Bingo - the cream and soap are quite different - the soap's noticably firmer, in the vein of Valobra and other soft soaps, while the cream is definitely a cream - a similar consistency to TOBS, Pre de Provence, EJ etc etc. You can use a snurdle of the soap like you would a cream, but it's a right bugger to get to lather completely - you usually end up chasing a half-snurdle of it around the lather in your mug with the brush, trying to get it to lather properly.

Flyboy - I use Omega soap, which I've been told is simply Proraso soap under another brand - it makes excellent uberlathers with my Proraso cream, and is passable on its own. I can't comment personally on the Tabac cream, but I've heard good things about it on here as well, and plan to buy some in the near future.