This came as a suggestion from Brian Vinero. And it's fabulous! After it was cut and hanging out in the kitchen I had to stick my nose in its scent every time I walked by.
Cardamom is known as the Queen of Spices. It's been grown Asia for ages, but when the Vikings raided Constantinople, it made its way to Scandinavia and became quite popular for baking.
It's a stimulant and an aphrodisiac (gotta love that). Its scent is warm, spicy and very, very sexy. And the essential oil is very, very expensive.
To make this soap, I infused some olive oil pomace with cardamom and then created the googie-looking embed by tilting the mold. There's some oatmeal in it. And a half-assed swirl using coffee infused olive oil pomace.
The overpour was done with coffee infused olive oil pomace and twice-brewed coffee added to the lye with some trimmings from the embed, more oatmeal and coffee grounds.
Showering with this bar is like showering with a big, sexy Swede. It feels great in my hand, running it over my body, producing this creamy, fluffy long-lasting lather.
Afterwards, my entire apartment is filled with the cardamom scent and my skin feels soft, dewy and pampered. I feel energized and oh, so happy.
It's my favorite soap so far. As the Scandinavians say, "Uff-Dah!"
From the lips of Brian: "Ah, the scent of Scandinavia! The Scandinavians love their coffee, their oat bread and the scent of cardamom...and it is all here in Heather's latest lathering masterpiece. The coffee exfoliates, the oatmeal softens the skin and cardamom is an exotic tonic for all that ails thee..."
