The other day I had a long discussion with Tim Rogers, President of Hancock and Moore about the Capri leather series, (Grade 4) which is both his and mine favorite. It's velvety soft and a near-flawless hide that retains a brightness you don't really get with similar hides, even it's sister leather Quintessence doesn't[t have the same pop to it that Capri does.

Both Capri and Quintessence were originally from a tannery in Slovakia, but that tannery went out of business about four years ago. H&M didn't want to give up the hides, so they got busy and looked for a new tannery to make the product and found one in Germany willing to do it. This tannery specializes in small batch leathers, and prefers to supply the high-end designer bag market (Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Prada, etc), as the yields are higher per hide vs furniture due to the large square footage coverage of the latter. So, they are not exactly anxious to make the hides for H&M, because they have to sort through all their crusts and get the best and cleanest ones for furniture-making, which takes up lots of real estate. They never have it in stock, ready to go, an custom dye each batch. Then its put on a ship for a 6 week journey to the USA. That's why you often see long delays on this series leather, there is not that much of it, and it takes time to make it up and ship it. The leather itself is from German Bull/Steers and is nearly flawless. There is no barbed wire in Germany nor a significant bug biting issue so the cows don't get all beat up like they do in the USA and South America. The result is butter smooth leather with just enough natural markings to keep it interesting.

Yes, its expensive. Yes, its not for everyone. It can show hair oils (staining) and will fade much quicker in direct sunlight than you would want. But for those that really want to treat themselves and are willing to apply the Leather Solutions barrier product when new, this is still one of the most desirable leathers you will ever come across.