Thomas Street candles and reed diffusers
Thomas Street candles are hand-poured in England in 200g of soy wax with a pure cotton wick, and burn for around 40 hours. The reed diffusers are 100ml, hand blended, and last up to twelve weeks. Both are vegan and cruelty-free, and both come in glass worth keeping.
That is the whole specification, and it is worth stating plainly, because most candle listings will tell you about mood and ambience and never mention what the wax is or how long it lasts.
- What is actually in them
- Candle or reed diffuser?
- The fragrances, and where each one belongs
- Getting a full burn
- As a gift
- Frequently asked questions
What is actually in them
Soy wax rather than paraffin, which burns cooler and cleaner and is the reason the throw is gentler and lasts longer. A pure cotton wick, which is what gives an even burn without the mushrooming you get on cheaper wicks.
- Candles: 200g soy wax, cotton wick, around 40 hours, in a reusable brown glass jar with a black screw-top lid
- Reed diffusers: 100ml hand-blended oil, up to twelve weeks, in dark amber glass with black reeds, boxed in recyclable packaging
- Both: vegan and cruelty-free, designed and hand-poured in England by Thomas Street Candle Co.
The jars are the quiet bonus. Wash the last of the wax out with hot water and you have a decent little pot for seeds, screws, or pencils on a potting bench.
Candle or reed diffuser?
They do different jobs, and most homes want one of each rather than two of the same.
A candle gives you stronger fragrance for a set period, plus the light, which is half the point on a dark afternoon. It needs you to be in the room. A diffuser gives a steadier, lower-level scent all day with nothing asked of you, which is why it belongs in a hallway, a downstairs loo, or a kitchen where a naked flame is a nuisance.
The practical split: candle where you sit, diffuser where you pass through.
The fragrances, and where each one belongs
Most of this range is built on garden planting rather than dessert, which is why it suits a gardener's house. Fresher blends work in kitchens and hallways, warmer ones in living rooms and bedrooms.
- The Greenhouse, No.13. Tomato leaf, rhubarb, sage and rosemary. The most recognisably horticultural scent in the range, and the one that smells like August under glass. Kitchen or hallway.
- Herb Garden, No.03. Bergamot over geranium and sage, with patchouli underneath. Available as a diffuser. Good in a bathroom.
- Lime & Basil Leaf, No.24. Peppery basil, lime and mandarin. Sharp and clean, which makes it the kitchen candle.
- Cottage Garden, No.62. Lavender, honey and raspberry. Softer and rounder. Living room.
- Wild Meadow, No.61. Green rose, magnolia, honeysuckle and cornflower over white musk and mimosa. Light and floral without being sweet.
- Flower Market, No.11. Cut roses, white magnolia and honeysuckle. The most straightforwardly floral of the set.
- Berries, No.32. Cassis and geranium over rose and red berries, with green notes and moss beneath. Fruity but grounded.
- Relaxing Lavender, No.43. Citrus, lavender and blond woods. The bedroom one, and the one most people buy twice.
Most fragrances come as both a candle and a diffuser, so you can run the same scent through a room in two forms. The full range is in Thomas Street Candles & Diffusers.
Getting a full burn
One rule matters more than all the others, and almost nobody is told it.
On the first burn, leave it lit until the melted wax reaches the edge of the jar. In a 200g candle that takes two to three hours. Soy wax has a memory: if you blow it out while there is still a ring of solid wax around the rim, it will tunnel down the middle for the rest of its life and you will lose a third of the candle to the sides. Get the first melt pool right and the rest looks after itself.
After that:
- Trim the wick if it gets long or starts to smoke, which stops soot on the glass
- Burn on a heat-safe surface, away from draughts, which pull the flame sideways and burn the wax unevenly
- Do not leave it burning unattended, and stop when about a centimetre of wax is left
Reed diffusers are simpler, but placement decides everything. Somewhere with gentle air movement so the scent travels, and never next to a radiator or in direct sunlight, both of which evaporate the oil in weeks rather than months. Turn the reeds every week or two for a stronger throw, and stand it somewhere it cannot be knocked, because the oil marks wood.
As a gift
Fragrance is one of the few gifts that works without knowing anything about someone's size, taste in clothes or existing kit. It also suits the person who is difficult to buy for because they already own everything practical.
A candle and the matching diffuser in one fragrance makes an obvious pair. For a gardener specifically, The Greenhouse is the one that raises a smile, because it genuinely smells of tomato foliage. The diffusers arrive already boxed, so they need very little wrapping.
The wider ranges sit in Candles and Scented Diffusers.
Frequently asked questions
How long do Thomas Street candles burn for?
Around 40 hours. Each candle holds 200g of soy wax with a pure cotton wick, and 40 hours is the figure for normal use, meaning sessions of a few hours at a time rather than one continuous burn. You will get closer to that figure if the first burn is done properly and the wick is kept trimmed, and noticeably less if the candle tunnels or sits in a draught. Stop burning when about a centimetre of wax is left in the base.
Why does the first burn matter so much?
Soy wax remembers the shape of its first melt. If you put the candle out before the melted pool has spread to the edge of the glass, it will keep burning down that narrower channel every time afterwards, leaving a wall of unused wax around the sides. On a 200g candle, allow two to three hours on the first lighting so the surface liquefies right across. Do that once and the candle burns evenly for the rest of its life.
Are Thomas Street candles vegan and eco-friendly?
They are vegan and cruelty-free, made with soy wax rather than paraffin, and hand-poured in England, which keeps the transport distance short. The candle jars are reusable brown glass with a screw-top lid, and the diffusers come in recyclable gift boxes. Soy is a plant-derived wax and burns cooler and cleaner than petroleum-based paraffin. To reuse a jar, pour in hot water to lift the last of the wax, then wash it out.
How long does a reed diffuser last, and where should it go?
Up to twelve weeks from a 100ml bottle, though placement changes that considerably. Put it where air moves gently, such as a hallway or near a door, so the fragrance is carried through the room. Keep it away from radiators and out of direct sunlight, both of which evaporate the oil far faster and can empty a bottle in a matter of weeks. Turn the reeds every week or two to refresh the scent, and stand it somewhere stable, as the oil will mark wood if it spills.
Which fragrance should I choose for which room?
Fresher, sharper blends suit kitchens and hallways, where you want the air to feel clean: Lime & Basil Leaf and The Greenhouse both work well. Softer, rounder scents suit living rooms, so Cottage Garden, Wild Meadow and Berries sit comfortably there. For a bedroom, Relaxing Lavender is the obvious choice, since lavender over blond woods is calming rather than stimulating. Herb Garden works nicely in a bathroom. If you are buying blind, The Greenhouse is the one a gardener recognises instantly.
Written by David Hurrion
David Hurrion is a trained horticulturist, teacher and journalist who has worked on nurseries, taught at colleges, and edited some of the nation's leading gardening magazines. He chooses everything Norman & Vera stocks, and makes practical gardening videos for BBC Gardeners' World Magazine.