Back in August I ordered a bowl of original and a puck of the reformulated vegan Tabac. The new formula, top puck in photo, is much lighter than the original. Scent strength right off the puck is stronger on the new, but it lacks the "Aunt Elsie's purse" scent. The new scent is not as complex, lighter, with a tinge of something medicinal. I lathered up the "new" Tabac. The lather was very light, dry, and airy. I added a good amount of water to hydrate, but it never reached the creaminess of real Tabac. Scent level decreased dramatically when lathered. For me, the joy of Tabac is the scent. I sincerely hoped the new formulation would match, but it does not come close. As to performance, the new falls short as well. I have always found original Tabac feels dry by the end of a pass. The new accelerates the drying effect.
Light, airy lather doesn't need more water. It needs more soap. If you don't load enough at the start, then nothing you do after will help.
So far I have only used it that once, and I treated it like old Tabac. That was probably a mistake on my part as this is a new formulation. With one active puck, an original backup, it is going to be a long time before I get to this new formulation puck
No mistake. You had to treat it somehow. Makes sense to try what you know first. And now you know it's not the same and you'll have to adjust your attack.
Snagged a couple of tallow shave sticks from the forest site (Bozo's), and they are the tallow version. I got a pair of what I hope are tallow pucks from the auction site; the back of the box showed the tallow-based formula. But if anybody has an extra puck or two, I'll trade you for the vegetarian pucks, one or both.