Tarrago Deep Brown Shoe Cream 116 – Darkest Brown 50ml Glass

Description

Tarrago Deep Brown Shoe Cream 116 – Darkest Brown 50ml Glass, measurably deeper than the 006 Dark Brown alongside it and carrying a faint red note underneath as well, which is exactly what heavy country grain leather wants

Wet weeks away are hard on boots. They get worn through four days of rain, wiped once, then packed straight into a case while still faintly damp and left shut in the dark for the flight home. What comes out at the other end is a boot with pale blooming across the grain and a toe that has lost its colour, and brushing alone will not bring that back.

Shade 116 is the darkest brown in the whole standard range. It measures deeper again than the 006 sitting beside it, and unlike that one it carries a faint red undertone rather than a neutral one, so it settles warm on heavy grain leather instead of going flat and grey the way a truly neutral black brown will.

Fifty millilitres of very deep brown cream in a glass pot with a metal lid, £5.99.

Why choose the tarrago deep brown shoe cream 116 50ml?

• The label says deep, not dark, and it means it. Marron profundo, deep brown, marron profond, marrone profondo and tief braun all use the word for depth rather than the word for darkness. That is a deliberate distinction from shade 006 next door, and the measurement backs it up on every reading.
• Measurably the darkest brown on the shelf. Sampled against the rest of the standard range this reads deeper than every other brown Tarrago offer, including the one actually named Dark Brown. If nothing else has ever quite reached the darkness of your boots, this is the jar that finally does.
• A faint red note underneath the darkness. Pure black browns look grey and lifeless on country leather. There is just enough red in this one to keep a heavy grain boot looking like leather rather than like painted rubber, without ever tipping over into an obvious burgundy or chestnut.
• Built for grain rather than smooth calf. Pebbled and country grain has thousands of tiny hollows that hold cream and refuse to give it up. A pigmented wax cream of this strength fills them evenly, where a thin liquid polish sinks in and leaves the raised parts looking bleached out.
• Puts fat back into leather that has been soaked. Rain pulls the natural oils out of a boot and packing it damp does the rest. The carnauba and beeswax base replaces some of what the water carried off, which is the part of the job that a brush and a spray simply cannot do.
• Sold in a small jar for a reason. Fifty millilitres looks modest next to a tin of paste, but cream goes an extremely long way when it is applied as thinly as it should be. This pot will see a pair of boots through several winters if you resist loading the cloth up.

How to use the tarrago deep brown shoe cream 116 50ml

Damp boots must be dry right through before anything goes on them, which usually takes a full day indoors away from any radiator. Cream applied over trapped moisture will bloom pale within a week.

1. Knock the dried mud off and brush the grain out thoroughly.
2. Let the boots stand somewhere airy for a whole day.
3. Load a cloth lightly and work it across the grain.
4. Pay close attention to the welt seam and the heel.
5. Give the pair ten minutes before touching them again.
6. Finish with a horsehair brush and then a soft cloth.

My tip as a shoe specialist

People buy this shade for boots and then never use it on anything else, which is a shame. It is the jar I reach for when a dark brown shoe has gone that flat, tired grey that nobody quite has a name for. Half the time the leather is not worn out at all, it is simply dry and starved, and a thin coat of a very deep cream plus a proper buff brings the depth straight back. Try it on one shoe first and stand them side by side. The difference is usually enough to convince anybody.

Specifications

Product details

• Colour: The darkest brown available
• Reference: Number 116, Deep Brown
• Volume: 50ml of cream per pot
• Depth: Deeper than shade 006
• Suits: Country grain and pebbled boots
• Five languages: All say profound or deep
• Base: Carnauba wax plus beeswax
• Brand owner: Tarrago
• Cost: £5.99 for each pot

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from shade 006 Dark Brown?

This one measures darker and has a faint red cast, while 006 is slightly lighter and virtually neutral. On smooth dress calf choose 006. On heavy grain boots, or a brown that always looked too dark to match, choose this.

Can I use it on nubuck or suede boots?

No. Cream will flatten a nap permanently and turn it shiny in patches. Napped leather needs a dedicated suede and nubuck product rather than any wax based cream at all.

Will it help after the boots have been soaked?

It will, provided they are bone dry first. The wax replaces some of the fats the water removed, but applying it over damp leather traps the moisture in.

Where can I buy the tarrago deep brown shoe cream 116 50ml in the UK?

Order it at Shoespecialist.co.uk. An order landing in the queue while the five oclock run is open goes out that day, spend past £50 and there is no carriage, and 60 days are on the clock.