Barrister and Mann's Diamond
Some of you may not know that I played baseball in college. Those years in college were the culmination of 16 years of hard work and passion. After college, I spent a few years away from the game. I needed the mental break. Diamond captures the essence of the baseball diamond so well and brings me right back… in a good way!
Diamond is the perfect soap for a baseball fan, or someone just looking for a light “green” scent.
The ad copy from Barrister and Mann states: “We blend notes of freshly cut grass, stadium soil, beer, leather, pine, cedar, popcorn, and caramel to conjure the unforgettable experience of attending a big league game during every shave.”
Scent
Off of the tub, the freshly cut grass and leather are prominent. The leather has a slightly sour tang to it, lightly reminiscent of Barrister and Mann’s “First Snow,” which smelled like a wet winter boot closet (in all the right ways to this native Chicagoan). Notes of pine/cedar are lightly present, but the dirt, beer, popcorn, and caramel aren’t really detectable to my nose.
While Lathering, the scent is largely the same, with varying notes coming to the fore. This is where I started to detect some of the subtle sweetness in the caramel and beer, but I wasn’t able to detect either of them individually until I had finished shaving. The scent base is lightly sweet, but I wouldn’t quite identify it as a gourmand.
My overall impression of Diamond isn’t really relevant to baseball. Will has created a light scent that has “green” and “earthy” notes that is pleasant and complex. This is an equally unisex scent and is light enough for my friends that work in medicine or “scent sensitive” areas. I don’t have a lot of light scents that are complex and unique, but I imagine that “Behold the Whatsis” is a similar experience in this regard.
Performance
Barrister and Mann’s soap base needs no explanation or introduction. I believe this is the Omnibus base and it performs excellently. I vastly prefer it to the newer base, which I personally believe is too soft… though it does provide a great shave.
Conclusion
Real baseball stadia don’t smell like this. This is the smell of a baseball stadium before any fans are let in. This is the smell of unmarred baseball perfection, the way that I dream of a field smelling. When I’m done with this tub, assuming Will brings it back into production, I will absolutely buy a new one.
I’ve started playing baseball again in San Antonio and I couldn’t be happier to be out on the diamond again. If you haven’t considered it, find your local sandlot baseball organization. You don’t have to be good to play with the sandlot teams (I coach, because it wouldn’t be fun for anyone else if I pitched), and everyone is just out there to have fun.
