This is the first full sized Trapp candle I’ve reviewed; I did not have good experiences, by and large, with a number of their votives. I am happy to say that the major problem I had with the votive candles–lack of throw–was not a problem with the larger candle. I’m still not sure I buy the whole “a bottle of perfume in every bottle” schtick, but there’s no doubt that the candle had a very good throw in both larger and smaller spaces. However, I still can’t get really excited about the Trapp line (but I’m obviously in a minority here, as I know these candles are big sellers at Scents n’Sprays, etc.). The Trapp line is competing at a price point with most of the candles from Archipelago Botanicals, Voluspa and Votivo, and I think that the other three lines just crush Trapp when it comes to general aesthetics. Note I said aesthetics generally, and not packaging–even though I think the famous Trapp “birdhouse box” (for those who don’t know, Trapp candles come in a box with a roof, as seen here) is a little kitschy, well, when you display the candle you don’t keep it in its box. It’s the vessel itself that I have real problems with: it’s a little more short and squat that the glass jars that Archipelago and Voluspa use, and I prefer the taller shape. Furthermore, as you can see in the picture linked above, the vessel is clearly stamped with both the company name and scent name. I hate this, especially when the scent name is kinda dumb, like, well, “sexy cinnamon” (and here we have the reason why you will never see any A Scent of Scandal candles reviewed here–obviously that works for some people, but I am not one of them). I vastly, vastly prefer the Voluspa tins (which have the scent name on top–but the top never goes on display) and the glass jars from the other companies. Obviously, you, dear Reader, might disagree.
Say you do disagree and like the look of the candle–what of the scent and performance? As I said, the candle does have a very good throw and is a true representation of cinnamon. It’s not a particularly radical take on the note, but that’s not what one is looking for when one buys this candle. There’s a hint of “general spice” and vanilla to provide a little grounding and depth here. This is about as warm as a cinnamon scent can get while still remaining in the “classic cinnamon stick” area of the general cinnamon family (the next step over would be the “baking cinnamon” area). I’m sure that will have a major appeal for a lot of people, especially those who might find the Archipelago Botanicals Cinnamon Spice candle to still be a little too cool. Performance-wise, the candle is fine; I had some minor pitting issues, but those were due to the fact that I was burning the candle in my office and so there were times when I had to extinguish it before the ‘proper’ time.
I vastly prefer the look of comparable lines like Archipelago Botanicals Signature and Voluspa, but if you like the Trapp look, this candle is a good performer and a solid bet. Still, for me personally it gets…
2.5/5
