I still remember the firs time I used coffee in my soap.
As naive (and ignorant) as a newbie can be, I was completely unprepared for the stink that was about to assault my nose as I poured my lye into my freshly brewed coffee. The fragrant coffee aroma quickly turned into what I'd like to describe as the smell of deep-fried shrimps. Not that I know what deep-fried shrimps (with shells!) smell like, but interestingly enough, some of my fellow soap friends all come up with the same description. Deep fried shrimps. With shells.
I stop adding coffee into my soaps after that horrible first attempt, but I never stop dreaming of soaps with natural coffee aroma (without using any fragrance oil). With this recent attempt, I think I've got it!
I call these my Triple Shots - the oils are infused with fresh coffee grinds for 4 months, the water is replaced with super concentrated frozen coffee, and before the soap is pored into the mold, more coffee grinds!
The end result is this chocolate-like soap with a mild coffee scent - not the popular coffee fragrance, but the subtle smell of coffee grinds. I love it! Now I only hope that the scent stays and that I don't get brown suds with all these fine coffee grinds in the soap. ;)
