The Candleberry Co. - Scented Wax (Power Pods) Melts Review

The Candleberry Co. - Scented Wax (Power Pods) Melts Review

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I had always wanted to try Candleberry's scented wax melts (they call them "Power Pods", and can be found at https://candleberry.com/shop-by-size/power-pods.html), but they're $4.99 a piece on their website, which I think is too expensive. However, they had a sale about two weeks ago, and most of their wax melts were reduced to $2 a piece. So I bought all the ones that were on sale.

I've been told that Candleberry wax melts used to be hard paraffin, but they switched to a softer soy blend which is soft, greasy and messy. I've also heard that the newer soy blend wax doesn't throw as well, which is typical for a lot of soy wax. I've never tried their older paraffin wax to compare to, but the soft soy blend I got was not good at all. In fact, just about all of these were duds in terms of throw, as well as scent quality. I would not buy these again at any price (except for maybe the 2 that I actually did like).

On July 8 I called The Candleberry Co. to return the wax melts and get a refund. The girl I talked to was very pleasant and said it was not necessary to return them, that she would refund me for the entire order! Five minutes later I got the refund email. Major kudos to The Candleberry Co. for exceptional customer service!

Fire
Plain cinnamon with a fake note, like Big Red chewing gum. Very weak on cold sniff, but actually fairly strong when melted, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5. I'm not a fan of straight cinnamon scents, and this one has that fake note as well, so I didn't care for this scent.

Red Stag Spiced
Very similar to Fire, but more of a cinnamon candy note, and again, not very strong on cold sniff. This may be an older scent, as the wax is harder than the others. Melted, this smells more like red hot cinnamon candy. It seems like the "Fire" scent should smell like this one instead. I'm not a fan of straight cinnamon scents, so I don't care for this. But throw is excellent, around a 3.5 or 4 out of 5.

Jim Beam Honey
Ooh I love this one! It smells like sweet buttery rich caramel apples but with a note of something else, probably the Jim Beam. Throw was only fair, 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

Jim Beam Apple
A nice fresh apple scent with a sweet almost candy note, but that might be the Jim Beam in the background. I think I smelled something when it started melting, but within 10 minutes it was gone, with zero throw. I could barely smell it from 2 feet away while melting.

Tennessee Whiskey
Similar to Jim Beam Bourbon, kind of a vanilla light cinnamon scent, but not very strong on cold sniff so hard to tell. When melted, there was something nauseating about the scent. It didn't smell bad, but it was too rich or, I don't know, I just had to remove it from the warmer. My roommate said it smells like sweet puke. I don't think it smelled nearly that bad, but it's not something I'll melt again. Throw was good, around a 3 out of 5.

Jim Beam Bourbon
I can't figure out what this smells like. It's sweet, maybe vanilla or brown sugar, and almost a smidgeon of a "dirt" note but not in a bad way. I guess it's supposed to smell like bourbon. Not strong on cold sniff. Melted, it had that slight nauseating quality that Tennessee Whiskey has, but not as bad. There's more of a vanilla or brown sugar note. These really don't smell like bourbon at all. Throw was very good, around a 3 or 3.5 out of 5.

Cranberry Crumb Cake
A very light, sweet cranberry scent with a fake note. Weak on cold sniff. Melted, it's a fake cranberry, like cranberry scented bubblegum, but not in a good way. I smelled it for about 10 minutes and then most of the scent dissipated and the throw was maybe 2 out of 5.

Honey Buttered Rolls
This one is nice, and I can really smell the rich butter in it, with a slight bread note. This one is a scent monster, 5 out of 5 throw, and it's taking over the entire house. It's very rich, almost too rich, and it just smells like butter being melted in a pan. This one would probably be a good scent to mix with another scent to give it a richer, buttery note. But alone, it's just too nauseatingly buttery.

Apple Brown Betty
A typical apple cinnamon scent with a slightly fake note. Melted, it was mostly a fake-ish apple scent with a hint of cinnamon. Throw was fair to good, maybe a 2.5 or 3 out of 5.

Red Stag Black Cherry
Ooh I like this one. I smell the black cherry, but it's not really fruity. I can smell that other note in the background, probably the whiskey, that makes it smell really rich. It doesn't smell like whiskey though; in fact, none of these melts smell like liquor. Melted, this one is cherry with an earthy quality, like a smidgeon of a "dirt" note, but in a good way, and maybe also a smidgeon of vanilla. Very nice scent, and throw is very good, around a 3.5 out of 5.

Jim Beam Maple
This smells like yummy maple syrup with a buttery note and that hint of something else, the Jim Beam I guess. Like many of the other scents, this one fizzled within about a half hour, and throw was around a 2.5 out of 5.

Jim Beam Ghost
I barely smell anything on cold sniff, maybe a slight vanilla note with a rich slightly nutty or smoky note. What I can smell smells really good. Melted, it just smells like vanilla, and throw is not very good, maybe a 2 or 2.5 out of 5.

Red Stag Hardcore Cider
This one is really strong on cold sniff. It smells like fresh apples but it has a sweet caramel note in the background which is probably the whiskey. It's different from Jim Beam Apple, with more apple. Melted, this is really nice scent, and it doesn't have that nasty bourbon note in the background. It just smells like sweet apple with a slight caramel note, similar to a lot of other apple scents from other companies. And this one is a scent monster and takes over the entire house, a 5 out of 5 throw.

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