I was heavily torn between the Temple and Crusade models, in the end I decided on the Temple as their shade of Sable would be a perfect addition to my collection. Additionally this was also the first trip I could wear my new-to-me Wested ToD which I recently bought from fellow Cow-member bearbeast.
I picked it up at Burlington Arcade which is a beautiful shopping mall from 1819 and it was definitely an appropriate place in my mind for getting a new Herbert Johnson with its glowing old world charme. Sadly I didn´t have the time to visit their other bigger store,
The staff was very welcoming and really made sure everything was perfect. I could also take a good look at all their Poets including the Dr Who model which would make a perfect Young Indiana Jones fedora if it had a shorter brim.
Anyway, I was most curious to see their current shade of Sable in person. I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I can only compare it to my other two hats within the classic Sable spectrum, the AdVintage Harrison and a 2008 Christie’s/HJ. To my eyes Herbert Johnson‘s current shade of Sable is the warmest of those three while still showing that slight amount of olive in it which comes out under certain lightning conditions. However, at the end of the day all three shades look accurate to me for different scenes in Temple of Doom.
from left to right: Christy´s Adventurer, Herbert Johnson Temple Poet and AdVintage Harrison in Sable
The workmanship is outstanding as usual and the rabbit felt is very smooth. Overall it has a substantial feel that gives you a certain kind of confidence in its quality.
I think I‘m probably repeating myself but I really love their Poet blockshape. In this case here, however, I am not that sure it’s the perfect screen accurate one for Temple of Doom, especially given the history of the screen used hat. But when I look at it in my hands, it looks just like the bridge hat I imagine in my head. With a bit more taper it will probably get closer but I am definitely not complaining as I personally prefer it the way it is now and couldn’t be happier with its more blocky and straighter crown. Compared to my other two Poets the Temple has the least amount of flange which really helps giving the brim that ToD character without being completely flat. Another nice touch is the folded middle piece of the bow.
Here are a couple more pictures of it later at the British Museum in broad daylight:
And back home together with my Destiny (Nutmeg) and Raiders (Deep Sable) Poets.
I'm glad to see you also had a great time visiting their store! It really is a magical experience to see all of the Poets lined up on display. I'd never seen a HJ in person before and was blown away by the quality of craftsmanship that was immediately apparent from looking at the display models they had there. I hope you enjoy many adventures in your new HJ! 
