Pumpkins, Pumpkins & The Scents of Fall from Pure Integrity Candles

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By Christina, added 11/21/11 Company: Pure Integrity Candles Type: 8oz candles & clamshell melts Scents: Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Spice Pumpkin Herb Orange Pomander Spiced Rum Cider Strength: Strong

Introduction to my Pumpkin review from Pure Integrity Candles: I know, I know… we just posted a review on Pure Integrity not long ago but I couldn’t resist this one. I just received all their Pumpkin scents and figured with Thanksgiving around the corner, it was a perfect time to burn and review them. Before I begin, I need to tell you a story… A few years ago, I got on a huge “pumpkin” kick and inundated myself with every variation I could get my hands on. I mean come on, when fall hits, stores bombard you with everything and anything pumpkin. You’re almost required to buy a pumpkin scent!! My problem is, I don’t know how to do anything in moderation and I ended up buying it all 20 times over. Big mistake! By the end of winter, I swore that if I smelled even one more pumpkin scent, I would seriously be sick……… and I haven‘t tried one since. I wouldn’t even look at the words when online shopping. Well, three years later… here I am with 3 different pumpkin scents in front of me. One of them I‘ve already reviewed years ago… Pure Integrity’s classic Pumpkin Pie and I've got to say. It’s hands down THE best pumpkin pie candle on the planet. Nothing and I mean *nothing* compares to this scent. It smells identical to a freshly baked pumpkin pie - it’s simply mouthwatering. The other two (Pumpkin Spice & Pumpkin Herb) were new to me and the scents I’ll really be centering on in this review. PI also sent me some clamshell soy melts in the scents Orange Pomander and Spiced Rum Cider.

What do my Pure Integrity candles look like? I’ve always loved the look of these candles. Simple and elegant. The glass is frosted with flat wooden lids. No label adorns these candles except  for a label on the bottom so nothing detracts from the candle itself or the wonderful glow of the double wicks when lit.

Pumpkin Pie Scent description: “Oven baked, homemade pumpkin pie with a hint of cinnamon and spices. A masterfully combined warm, pleasing, absolutely delicious scent. One of our seasonal top sellers!” If you’ve been searching for that perfect pumpkin pie candle and you haven’t tried Pure Integrity‘s… you HAVE to try one… it’s really that perfect. I don’t know how to describe this scent other than buying a fresh pumpkin pie and taking a whiff… then smelling this candle. They are just about identical. You can smell every tiny facet from the crust, the pumpkin filling, the cinnamon, the nutmeg... it's divine. This candle is so strong, you only need one to fill your entire house with scent (depending on the size of course). My house is pretty big and one candle does the job. Another description that comes to mind… you Mall dwellers can probably relate to this… during the holidays, Williams-Sonoma bakes their pumpkin pie kits right in their store and I swear, you can smell the aroma 20 stores away and the scent just calls to you till you reach their store. It smells so incredibly good. This scent smells just like it. Pumpkin Pie is home… it’s warmth and comfort… it’s family, it’s memories and tradition… and it’s delicious!! This scent is as close as it’s gonna get.

Pumpkin Spice Scent description: “Oven baked, homemade pumpkin pie with just a hint of sweetness and packed with warm autumn spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and a touch of ginger and all spice.” Smelling the candle cold, I could definitely make out the sweetness and the spice notes. It smelled just as I imagine fall to be… that warm and spicy comfort scent associated with falling leaves and crisp air. I’ve been burning this candle for two days straight now and I like it but it doesn’t really smell like Pumpkin Pie to me. I’m thinking it might not even be fair to compare this scent with their classic Pumpkin Pie because they’re totally different. Their classic Pumpkin Pie is a mouth-watering and warm bakery scent… Pumpkin Spice really didn't seem like a bakery scent to me. I could smell the pumpkin but it reminded me more of pumpkin puree with spices, nothing oven baked. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say the throw was an 7. It gave a medium throw but not “in your face” overpowering. Given a choice between this and their original Pumpkin Pie, I’d pick their original, hands down. But, if you don’t like super strong bakery scents, you may prefer Pumpkin Spice overall. It’s not super bakery, it’s spicier and more subtle.

