The Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar candle smells like caramelized sugar caught at exactly the right moment, and our reviewer used to make that for a living. That bakery background is why her opinion on the Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar candle carries weight.
The baker’s verdict on Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar
Before we got into home fragrance I was a baker. At one point I worked at a gourmet catering company in the bakery department. One of the signature desserts was creme brulee cheesecake with brittle topping.
We would make caramelized sugar, let it harden on a sheet pan, and then break it into brittle for a dramatic display on top of the cheesecake.
After making 60 or so of those cheesecakes, I really got to know the smell of caramelized sugar. There is a point just before it burns when the fragrance gets really deep and the color turns golden.
Wait a few seconds too long and the whole thing turns black, smells bitter and burns. But catch it at its peak and it’s heaven! That is what the Jonathan Adler Sugar candle smells like to me. Perfectly caramelized sugar. Warm and comforting.
What to layer with Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar
I’m a sugar addict, so I could layer this candle with just about anything, like:
- Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry if you really have a sweet tooth.
- Lafco Penthouse (Champagne) and Red Flower Italian Blood Orange – like a sugar-rimmed mimosa.
- Voluspa Baltic Amber if you wear turtlenecks under your sweater.
- Tocca Bianca if you like sweet tea.
- Nest Grapefruit if you sprinkle sugar on top of your grapefruit.
- Monique Lhuillier Pink Peony if you still have pink in your bedroom.
- Voluspa Tuberosa di Notte and Voluspa French Bourbon Vanille for an even better Fleurs de Fete fragrance.
What would you layer Sugar with?
Burn quality 4/5. Fragrance intensity 4.5/5.
Why caramel notes feel so comforting
Caramelization is simply sugar heated until it browns and develops new flavors and aromas, and the Wikipedia page on caramelization explains the process. The key point from the review matches it: there is a narrow window between deep and golden and bitter and burnt.
A candle can hold that window open. A good caramel scent stays on the warm, toasty side and never reaches the acrid edge, which is what the reviewer praises in the Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar candle. If a sugar candle ever smells scorched to you, it has missed the mark.
Using the Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar candle at home
A fragrance intensity of 4.5/5 is high, so Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar is not a candle to light in a tiny room with the door shut. Give it space, such as a living room, kitchen or den, and expect it to fill the area fairly quickly. Start with an hour and see how your nose reacts.
Sweet scents are easier to overdo than fresh ones, which is one more reason to balance them. Of the pairings in the list, the lighter ones, such as the Champagne with blood orange or the Tocca Bianca with its green tea and lemon, give a tidy lift to the sugar. The heavy ones, such as amber, make a very cozy, dense room.
When you mix candles, light them at the same time so the wax pools warm up together, and keep the jars a few inches apart. With Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar in the mix, notice how the room changes over the first twenty minutes, then decide if you want a third candle or fewer.
Is Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar right for you?
The Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar candle is for people who love the smell of a kitchen mid-bake. It is warm, sweet and comforting, and the reviewer describes it as perfectly caramelized, not cloying. If you tend to find sugary candles sickly, trust your own nose and try a sample or small size first.
Thanks to its strength, it also makes a good everyday candle for cooler months, when a room feels better with something warm in it. Burn it for an hour or two in the evening and it can carry the room on its own.
Which pairing to try first
If you want a sweet, dessert-heavy room built around Jonathan Adler Pop Sugar, take the reviewer’s first suggestion and add the Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry. We have a post on Voluspa Santiago Huckleberry if you want to read more about that one before you buy.
If you would rather keep it floral, our review of Voluspa Tuberosa di Notte describes the same pairing the list ends with, and it is a quiet way to see how a sugar candle can bring out another fragrance.
Keep a note on your phone of the pairings you like, with the candle names and how long you burned them. It saves you from guessing next time.
Whichever you pick, tell us what you layered. The best combinations usually come from trying something a little unexpected.
