Why Our Beard Grease Has Coffee In It

The story of Wendy's and my personal journey together is woven throughout the history and culture of The Beardsmith. From the name, to the ingredients in our products, to some of the products themselves (I'll tell the story of the Whiskey Beard Sticks another time).

Both Wendy and I are total coffee whores. We start drinking it in the morning, and go all through the day, right up until bed time. Oddly, no, it doesn't keep us awake at night. 

There are a lot of ingredients that can go into Beard products. Some add to the conditioning qualities, some add to the scent, and some can even be there because they reflect part of the maker's story. The Beardsmith's Original Blend Beard Grease has coffee in it for at least two of those reasons. Not only does it add some great depth to the scent profile, but coffee is a big part of our personal story together.

Coffee rules. Coffee and I have a long history together. There were the good old days of ripping open an MRE's coffee, sugar, and creamer packets, dumping all of them in my mouth at once, and washing it down with a slug of warm canteen water to stay awake while driving a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle at 3:00am in total darkness. Then came the path worn in the carpet between my desk and the coffee pot when I started working as a software engineer. Eventually, I became a coffee snob (I'm actually not in the least bit pretentious about anything...but when it comes to coffee...). I used to work a couple blocks away from Flying M Coffeehouse, and I was there at least once a day, sometimes up to three times a day. Now I no longer even own a standard coffee pot. All the coffee I make comes from a French press. Which leads us to how Wendy and I met.

Before Wendy had even thought about going to barber school, her and I worked together in the corporate world. She was an administrative assistant in the office where I was a software engineer. To hear her side of the story, she'll tell you that she liked me because I was a dark, mysterious stranger with smoky eyes and a voice like rich molasses (or something like that). The truth is, she just liked my Jeep. She's been an old-school Jeeper for years, and when I pulled up in my topless, doorless JKU, she was hooked. We would pass in the hallway, smile and say hi, and that was about it. And then it happened. One day we were both in the break room, each quietly psyching ourselves up to choke down the standard corporate coffee-service coffee. It doesn't matter how bad it is, if it's the only coffee available, even the most high-strung coffee snob will bow down to the C8H10N4O2 gods. I was lamenting the misfortune of our predicament and mentioned the fact that I should bring in my French press. She lit up and said, "I was thinking the same thing! I have a French press at home." Tractor beam. Sucked me right in. We struck a deal: she'd bring in the press, and I'd bring the beans.

That day we started a friendship that would eventually evolve into a crazy mad romance, new chapters in each of our lives, and ultimately The Beardsmith. Coffee has always been a  huge part of our life together, whether it's sitting on a sofa at Flying M, lost in the depths of conversation about life and each other, or recounting our day together on the back deck with a strong cup. When I was first formulating our Beard Grease, I wanted to come up with a scent that was unique. I had something that was close to what I wanted, but it was missing something. After opening up a bag of freshly-roasted coffee beans, it hit me. I knew coffee would add the perfect depth and undertone to the scent I was looking for. It was the perfect thing to do for so many reasons. It was putting a part of us and our story into our business. Of course, if I'm going to put coffee in anything, it's going to be coffee from Flying M. For over 20 years they've mastered the craft of roasting beans and pulling perfect shots  (not to mention that it's also the coolest place in the universe to get coffee).

While we're really pleased with how the Original Blend Beard Grease turned out (and so are a lot of our clients and customers), even if it had no effect on the outcome, we would still include coffee in it. Above all, it respects and pays homage to the beginnings of the life Wendy and I have together. In fact, one could say if it weren't for coffee, The Beardsmith would never have been. Although even without the coffee, I'm pretty sure she would have found some excuse to strike up a conversation with me. She totally wanted a ride in that Jeep. Hmmm...I think there's another Beard Grease blend in there somewhere...

Receive 20% off any size Original Blend Beard Grease by using code COFFEERULES at checkout online or say the phrase, "Coffee Rules" in the shop.