I bought a kilo of the Extra Extra Purissima back in April or so and I've never regretted it - excellent lather every time.
Excellent lather every time. That's true. There are only a few soaps which are on par with the lather of the Cella.
I used the cream from the red tub but people say that the brick version is better. Is it ? Can anyone confirm it ? I feel its the same.
I will never run out of Cella in my den. It's one of my favorite soaps, a truly classic. I purchased a kilo brick, PIF'ed some 500g and will keep the rest. Regarding your question, I've heard some people mentioning a (slight) difference between the tub and the brick. I would say they are the same thing, though, simply by logical reasoning, that is, Cella is the only shaving soap on their product portfolio (besides having a proven formula), therefore there is absolutely no reason for them to make changes in the formula for the tub format.
The almond scent was a new scent for me. It took some getting used to, but the cream is an excellent shave cream.
It was new to me as well, 30 odd years of wet shaving and I'd never come across it before being introduced to the Italian soft soaps; but now it's really become a favourite. I'm not a great one for the perfume and so a lot of the scenting in some of these soaps and creams nowadays can be a wee bit much for me, but the almond has a nice sort of neutral quality that I don't mind at all, and it doesn't seem to linger too long after the lather rinses away either. Along with the Cella I could heartily recommend the Vitos green, RR P.160, Valobra Crema di Sapone Purissima and the 'new' RR Classic that IB was selling cheap on ebay this past summer. They're all outstanding lathers in their own right, and all have the bitter almond scent too. I've stayed away from some of the higher priced options like the Boellis Panama 1924 and the Antica Barbieria Colla Bitter Almond because the more reasonable ones are just so good. Uniquely though, the Cella seems to have a bit of cocktail cherry sweetness to it, in addition to the almond, that the others I've tried lack.
If you'd like Cella-performance (or better) and have a more 'mature' Almond scent (meaning minus the sweet candy scent that Cella sometimes reminds me of) - I can wholeheartedly recommend the Italian 3P soap.
I can't wait to try Cella. My girlfriend got it for me along with many other products for my birthday 14th January. I'm not allowed to use any of the stuff hahaha but I really look forward to it.
I have the Razorock Classic and people say they smell just the same. So I'm familiar with the scent and I like it a lot =) but I a burning sensation from the RR Soap =(
Both the Valobra and the 'new' RR Classic are veggie based (coconut & palm oil and coconut oil, respectively) and bitter-almond scented, just like the 3P, so I don't think I'll be adding it to the shelf just yet, but maybe down the road. The Cella alone is the only almond scented Italian soft soap I've come across with the cocktail cherry thing going on in conjunction with the almond scent, though implying that it's somehow less 'mature' is a wee bit patronizing maybe. Like you I really enjoy the bitter-almond scent in those other Italian soft soaps I mentioned, but I wouldn't say that it's any more or less mature or sophisticated or erudite than the Cella. The Cella is just a little sweeter, that's all. But some of us are sweet enough already, aye?
I think I'm the only one who doesn't think Cella is so great. I never get a thick or cushioning lather from it. Love the smell! I get great lather from my other soaps and creams; been wet shaving since Oct 2011, so I'm not a newbie.
You're not alone, it certainly isn't "all that". It smells lovely but I always feel like it's just about irritating me, so I go easy on it. There are much better cushioning soaps and creams on the market, although it does do well with some glycerine.
Hey man, that's OK! It's certainly not for everyone. That's why there are hundreds of soaps on the market. I would hate to have only cella every day.
I was part of a thread that discussed this a few years ago. One of the guys ended up firing an email off to Cella. The rep at Cella confirmed that there is a difference between the formulations. The red tub is their cream version and the brick is their soap. So, they end up being similar and have the same scent, but are not identical products.
I am a big fan of Cella. The smell is one of my favourites and the lather is fantastic. The only soaps I have that produce a better lather are MDC and Tabac but the difference is very very slim. One other thing I like about Cella is that it isn't too expensive.
