Brandy Pear Tart

I was so excited to get my morning burn on with the new Brandy Pear Tart.  On cold sniff its a wonderfully pleasing and buttery fall scent with notes of pear, sugar and spices, particularly nutmeg. When I opened the jar last night I saw small rivers of oils running across the top of the wax so I felt this one was a for sure winner. 


I'm saddened to say that I think it's a dud.  I've had it burning for about an hour now and it's pooling beautifully but I can't get any scent out of it unless I'm right on top of it.  Once in a while I get a faint whiff of it but so far it's very, very light. I'm hoping that after a couple of burns it will develop more scent.  A lot of people on the Yankee Facebook page that I visit say that sometimes it take multiple burns for a candle to really get going and that they tend to get stronger as it's further along in the burning process, so I will reserve my final judgment on this one until I burn it for a while. 


I've been so disappointed in so many of these large jar throws.  Back in the 90's when I first started buying Yankees (really, the only type of candle I've ever seriously invested in) the candles used to have the best, strongest throw.  All of them.  Consistently.  Then the company got sold off to a larger company who decided to push the envelope and mass market them and start selling them everywhere and now, sadly, even in Walmart. The candles that they sell in places like Target, Kohl's, TJ Maxx, Homegoods and Walmart are generally lesser versions of the premium ones sold in the Yankee Candle stores. They have different labels, some are paper some are floral but generally they even look cheaper. I have noticed that there are less oils and very little marbling. Some even have a different type of wick. They are also at a lower price point which might appeal to some people, but cheaper doesn't always mean good. I've purchased several of these lesser line candles and in almost every one of them I've been disappointed in the throw.  I've stopped buying the off label Yankees and (I have a big confession here...) have started looking more to buying Village candles from these places instead. 


I have three Village candles so far and while I don't plan on abandoning Yankee for them I'm not such a Yankee snob that I avoid buying them at all.  If I come across a scent that I LOVE I will buy it.  The first one I bought was called Pure Linen and it was only based on my desire to "try" a Village candle because I had heard that they burn better and have much stronger throw than Yankee does now.  I liked the Pure Linen but that candle struggles with a drowning wick and at one point I had to pour some of the wax out.  I had decided not to buy any more Village but then Ocean Serenity came into my life.  I picked this one up off the shelf at Homegoods and fell in love with it's sweet, clean ocean scent that is unlike any candle that Yankee makes.  I brought it home, lit it and fell in love with it even more.  I would not hesitate buying another one in this scent if I ever came across it again.  I'd snap it up in a minute! My third Village is an autumn one called Indian Summer.  Its a nice fallish scent with some leather, some floral and some cologne.  It's very different and I liked it when I found it. 

The thing about Village candles is that they are considerably cheaper than the Yankees.  The large jars are $10 as opposed to $15 for a Yankee at the discount stores.  I'd really prefer to get a cheaper candle in a scent that I don't already have fifteen of already.  Yankee tends to recycle scents and they get old.  This is particularly true in their fall and Christmas lines.  I know these candles are more consistent than Yankee has been lately so once in a while I will pick one up if I love it.

I wanted to give an update on BPT.  After about two or three hours it developed a deep pool and really got going.  It wasn't overpoweringly strong but I could smell it.  It had a lovely light throw and I ultimately ended up enjoying it very much. It falls in the category of I enjoy it but I probably wouldn't  go out of my way to get a second one. I do buy second and third jars of scents that I love and don't want to be without but I will pass on this one.  The good news is that I find it to be very enjoyable and I don't regret buying it.  Hopefully others out there have had the same experience and are enjoying theirs too.