Woods & Smoke
Resin, cedar, and a cold hearth. The ones people buy in October and never stop buying.
A guide from the people who pour them
How to choose a candle you will actually finish
Everything below is what we tell people who come into the studio and ask. It applies to any candle, not only ours.
Start with the family, not the name
A scent name tells you almost nothing. "Autumn Evening" is a marketing decision. The family tells you how a candle behaves in a room, and there are really only three that matter.
Florals & Linen
Soft, clean, and grown up. Florals for people who think they dislike florals.
Citrus & Orchard
Bright, green, and a little tart. What a kitchen should smell like at ten in the morning.
Then pick a size for the room, not for the shelf
The most expensive candle mistake is buying big for a small room. Fragrance load is calculated against volume of air, so a 16 oz double-wick in a 6 by 8 bathroom does not smell twice as good, it smells like too much.
| Size | Suits | Burn time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel tin, 5 oz | Desks, bathrooms, travel, testing a scent | about 25 hours | $28 |
| Signature jar, 9 oz | Bedrooms, kitchens, average living rooms | about 55 hours | $48 |
| Atelier, 16 oz | Open plan, high ceilings, draughty rooms | about 90 hours | $78 |
Burn it properly and it lasts a third longer
Four rules, and the first one matters more than the other three put together.
The first burn sets the rest
Let the pool reach the edge of the vessel before you put it out, even if that takes two hours. Wax has a memory, and a first burn that stops short will tunnel for the life of the candle.
Trim the wick, every time
Wooden wicks want about 3 mm. Pinch the burnt lip off with your fingers before each burn. A long wick smokes, soots the glass, and burns through your candle a third faster.
Four hours is the limit
Past four hours the vessel gets hot enough to change how the fragrance reads. Put it out, let it cool, light it again after dinner.
Stop at 10 mm
When there is about a centimetre of wax left, retire the candle. Wash the vessel out with hot water and keep it. The stoneware is the point.
Common questions
How do I choose a candle scent I cannot smell first?
Start from the family rather than the name. Woods and smoke suit rooms you sit still in, florals and linen suit rooms you sleep or wash in, citrus and orchard suit rooms you work in. If you are still guessing, a set of travel tins costs less than one large candle and settles it in a week.
What size candle do I need for my room?
A 5 oz tin scents a small bathroom or a desk. A 9 oz jar handles an average bedroom or kitchen. A 16 oz double-wick is for open-plan rooms, high ceilings, or anywhere with a draught. Buying too large is the more common mistake: a strong candle in a small room reads as chemical rather than fragrant.
Why does my candle tunnel down the middle?
Almost always the first burn. Wax remembers the edge of its first melt pool, so if the first burn is cut short the candle will keep to that narrower channel and waste the outer wax. Give the first burn two to three hours, until the pool reaches the glass.
Is soy wax better than paraffin?
Soy burns cooler and slower, which means a longer burn time from the same volume, and it is a renewable crop rather than a petroleum by-product. Paraffin throws fragrance harder in the first ten minutes. We blend soy with coconut wax because coconut recovers most of that throw without the soot.
Why does a wooden wick need trimming before every burn?
The burnt lip left after a burn is wider than the wick under it, so it draws more fuel than it can burn cleanly. That is what makes a candle smoke and soot the glass. Pinch the black edge off with your fingers, down to about 3 mm, and it will burn clean.
How long should a candle burn in one sitting?
Between two and four hours. Under two and the pool may not reach the edge; over four and the vessel gets hot enough that the fragrance starts to read differently and the wick begins to mushroom.
Still guessing?
Three travel tins, one from each family. It costs less than one large candle and it answers the question properly.