Pumpkin Herb Scent description from Pure Integrity’s website: “Even though this is a bakery Pumpkin scent, it is quite different from our ever famous Pumpkin Pie Candle. Our Pumpkin Pie herb candle is a rich warm, creamy pumpkin pie fragrance with herbal notes of thyme and subtle spices.” I’ve decided I’m not comparing this scent to their other two Pumpkin candles because I think this scent is unique all by itself. Even though the description says “Pumpkin Pie,” this did not smell like a bakery pumpkin scent at all - to me anyway. I started with this candle in my bedroom where normally all Pure Integrity candles rock in but every time I walked into the room to sniff the scent, it wasn’t strong enough for me. So, I ended up moving it into a large bathroom… I shut the door to saturate the room with scent and would come back every so often to smell the aroma. I’ve burned this candle for two days now and I have no idea how to describe this scent to you. It intrigued me and I swear I could smell some type of mint mixed in which had to be the “herb“ part. The room had a “crisp” feel to it every time I walked in… the kind of crispness that makes your skin tingle and you shiver for a second. I could smell pumpkin but it was really subtle. Again, I did not think this was a bakery type sent. It was fresh and herbally. Pumpkin Herb was a trippy scent… and very wintery. I thought it was pretty unique and I liked it.

Orange Pomander I honestly didn’t think I would like this scent. Reason? I don’t like anything with clove in it… it gives me a headache. Here is the scent description from Pure Integrity‘s website: “Our Orange Pomander is a wonderfully warm fragrance with a array of wonderful spices including clove, cinnamon and a hint of vanilla.” I was pleasantly surprised with this scent. Very pleasantly surprised. The scent description is pretty dead on with orange, clove and vanilla blended together perfectly. The clove did not dominate this scent at all, the orange did and I loved that! And best of all… no headache. This was a great fall/winter scent. I would buy this one again.

Spiced Rum Cider I tried this scent in Pure Integrity’s soy clamshell melts. Here is the scent description: “Hot apple cider with just enough caribbean spiced rum to warm your senses.” Cold sniff?… not sure what to make of it. Not really smellin much cider so I’m thinking it’s the spiced rum I‘m detecting. I melted the entire clamshell pack in two melters in my big great-room and it didn’t take long before the aroma drifted through the entire upper level of my home. Nice and strong!! I still don’t really smell apple cider. I actually thought it smelled like a spicy Celestial tea (heavy on the spice) On a scale of 1 to 10 strength wise, I’d give this an 8+. Very nice throw and a great fall/winter fragrance.  If you love herbal type scents… you would love this one.

How did my candles burn? Perfect. Clean burn, no wasted wax. I did keep my wicks trimmed the whole time for a nice even burn.

Closing to my Pure Integrity review: Well, I survived my “pumpkin” experience and am officially over my anti-pumpkin hiatus. It was fun revisiting an old Pure Integrity favorite and trying some new scents I had yet to experience. Of  the 5 I tried, their classic Pumpkin Pie wins the day - hands down - and that rang true with pretty much every member of my household. My entire family commented on it but my 9 year old actually asked me where the pumpkin pie was when I had it melting and said it was making him hungry. I have to agree with him, you will truly be amazed at how authentic this scent is. Pumpkin Herb was my next favorite followed by Orange Pomander and Spiced Rum Cider. Pumpkin Spice is last on my list but only because it had a tough act to follow. In closing, you can't go wrong with any candles you try from Pure Integrity. They produce solid and consistent products that stand the test of time. And if you ever have any questions about a scent or a choice selection, shoot them an email or give them a call. Customer service is amazing and they are happy to help. It’s one of the many reasons I love this company. Happy Thanksgiving Candlefinders and as always, Happy Candle Shopping! ~ Christina Visit Pure Integrity Candles