CONCRETE El Dorado Solid Cologne by Stag Supply Co.
As part of our Instagram companion site, I have come across a good number of very interesting products. The CONCRETE El Dorado solid cologne by the folks at The Bearded Stag (AKA Stag Supply Co.), is one such product. It read very well and I went ahead and ordered it. These guys are all the way down in Australia.
About a week and a half after placing my order, my purchase was delivered. I am completely bedazzled by the speed of delivery. This is the same kind of delay as if I had ordered something from within Canada. AMAZING! A similar amazement occurs every time I order something from the UK. It gets delivered in or under a week. I have to venture that the all Common Wealth country are on the friendliest of terms when it comes to postal services.
A special shout-out to Anthony at The Bearded Stag for making this review possible.
In this new world economy of on-line retail shopping, delivery delays are an enormous part of the equation. Having a great product is one thing, but with less and less shops to go, getting that product in peoples hand within a short amount time and at a reasonable price is “the big challenge”.
The shipping here was not cheap at some $15. The price is justified by having a tracking number and going around the world in under 5 business days.
So what is the Stag Supply Company? It’s an Australian men grooming company that I came across on Instagram. They make and sale a number of products that fall under our area of interest. In this case, solid colognes!
Over the last year, my interest for solid colognes has grown exponentially, essentially because these colognes are being made by folks who are not necessarily “perfumers” and who are producing incredibly interesting and different scents. These Barbers, Apothecary and creative minds are not bound by any International Guild of Certified Perfumers or other such organizations and can simply let their noses run wild.
The other reason for the interest in solid cologne is for exactly that – they are solid colognes. In other words, the means of delivering that scent is no longer via an aerosol which waste anywhere from 50% – 70% when being sprayed. With a solid cologne you simply rub your finger on the wax and transfer that onto those sweet olfactory spots. See the below body chart.
Yes, the container is smaller, but you are getting the same by virtue of not wasting so much of it. Since the fragrance is trapped in a natural oil and wax body, the risk of it causing allergic or any other reactions is tremendously reduced.
Last, but not least is the actual container. It is tiny and highly portable. It’s airport approved so ideal for that Jetsetter in you. It is also perfect to just slip into that front jean pocket on your way out the door.
So what is the scent like? This is how it is described by the Stag Supply Co.: “…you’re greeted with a warm smokey golden scent with top notes of hay, cinnamon, white citrus and ginger layered with middle notes of rum, birch and tobacco then balanced with sandalwood and vanilla…”
My nose can clearly detect: vanilla, cinnamon, tobacco and some distant rum. It is certainly agreeable, warm, manly, sweet and complex. This is not a simple, one level fragrance. You are definitely working with something that has a good deal of depth and you will identify different elements to it as you explore it. A very important evaluation element for a cologne in my household is the reaction of our very own “asthmatic” Mrs. Style4men.ca. She totally approved!
Further to the above diagram, you may also like this article on the Ventvenir site which expands on this a bit further. This site is a bit of a fragrance heaven.
How long does this stuff last? I will say approximately 3 hours after which point I could barely smell it. Which is very similar to a spray on.
I should mention that a solid cologne, at least the ones I have worked with so far, do not change over time. In other words, what you smell in the can is what it will smell like for the duration. Most alcohol based spray-on cologne change a fair bit, so you might like it in the bottle but it could be a different thing on you after an hour. This is something that was brought forward by my co-worker Linda and I want to thank her for that very important observation.
At a quarter of an ounce (10 g) you might thing that this is a minuscule quantity, but considering the ridiculously small amount you need per application this will last you a few months of daily usage. The can is: 5 cm long X 2.5 cm wide X 1 cm high. The fact that it’s a little metal tin can is also a cool aspect. It feels tough and old-school.
The Stag Supply Co. offers 3 solid colognes under the CONCRETE moniker:
- El Dorado
- Nineteen20
- Voyager
I picked the El Dorado simply because it read as the most promising.
In closing, this cologne is a solid option is every way and I am not disappointed to have ordered a tin of it. I can see myself wrapping up in this sweet and original scent on a regular basis.
You can shop for this solid cologne and other Stag Supply Co. products via these links:
