322 has that earthy, dark, grassiness you expect of vetiver, plus a sweeter side with the blackcurrent. It's dark and fresh at the same time as it settles down to more of a TF Grey Vetiver vibe—nicely balanced (closer to Fine Fresh Vetiver). A softer, gentler expression than a really dark, smokey vetiver such as PAA's Vetiver Planet (no longer avail). These comments are based on the splash. The 322 soap is lovely and that grassy, sweet almost pine resin-like quality comes out and fills the room.
The luxury cream base of 322 soap is fabulous. I have had no problem creating a thick, rich well-hydrated lather—and it doesn't take long given how soft this is (more aptly, this is a croap). The soap is slick and post-shave is also terrific.
I noticed that the splash had instructions on it saying to use not just for post shave, but also pre-shave. I was curious about that since I'd never seen an instruction like that. I asked Chris at Catie's and he said, "The splash contains sorbitol. Sorbitol draws water to itself. By putting it on before the shave and lathering it over, it attracts the most important part of wetshaving, water.". Well, there you go. I've tried this and not totally sure I notice a huge difference, but it does bring more of that wonderful scent forward into the shave. And why not, I feel the splashes always last longer than the soaps anyway.
If you are interested in exploring vetiver and have had the training wheels on a while, 322 is a great next step!
