Soused Soapery - Joe Brewtus product reviews

Having tried a couple of these already, it was nice to get another in the mail, and just as expected, it presents well while having an element of individuality to it, which I think always enhances something that could be given as a good gift. Opening it up, there was a decent amount of coffee grounds on the top, so it felt like you were getting something a bit more genuine, though I did not that I couldn't really smell any coffee but figured that might change once it was being used. I left this out for the family to use when washing their hands but noticed that the kids weren't really that interested in using it (my eldest actually went out of his way to avoid using it).

I decided to start using it in the shower and noted that it lathered up well and left little coffee granules on the skin. It states that it has a vanilla coffee scent but I couldn't smell that at all. However each time I used the soap I could easily smell the dark ale, there was no missing that, so at least I knew that indeed in the soap. This has lasted well, it might seem expensive but it does last a good length of time and you have the fact that there isn't anything quite like it on the market. As I'm not a big beer person, I wouldn't buy this for myself, but I have a friend or two who this could be perfect for.

I have used this brand twice already so I thought I knew what to expect - but I was wrong. Each of the three varieties I have tried has been quite unique - something unexpected these days when everything conforms to assembly-line perfection. It is refreshing to find a product that is so obviously handmade with that individual touch you expect from a craftsman. This one is a gem, and even the children loved it. A great way to encourage them to wash their hands!

Our first experiment was with the children's hands. They had been playing in the garden and you can imagine the result: black fingernails, smears across the backs of their hands, and palms that were utterly filthy. I told them they would be using a coffee scented soap to wash up. At first they were not impressed! Neither of them likes coffee although Miss Six does like the smell because she loves to make me a cuppa using the capsule machine. (Incidentally she is extremely safety conscious, and very proud of her expertise as a barista. She has a future in that area!)

They stood side by side at the bathroom sink while I got the camera! Mr Eight unwrapped the bar carefully, ensuring he did not tear the wrapper, and they both admired the appearance of the surface. They had expected a darker colour because the ingredients include dark ale and coffee grounds, but it proved to be more of a milk chocolate colour with swirls of darker tints. They could see tiny grains of coffee on the surface and when they ran their fingers over them they could feel a slight roughness to the bar.

Hand washing was fun! They took turns to rub the soap vigorously into their hands, making sure that they reached under their fingernails as well, and exclaiming when the residue was shiny rather than lathered. Rinsing off took a little while but when they had finished they both inspected their hands scrupulously and then checked out each other's as well before towelling off and sniffing hard to see if they could still smell the coffee! Luckily it was not too intense.

I tried it myself next day in the shower, and found the texture quite different to what I had expected. There was a gentle massaging effect from the coffee grains which was pleasant, releasing the coffee scent as it melted into the warm water. The scent lingered for some time: unfortunately, it gave me ideas and prompted me to make myself a cup of coffee. Perhaps the "Please Bathe Responsibly" instruction on the wrapper should include a warning that it might encourage people to indulge in more caffeine than is good for them!

My daughter tried it as well, and thought it was a good size for a bath soap. However, she did think it was too big for the children's little hands and wondered if it would be a good idea to produce a bar that had a score down the middle so it could be easily divided into two pieces if required. That is something I would not have thought of doing, but it seems a good idea because it would give the buyer the option of having two smaller bars for hand washing etc or leave the bar in its original state for the shower. She, like me, enjoys her coffee and thought the smell was absolutely wonderful - not too strong, but just enough! And, as a bonus, it would make a wonderful gift for a friend who enjoys coffee as much as we do.