Tea lovers are in luck, because new tea scented candles keep arriving. Below is my quick rundown of ten of them, sorted into basic, fresh and dark styles, followed by some advice on choosing between them.
Tea scented candles seem to be as popular as ever with recent launches from Anthousa, K. Hall Designs and Tocca. I love tea, so this makes me happy. Here’s a quick low-down on the top tea candles.
Basic tea scents
Simpatico Tea by K. Hall Designs – This candle offers the most pure, black tea scent. This blend of camellia leaf and oils of bergamot, orange, and myrrh come together in a warm, relaxing scent that soothes the soul. This fragrance is slightly sweet – not better or sour at all. Very lovely and comforting. Added bonus? The reusable brown, hobnail vessel.
Jonathan Adler Earl Grey – This fragrance also comes across fairly simple with a blend of black tea leaves, citrus, yuzu, jasmine, earl grey, and sandalwood. This fragrance is more Earl Grey with it’s floral notes, than the Simpatico Tea candle. The sleek grey vessel is a perfect fit for this fragrance.
Anthousa Parisean White Tea – Now we’re starting to get more complex. Meyer lemon, wild lilies and white tea blended with heliotrope flower, fern leaves and pink tuberose, grounded with rosewater, ylang ylang and a sheer musk note. This fragrance is most similar to the Jonathan Adler Earl Grey scent with it’s slightly floral undertones. The citrus notes come on more strong than in the others.
Fresh tea scents
Vie Luxe Maldives – a blend of exotic ceylon tea, delicate heliotrope and lush palm leaves. You wouldn’t guess from the description, but this is actually the sweetest tea scent in the bunch – not from sugar, though, but rather from the ceylon tea. This is one of my favorite “background” fragrances – when you are looking for something to enjoy that isn’t in your face screaming. It’s a fun, playful, daytime or summer scent.
Aquiesse White Tea & Mint – a blend of white tea, night blooming jasmine and fresh spearmint. This mint adds such a vibrant touch to this fragrance making it very lively and invigorating. This is a great daytime scent when you need to wake up the house.
Aquiesse Mandarin Tea – a clean blend of fresh mandarine, ceylon tea, and exotic woods. This fragrances offers more warmth White Tea & Mint but it’s still fun and lively. Apparently I like celyon tea as this has the same tea accord as Vie Luxe Maldives. I like how the mandarin notes create a juicy feel.
Tocca Bianca – This is a summery fragrance with notes of green tea, lemon and sugar. Tocca Bianca is as refreshing and delicious as it sounds. At the same time, it’s well balanced – not overly energizing.
It’s a great, fun, daytime fragrance when you are looking for something lively but not zingy. I love the sugar note in this one – like the undissolved sugar granules you find at the bottom of a cup of ice tea. Pure and simple like the smile on an innocent child.
Dark tea scents
Modern Alchemy Boston Tea Party – This fragrance is so far from basic tea. It’s a blend of black tea, cedar and brackish seaweed absolute. It is complex and musky. I love the Modern Alchemy candles, I just wish some of them were more fragrant and this is one. Boston Tea Party is a great masculine take on tea and I love the Modern Alchemy vessels.
Altelier Cologne Oolang Infini – a blend of blue tea and bergamot with the warmth of smoke and leather. It definitely comes across smokey and leather. Of all the tea fragrances, this one comes across the most “cold”. Oolang Infini is a great masculine blend and I love the way Atelier Cologne candles burn – very easy and cleanly. I also love the simple rouge vessel.
Trump Black Tea and Cognac by Aquiesse – a seductive blend of fine liqueur and warm vanilla tea with a hint of sweet tobacco. This is the most rich tea fragrance in the bunch bringing sweetness from the vanilla tea and depth from notes of cognac.
I like how this candle draws sweet notes from vanilla rather than sugar for a more unique angle for tea scents. I love the elegant glass vessel and multi-purpose glass cover/base.
As I write this blog post I am surrounded by all of these candles burning and I have to say it absolutely heavenly! It’s tough to pull off a tea scent that isn’t too bitter, pungent or cold and all of these mastered this core scent with ease.
How to choose between tea scented candles
The three groups are a good map. Basic tea scents, such as Simpatico Tea and Jonathan Adler Earl Grey, stay close to the smell of a brewed cup, with citrus and a little floral.
Fresh tea scents add fruit, mint or flowers, so they feel lively and are good for daytime. Dark tea scents add smoke, leather, tobacco or liqueur, and they suit evenings.
Pick by mood first. If you want calm and comfort, start with the basic group of tea scented candles. If you want energy, go fresh. If you like cologne-like candles, go dark.
The prices and exact notes of tea scented candles change over time, so read the current product page before you order.
One more point on how to shop for tea scented candles: use the three groups as a filter, then read the notes of two or three candles inside the group before you decide.
What the notes tell you about tea scented candles
Look at what is paired with the tea. Bergamot is the citrus used in Earl Grey tea, so a candle with bergamot will usually read as classic black tea. That one clue helps with many tea scented candles.
White tea candles often add citrus and soft musk, while mint or mandarin makes a tea candle brighter. Smoke, leather or cognac pushes it into the dark group.
The Wikipedia article on tea explains how green, black and white teas differ, which is useful when you read labels.
In my experience the best tea scented candles do not smell bitter or stale. The ones that work best add a little sweetness, citrus or smoke to keep the tea from tasting flat.
When you are comparing tea scented candles, check whether tea is listed first. If it is buried under florals, the candle will smell more like a bouquet.
Burning tea scented candles safely and well
I wrote the original post with all of these candles burning around me, but that is a job for a large room and a careful host. Keep each flame at least a few inches from the others and from anything that can burn.
Tea scents are subtle, so give each candle a full melt pool on the first burn. Light-fragrance candles like the ones I called background scents are easier to enjoy when the room is calm and free of cooking smells.
If you want to compare two of the tea scented candles, burn them on different days. Your nose gets tired quickly, and mixing them blurs the differences.
Tea scented candles also make a gentle gift for people who do not like perfume-heavy candles, since many of them smell familiar and comforting.
Related candles worth a look
Several brands here have their own posts. Read more about Aquiesse and the Modern Alchemy Tincture of Winchester to see how those makers approach their fragrances.
All of these tea scented candles are history now in terms of release dates, so check the current availability on the brand sites before you set your heart on one.
Overall, tea scented candles are a nice way to try scent without committing to a heavy floral. Which of the ten would you try first?
