Thymes recently refreshed its Wildwood line, and the Thymes Wildwood candles now come in warm new packaging with two new fragrances. If you like woodsy, cozy scents for fall, here is how the three main candles compare.
What is new in the Thymes Wildwood candles
Thymes recently refreshed their new Wildwood Collection with warm packaging and two new fragrances.
The collection still features its best selling fragrance from last year, Bitter Orange & Cedar. This fragrance captures the deep enchantment of the forest as it gently smolders with sweet herbs, rare spices and resinous sap.
If you remember the Royal Pomander fragrance from a few years back, you’ll find familiarity with this blend. Bitter Orange & Cedar is great for lovers of dark, earthy fragrances with hints of patchouli.
Our favorite new fragrance in this collection is Brandied Pumpkin & Chestnut. It is subtle and sumptuous with the warmth of brandied pumpkin, comforting spices, honeyed amber and ancient woods.
One of the base notes really calls out to me. Maybe sandalwood? Or vetiver? This candle reminds me of a good hot toddy, warm and comforting. It isn’t overly pumpkin so can be enjoyed from early September through April.
Blue Spruce & Elderberry rounds out this collection with its invigorating freshness of forest air. The herbs and spices in this blend give it a lovely warmth.
I love woodsy fragrances and the cold throw on this is fantastic. I’d love for it to translate more while burning. I’ll give it another try when I don’t have all the doors and windows open. Let me know what your experience has been.
I miss the Magnolia, Fig & Vetiver fragrance they had in the collection last year. Personally, that was my favorite in the bunch. Hopefully they’ll bring it back as an even better version of itself when they extend the line into spring/summer… hint, hint 😉
If Thymes does extend the collection into spring/summer, what fragrances would you love for them to include?
Cold throw and hot throw, in plain words
The review makes a point that trips up many shoppers of Thymes Wildwood candles and other woodsy scents. Cold throw is how a candle smells when it is not lit, while hot throw is how it smells once it is burning and the wax has melted. A candle can smell great in the jar and then stay quiet when lit, or the other way round.
That is exactly what the reviewer found with Blue Spruce & Elderberry among the Thymes Wildwood candles. The unlit scent was fantastic, but it did not carry as much while burning, at least with the doors and windows open. Drafts spread a scent thin, so the test may have been unfair, and the reviewer says as much.
If you want to give a woodsy candle a fair try, burn it in a room with the doors and windows closed for an hour or two. That gives the fragrance a chance to build, and you will have a better idea of how it performs in your own space.
Which of the Thymes Wildwood candles suits you?
The three Thymes Wildwood candles reviewed here have different personalities, and it helps to pick by mood. Bitter Orange & Cedar is the dark and earthy one, with sweet herbs, spices and a hint of patchouli. It is the pick for people who like deep, smoldering forest scents.
Brandied Pumpkin & Chestnut is the warm, comforting choice. Despite the name, the review says this one of the Thymes Wildwood candles is not overly pumpkin, which means you can enjoy it from early September all the way through April. Think of it as a hot toddy in candle form, with spices and amber.
Blue Spruce & Elderberry is the fresh one. The forest air and herbs make it a good fit if you want a woodsy candle that does not feel heavy. It is also the one to try if you like to catch a scent from across the room before you light it.
Making your Thymes Wildwood candles last
A few simple habits will help your Thymes Wildwood candles, and any other candle, burn well. Trim the wick to about a quarter inch before every burn, and let the wax melt across the whole surface the first time you light it. That helps prevent the candle from tunneling and gets the fragrance moving.
Keep the candle away from drafts and vents, which make the flame flicker and spread the scent unevenly. Burn it for a couple of hours at a time instead of a few minutes, and always put it out before you leave the room or go to bed.
If you collect more than one of the Thymes Wildwood candles, rotate them. Using a different candle each evening keeps your nose from getting used to a single scent, and it makes each one feel special when it comes back around.
More than the Thymes Wildwood candles
We have since written about the line’s spring and summer extension in Thymes Wildwood Collection, Spring and Summer, which answers the reviewer’s hint about a warm-weather version. If you like Thymes in general, the Thymes Temple Tree Jasmine Collection shows a floral side of the brand. The wider fall launches are also covered in What’s New in Luxury Home Fragrance, Summer 2012.
For general background on how candles and their wax are made, the Wikipedia article on candles is a useful read.
