Sonoma Chocolate Candle

Click here to read my post about the Chocolats du Cali Bressan shop. 

As I explained before, I ended up with a chocolate candle from Jean-Michel Carre's chocolate shop in Santa Barbara. This candle, however, is from a different brand. But I seem to have fallen greatly from my "professional" chocolate reviewing days: I can't find the tag that came on the candle. Whatever could I have done with it? The problem, I suspect, is simply that there have been so many Christmas candies floating around, with their packaging and labels, that I haven't kept it all organized enough. It's ridiculous, really, that I can't find the tag. 

Rather than waiting until it turns up, I will continue, anyway. I suspect that the company behind this candle is Wine Country Chocolates, based out of Sonoma, California--but I can't be sure without that tag. As you can see, the candle comes in plain, clear glass in a rectangular shape with rounded corners. The lid is dark wood that simply lifts on and off; Cali Bressan has added one of their stickers to the side, which I find rather handy as a hinge. This way you can take the lid off to use the candle without actually needing to set it aside: it just hangs there, ready to place on top again once the candle is off. 

Since they added their sticker, I'm unsure whether or not the bow is original. I tend to think that it is since the brown with pink polka dots isn't entirely consistent with the sleeker, black and red look of Cali Bressan. Either way, the candle looks inviting and pretty. The wax is a a golden brown color and smells fragrant like sweet and rich chocolate confections.  

When I first lit the candle, I was disappointed. I wanted to instantly smell waves of chocolate, like with the Chocolate Truffle candle from Root (you can read that post here). Instead, I got almost nothing; putting my face right next to the candle, I only received a barely imperceptible chocolate-inspired scent. I dismissed it as an overly-sophisticated candle that leaned too far away from cloying chocolate scents. 

But then I let the flame continue to burn. With time, my room did smell faintly like chocolate syrup. Now when I turn the candle on again, it seems to have scent much more quickly than it did that first time. It's still not quite so absorbing as the Root candle was, but I think that does make it a little more sophisticated. (Don't get me wrong, I still remember that candle very fondly, this is just a different style.) If you want chocolate in the air, but not clouds of it, this candle will do nicely. And it is a more pure-burning type of candle; before I misplaced the tag, I did notice that it was soy-based or some such thing. Let's just say it's different from the candles at Wal-Mart. But why, might I ask, is my lovely chocolate candle nearly gone now?