self-control and ordered only 3 tubes (about the equivalent of one tub) of each of four scents.

[Crag]

My Coates tubes were quite remarkable. I was stunned at how thick the cream seemed to be, but then I capped it off and massaged the tube for a feew moments and was surprised at how creamy the cream became. I first shaved with the Lavender and really liked the volume of lather it made, but was taken aback abit by the lack of scent. I suppose I can't ask for much given the age, but was hoping for the traditional Coate's scent common in their tubs. Alas, that is not the case with my first tube...

Overall I may have bought too many tubes as in rotation 1-tube would last quite a while...I bought ten in all...

Matt

[Sam]

Actually, I exercised just a bit of self-control and ordered only 3 tubes (about the equivalent of one tub) of each of four scents.

so three tubes make up one tub? good to know, I have like 6 of the limes coming so I am good to go for a couple of years. If I did not have over one half in a pot each of Truefitt rose and Truefitt lavendar, I would have ordered those. Not much of a lime or teatree guy. Ive always wanted to see what Trumper Coconut was like, as the tube I had of that, I sent it on to Gordon since I never liked the smell, and he said it was something wrong to the tune of soured and he tossed it.

[Damon Stathatos]

FWIW, first post here on this forum...great place...been lurking for a while now. Enough of that, now back to the Coate's...

I ordered a tub of Coate's 'limited edition' from Razorbladesandmore a few months back. It arrived completely dehydrated and I did have some success rehydrating it with some distilled water. It is a fantastic soap for sure.

The description on his site is:
This is the limited edition shaving cream is the first to make it back into production. Scented with Tea Tree and Rosemary, it whips into a luxurious lather and provides a smooth shave.
Size: 5.5 oz / 165 ml
Made in England

The accompanying photo has a 2010 date on it so I'm guessing they've been sitting around for a few years. Does anyone know the chronology of Coate's...when they stopped producing, started up again (as per the description) and/or ceased once more?

[btafan]

My Coates tubes were quite remarkable. I was stunned at how thick the cream seemed to be, but then I capped it off and massaged the tube for a feew moments and was surprised at how creamy the cream became. I first shaved with the Lavender and really liked the volume of lather it made, but was taken aback abit by the lack of scent. I suppose I can't ask for much given the age, but was hoping for the traditional Coate's scent common in their tubs. Alas, that is not the case with my first tube...

Overall I may have bought too many tubes as in rotation 1-tube would last quite a while...I bought ten in all...

Matt

I'm sorry to hear that, most of the lavender tubes I've tested seemed to have a fairly strong scent--at least stronger than the others. And it seems that this last box of lavender may have been a little more firm than usual, so if you're not satisfied with the quality I'd be happy to send you a replacement. But I would encourage you to first try out the other tubes you have and see if there's any variation. Thanks!

[bernards66]

Damon, Welcome aboard! Just to make sure you are aware, in this thread we are discussing the original Coate's creams, not the one that you have. That one was available later, when The Gentlemen's Shop owned the brand name.

John, Three each eh? I'm surprised as I....well, I...a..ordered more than that. Yes, it's true...I was always very fond of Coate's and I got a little...carried away. Nothing crazy, you understand, just....more than you ordered...sigh. Hopefully they will be here shortly.
Regards,
Gordon

[churchilllafemme]

John, Three each eh? I'm surprised as I....well, I...a..ordered more than that. Yes, it's true...I was always very fond of Coate's and I got a little...carried away. Nothing crazy, you understand, just....more than you ordered...sigh. Hopefully they will be here shortly.
Regards,
Gordon

Getting a little carried away is part of why this is so enjoyable, Gordon. And of course now I'm thinking, "I should have ordered a few more than 12 tubes...."

[gsgo]

Two things noted over the weekend when using my Coates creams from Andy - using soft water out in the country definitely pumped up the lather and I did notice an improvement in texture and color when I smushed up the tubes a bit to mix the cream.

[bernards66]

Well, my tubes of Coate's arrived today. I ordered varying amounts in all the scents except Tea Tree. Thanks Andy!...that was incredibly quick delivery! I shaved with the Lime and it was the same unusually rich lather, just like I remembered it. The scent was a little faded but still quite present. My wife walked in while I was at it and said, "...ummm!....lime...really nice!", so clearly it still has significent scent. And the shave was not only very pleasant, but also very close. Really great stuff...as I always said.
Regards,
Gordon

[Craig_From_Cincy]

I had my first shave with a Coate's cream in something approaching a decade. Thick rich cream that was as good as I remember it being, and the lavender scent was terrific. I'm fighting my instincts to hoard this cream.

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[Squire]

Good to hear these positive reports.

[Sam]

I used limes and maybe i did not squeeze enough into the brush, as I am used to scooping it out of a pot. The lather did not make it to the 4th pass as well as I have experienced with say my pot of Trumpers Lime. Did like the scent and it was strong enough to my nose.

[Squire]

Sam I recall the scent as being on the brighter side of lime, is that your take as well?

[Sam]

Squire, yes, and I will see if my impressions change, but it was a more 'candied' or jello sort of lime than say the Castle Forbes (true lime smell to my nose) and then the Trumper.

[Squire]

Exactly the same way I would list them Sam.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

I used Coate's Lime this morning as well. The lather was among the best I've ever shaved with, and the scent was a bright lime, though it has faded a bit. I used too much cream for this morning's shave, I'll be careful to use less in the future:

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Starting to work the cream. It takes a good amount of water to bloom:

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My scuttle (and brush) overfloweth with rich, thick lather:

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This is what was left after three full passes plus touchups. There's enough for another shave. My Shavemac D01 is completely impregnated with cream:

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[gsgo]

Wow Craig, a little heavy handed on the squeeze for sure, I think you may be calling Andy for some back up!

Good stuff this Coates but I am still on with my TOBS Shaving Shop.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

After using Coate's for two days (after an absence from my shave rotation of about a decade) I've come to appreciate what great creams Coate's were, and how T&H makes the closest creams to them on the market today. T&H's lavender is close to Coate's in terms of scent and texture, I'll bet the rose is pretty close as well. The scent of their limes are different, but performance and textures are similar. I think that Coate's is a tad superior to the present day T&H creams, but they are close.