Coffee Shop Candles

By Marge Snow

Here's a quick project for all you coffee loving candlemakers out there. What we're going to make is a coffee scented candle in a coffee cup. If you're a beginner, don't worry, this is an easy project. Just be sure you know your candlemaking safety rules and follow them to the letter!

First thing you need to do is pick out your coffee cup. I like to use a transparent colored cup, but you use what suits you best. Make sure there aren't any chips or tiny cracks in the cup. These can lead to the cup breaking while pouring or even burning your candle. Now clean the cup thoroughly with soap and water and let it dry. While the cup is drying, let's get ready to work.

Preparing the Materials

Let's pick out our wick. For this project we need to use either a paper cored or wire cored wick. Cut your wick 2 inches longer than the depth of your cup and attach a wick clip. Tie a pencil or even a chopstick from your favorite Chinese restaurant to the other end of the wick. Place the clipped end of the wick on the bottom of the coffee cup and the chopstick over the top. The wick should be tight here, if there's any play, wrap more of the wick around the chopstick.

Brewing your "Coffee"

Now we're ready for the fun part! Get out your double boiler and start melting your paraffin wax. How much wax to use depends on the size of your coffee cup, but a good rule of thumb is to use 4oz of wax for each 1/4 pint of volume. Your wax will start melting at around 130 degrees. When it reaches 180 degrees, its time to add some color. You want to use a brown dye disk for that rich coffee look. How much to use will depend on how dark you want your coffee candle and the type of dye disk you use. A quick way to tell if your wax id the right color is to put a spoon full of the molten wax on a piece of wax paper. It should dry fast, and you'll be able to see if its dark enough.

Now that our wax is molten and the right color, lets add some coffee scent. Remember that your candle fragrance has a lower flash point than paraffin wax, so keep an eye on the temperature and don't let it get above 180 degrees. Add your scent according to the instructions on the label and stir it in good. If you want to get creative here, by all means do so. If you have a favorite coffee flavor, try and find a scent to match by mixing additional fragrances with the coffee scent. You might try Amaretto, Vanilla, or Cinnamon.

Now that your coffee is fully "brewed", its time to pour your candle. Carefully poor a small amount into the bottom of the cup. Try not to disturb the position of the wick clip. If it moves, take a chopstick and gently push it back into position. Continue pouring wax until you have filled to just below the rim. Tap the side of the coffee cup a couple times to loosen any air bubbles that might be in the wax and let cool. If during the cooling process you see a cavity forming around the wick, just pour a little more molten wax in to fill it. Your candle should be ready in a couple hours.

How about Cappuccino?

If you like your coffee with foamed milk on top, you can make a candle like that too. Do everything the same up to the pouring stage. You want to leave a half-inch to an inch from the top of the coffee cup. Let the wax cool until the surface appears rubbery. Now fill it up the rest of the way with white wax. You can add the coffee scent to this wax if you like, or choose another scent that will fade into coffee as the candle burns. When your candle has fully cooled you'll have a coffee candle with a rich white foam on top!