Thank you to the Fall 2026 Candle Testers for testing four candles in your homes and submitting your feedback to help Antique Candle Co. determine the new Fall candle we should make every season. 951 surveys were submitted, and I spent the last several days reviewing the survey submissions to determine the new Fall candle. Thank you! (Psstt... are you interested in learning more about how to be a future candle tester? Read all the details here.)
The winning candle is Maple Pumpkin Waffles! (known as Pumpkin Pecan Waffle during the candle testing process). This candle will be made and in the shop at the end of September 2026!! Yay!
Why did the name change? Sadly, I actually think Pumpkin Pecan Waffle might be a more accurate name for this candle, but once I saw that it was going to be the winning candle, I looked up the name & noticed that another candle company has had a trademark on that name for a candle since 2015, and I can't legally name "Pumpkin Pecan Waffle" or any slight variation to that. I know, I know. But... I also noticed that "maple" was a top note that candle testers were smelling and picking up on. And the "pumpkin" seemed to be more of a note that was stronger than the nutty pecan. So, I chose to keep pumpkin over the pecan in the name. And, after reading all the notes from candle tester surveys, I felt Maple Pumpkin Waffles would still be a great, accurate name that reflects the cold and hot throw of the candle!
Best quote from a candle tester? Kacie R. said this about Pumpkin Pecan Waffle: "Slap my butt and tell me it’s fall!!! Give me a fall gourmand scent all day and Antique Candle nailed it. My husband even thought I became a different person and decided to bake! So so good"
Runner up for best quote from a candle tester? Anonymous said this about Porch Sittin': "My 40 year old son in law and 34 year old daughter picked this smell. It was pretty funny. The 12 year old granddaughter and I did it first before people got home. My granddaughter said Nana Mommy is going to pick Porch Sittin' because it smells like a man. I said OK THAT is exactly what happened. It was funny. They always have candles going at their house. This was fun for all of us to do. Lots of great conversations 😊😊😊👍"
Ok, let's talk real results...
1. Pumpkin Pecan Waffle:
This candle generally scored the highest on a quantitive scale, but really stood out when you read the actual reviews from testers. The feedback was overwhelming positive in hot throw, cold throw, and scent profile. While every nose is different and some testers did not feel this was a strong candle, this will always be the case a little bit no matter what is tested. Some of the reviews said "This one embodies fall and baking and breakfast and just smells so YUMMY. Just sweet enough, just spicy enough, just mapley enough." and Hannah E. said "Pumpkin Pecan Waffle is the epitome of Fall for me. It's got a rich, buttery and nutty aroma with a sweet pumpkin scent. It reminds me of another big brand's candle BUT this one is way better because it doesn't smell fake and is clean/nontoxic. 10/10 love this one!"
2. Apple & Cinnamon:
This candle was generally beloved by testers and a very close contender for the winning candle. At the end of the day, when comparing this candle with our full line up of Fall candles, I felt we had a good selection of apple-forward fragrances. Seeing that, along with the results of Pumpkin Pecan Waffle, I felt the Waffle candle would be a better option for a recurring seasonal candle over Apple & Cinnamon. A very difficult choice!
3. Porch Sittin':
This was the most mixed of the group and where testers were significantly divided in opinion. The comments about this candle validated the mixed responses. One tester said "This scent is strong and not autumn at all. It strongly smells like an older cologne from the 1990s. There is no fall in this horrible scent. I was hoping it would be like apple butter, or a pumpkin pie on a breeze while sitting on the veranda or porch. This is just awful..."
Another tester said "Porch Sittin’ was my favorite! The scent immediately brought back memories of fall days with my kids - pumpkin picking, enjoying the crisp autumn weather, and all the fun fall traditions we used to do together. It has such a warm, nostalgic feeling for me and captures everything I love about the fall season. More than just a great scent, it reminded me of some really special memories."
4. Autumn Berry Orchard:
This candle was generally positive, but not as overwhelmingly positive as the first two. The scent throw seemed to be adequate at first when analyzing the quantitative scale. Truly, I think any of the candles (other than Porch Sittin') did quite well in a testing round. I was really impressed. The scoring around hot throw showed adequacy, but when I started reading the comments, there seemed to be more of a mixed bag. An example of that feedback came from testers saying "Nice fall scent but not that strong a smell when burning". Kayla W. said "This was my second favorite before lighting. I was sad that I could barely smell it! I would buy based off of the initial cold throw, hoping that maybe a bigger candle would do the trick."
So after reading those, I became more hesitant to bring it to the regular candle line because I thought a good amount of folks would have trouble smelling the candle once it was lit in their home. At the end of the day, this is why it was a no for Antique Candle Co.
