Scentzilla!

Jimmy Belasco was the brain behind Er’go Candles, a line featuring a lovely range of fragrance choices. Er’go appears to have been discontinued in favor of his newest line, the eponymous Jimmy Belasco Soy Candles.

Both lines feature simple glass containers and uncolored wax. “I don’t want to decorate someone’s home,” Belasco says. “That’s why I’ve never added color. I don’t want to match someone’s sofa or their drapes. I really want to be what is fragrancing the home.” (via CNN article.)

Food grade soy wax is used in his hand poured candles. Reportedly, he once decided to prove this fact by eating chicken fried in the wax, and served it to his friends and family as well. Yikes. I have no reason to doubt that happened, but the idea of candle eating sends a small shiver down my spine. A couple of months ago I watched a documentary about the siege layed upon Londonderry by James II. The siege lasted 105 days, and amongst other brutalities of war suffered by the townfolk, a blockade induced starvation was so severe that they took to eating their candles. So basically, the eating of candle wax really doesn’t spell out quality to me, but rather keen desperation. And probably for you too, now that I’ve mentioned it.

Absinthe is reputedly his most popular item, and I can see why. I need say right up front that it does not at all smell of absinthe: there is not even a smidge of anise to be found. (I was hoping for one.) However, once I got over my disappointment, I found I enjoyed the delicate aroma the candle spreads through the air. Absinthe features a blend of lime peel, patchouli, amber, lavender and sandalwood, and the initial impression I always get of it is that somehow he’d managed to take half the aroma of linden blossoms and fuse it to half the aroma of bubbly lime water to make a whole. As it burns on for a several more minutes the more tenacious notes of patchouli and wood begin to appear and fill out the more tender notes.

This is one of those candles that do not fill a room until they are lit, and they do indeed burn VERY cleanly and well. After roughly 30/45 minutes I put the lid on the glass and let the flame extinguish, since that’s all it takes to really fill my living room, the hallway and the kitchen usually. The throw of scent from this candle is wonderful. Yet this fragrance is not something I’d call strong - it never overwhelms. I’d feel very comfortable giving Absinthe as a gift even for someone whose taste I might not understand too well. I’m sure it must be a bit of a crowd pleaser.

There’s a list of online retailers (but no brick and mortar yet, and I hope that list will be added soon) on the official site. I can personally vouch for Nooks and Niches. I ordered a few different candles for them, and thought the shipping charge was very reasonable considering how heavy a bunch of candles in glass jars can get. As a bonus they threw in a lovely little drawstring pouch filled with a few samples of products from some of the other lines they carry, which was a nice surprise. I should also mention that it appears they have a nice clearance discount on Er’go candles, too.