Tarrago Cognac Shoe Cream 049 – Warm Russet Tan Leather Cream

Description

Tarrago Cognac Shoe Cream 049 – Warm Russet Tan Leather Cream, the most strongly coloured of the warm browns I put on the bench, a red leaning russet tan with real pigment strength rather than washed out orange

Everybody has a ceiling on what they will spend on shoes, and everybody has one pair that went straight through it. The guilt attached to that purchase is what keeps it in its bag, worn four times a year, which is the worst thing you can do to leather. A pair that expensive wants wearing and it wants feeding, and cognac calf fades faster than any other colour.

This came out of the jar with the highest colour strength of the five browns on my bench, and with the hue pushed further towards red than any of them. That combination is what cognac actually is: not a light tan and not a mid brown, but a warm russet with obvious red sitting underneath the orange.

A little glass pot of russet toned cream, fifty millilitres of it, at £5.99.

Why choose the tarrago cognac shoe cream 049 50ml?

• Named the same in Spanish, French, Russian and Japanese. Conac, cognac and konyak all appear on the one label, and the Japanese line follows suit. A drink used as a colour reference translates without argument, which is why cognac is one of the few shade names that means the same thing everywhere.
• The strongest pigment of the warm browns. Measured against the other tan and brown shades on the bench this one carried the most colour. That matters on a sun faded toe cap, where a weaker cream simply feeds the leather and leaves the pale patch exactly where it was.
• Red under the orange, which is what cognac calf needs. Most tan creams are built on pure orange and leave a cognac shoe looking slightly ginger. The extra red here is what keeps the depth in, so the shoe reads as expensive leather rather than as an off the shelf tan.
• Rebuilds a colour that daylight steals. Cognac and tan fade faster than any dark shade, and a windowsill will do visible damage over one summer. Regular thin coats of a matched cream put the pigment back before the difference becomes permanent. Catch it early and the shade never has to be rebuilt from scratch.
• Wax that suits a dress shoe finish. Carnauba brings up the sort of shine a welted shoe should have, while beeswax keeps the vamp supple through the flex. On a pair worth real money that combination is worth more than any quick shine product. It is the finish a welted shoe deserves.
• Cheap insurance on an expensive pair. Under six pounds against what a good cognac shoe costs is not a decision that needs thinking about. Buy it once and forget about the colour for years. One jar, opened two or three times a year, keeps the colour honest for as long as the soles last.

How to use the tarrago cognac shoe cream 049 50ml

Cognac is unforgiving of heavy application because the red shows every overlap. Work panel by panel, keep the film even, and never let one area dry while you are still loading the next.

1. Clean the pair down and let any damp leave the leather.
2. Pick up a small quantity on a tight folded cloth.
3. Lay it on evenly across a single panel at a time.
4. Blend each panel into the next before anything begins drying.
5. Leave the shoes standing for a good five minutes.
6. Buff with a soft brush, then a cloth for shine.

My tip as a shoe specialist

If your expensive pair only comes out four times a year, do not save the cream for the day before you wear them. Feed them in the wardrobe instead. I put a thin coat on twice a year regardless of wear, because leather standing unused dries out just as surely as leather being walked in, and cognac shows that dryness first, as a chalky grey bloom across the toe. Ten minutes twice a year is nothing set against what the shoes cost, and it is the only reason my oldest tan pair still looks the way it did.

Specifications

Product details

• Shade: Warm red leaning russet tan
• Catalogue code: 049, standard range
• Pot: 50ml glass, metal top
• Measured tone: Highest strength measured
• Best on: Cognac and tan calf
• Label wording: Cognac across four scripts
• Base: Carnauba wax with beeswax
• Made by: Tarrago Brands
• Price: £5.99 per jar

Frequently asked questions

How is cognac different from an ordinary tan cream?

Tan creams sit on orange alone and nothing else. This one carries red underneath it, which is what stops a cognac shoe drifting towards ginger and keeps the depth people paid for in the first place.

My cognac shoes have faded on one side only. Can this even them up?

Yes, and that is exactly the job it does best of all. Work thin coats into the faded side alone, buffing between each one, until both sides read the same.

Is it safe to use on a shell cordovan shoe?

Cordovan really wants its own dedicated cream. Use this on calf and other smooth leathers, and treat cordovan with a product made specifically for it instead.

Where can I buy the tarrago cognac shoe cream 049 50ml in the UK?

You can order this from Shoespecialist.co.uk. Anything with the order in before the weekday cut off leaves the same day, a fifty pound basket carries its own postage, and returns hold good for a full sixty days.