Café Al Fresco Yankee Scented Candle Review

By Andrea Haskins

Type: Small jar

Fragrance: Café Al Fresco

Cost: $10.99

Scent Strength: Moderately Strong

First Impression of Café Al Fresco from Yankee Candle:

This was another candle from my small jar haul I recently ordered at Yankee Candle. This candle was small in size but still had the classic style of a Yankee Candle Jar – apothecary style, domed glass lid. The front of the candle had a small removable label – it showed a piping hot cup of coffee with a couple of cinnamon sticks next to the mug. The wax was a creamy brown color and there was a single, well-centered wick.

The cold sniff of my candle made me swoon. I instantly smelled caramel and I was in love! I barely got hints of coffee notes. Coffee scents can sometimes be so overpowering, so I was pleased this one was not. I quickly checked out the scent description, and here is what the website says:

The warm air of a bustling outdoor café kissed with sweet notes of cinnamon, coffee and a dash of caramel.
Fragrance Notes:

Top: Cinnamon Sprinkle, Coffee
Mid: Cappuccino, Frothy Milk
Base: Crystallized Sugar, Caramel Drizzle

What a glorious combo! I lit this small jar in my smallest bathroom (I know…a strange place for such a scent!). It wasn’t long before I was able to capture that sweet caramel scent again. This time it seemed more creamy and smooth. The coffee notes started to come out more, but they still weren’t harsh. Just really smooth and yes – frothy! Every now and then I could catch a whiff of the cinnamon, but that really wasn’t a prominent scent.

Christina’s thoughts on Café Al Fresco:

Hi candle lovers. I too purchased Café Al Fresco from Yankee and thought it would be fun to add my thoughts on this fragrance to Andrea’s review. I purchased a few of Yankee’s new scents only I bought all large jars since they’re always a better deal. 🙂

First impression… I agree with Andrea… the aroma from just smelling the wax reminded me of a very mild and subtle coffee, heavy on the cream with hints of caramel. I didn’t detect any cinnamon at all.

Burning: I lit this candle in my powder room where it stayed till the very end. Yankee candles are generally lightly scented for me and smaller rooms (the smaller the better) always work best and this candle was perfect in a small room for sure. – – The aroma… a sweet and creamy coffee with hints of caramel, just as it smelled when I first put my nose to the wax. I really enjoyed it and for those of you who love using a ton of flavored creamer in your coffee… that’s what this candle smelled like to me. Coffee loaded with caramel creamer. Very sweet and super delicious. I’ll purchase this fragrance again for sure.

How did my Café Al Fresco candle burn?

This candle burned flawlessly for me. It quickly obtained a full wax melt pool and burned evenly throughout. The wick was really thin, but I didn’t have as much trouble with this wick wandering as I did with my Passion Fruit Martini candle. I was able to burn this candle for about 25 hours in total. I never noticed any black sooting.

Closing to my review:

I really enjoyed burning this candle. I’m a staunch coffee lover and the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee is heavenly to me. I’ve found the scent doesn’t always translate well when in wax, though. Cafe Al Fresco was a pleasant surprise – it was sweet and creamy, with just the hint of coffee to keep it being too sweet. The scent throw was fairly strong for this little bitty candle – I’d give it a 6. That’s really very good for a candle this size. I’d love to try this one in a large jar!