Tea House: Very Good Candle

Tea House. This is a complex sophisticated smell, for a candle. My proof is that I have a friend who knows all sorts of arcane particulars concerning perfumes and scents, and she made a face I couldn't translate when she smelled this.

And then she made that face for a long time. Then her eyebrows went up and I knew it was good. Everyone should have a friend like her. It's because of her I know I love the scent of oud, which I also know is not the same as loving the guys in Doctor Who who walk around holding one of their brains in their hands.

It — the candle — see, I remember what I was talking about — has the solid roasty tobacco-esque pinge of smell you love from black tea, with a bit of smokiness, then maybe there's some bergamot down the hall in a side room, and just the tiniest hint of jasmine that walked through a few hours ago. It's deep. It's dark. It's lovely. It's a smell I can see when I close my eyes.

Secret Lentil Very Good Candles are made from soy wax, with lead-free cotton wicks, phthalate-free fragrance oils, and no dyes. They are a satisfyingly big 8 ounce size (see the photo with my pasty hand for comparison) and come in a lidded aluminum tin. Expect a 55 to 60 hour burn time. They are hand-poured in small batches just for Secret Lentil in Syracuse, New York.

Very Good candles from Secret Lentil. "They're very good."