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I absolutely love garlic. I put it on and in almost everything I cook, from soft scrambled eggs to silky hummus to stir-fried vegetables served over, yep, garlic rice. But even as the ingredient’s No. 1 fan, I’m not crazy about my entire apartment smelling like garlic for days on end.
That’s why I was so excited when I learned that Brightland, makers of editor-loved pantry staples, just launched a candle that’s perfect for neutralizing kitchen smells. Its new Digestif Kitchen Candle is made from the brand’s high-quality olive oil and designed to burn specifically during or after cooking. Like its namesake, the Digestif candle is an after-meal aid, cutting through overpowering odors and restoring a sense of cleanliness to my kitchen (even when I still need to wash the dishes).
In addition to Brightland’s olive oil, Digestif features notes of neroli, orange blossom, black pepper, and vetiver. It gives off a relaxing, warm, and herbaceous scent with hints of bright citrus and grassy olive. What’s more, the 8-ounce candle is vegan, paraben-free, phthalate-free, and has a burn time of 40 hours.
Digestif marks the first time Brightland has ventured outside of the food category and is produced with the help of sustainable candlemaker Flores Lane. The fellow Californian brand is known for its hand-poured candles inspired by specific locations, like Joshua Tree National Park and New York City’s Astoria. For Digestif, the unique fragrance draws from Brightland founder and CEO Aishwarya Iyer’s past and present.
“Vetiver is a plant native to South India, and so Digestif’s vetiver and black pepper notes immediately take me to my grandparents’ home in South India,” she said. “The orange blossom and neroli notes remind me of California’s gorgeous natural bounty, so I feel like a part of my heritage, history, and personal story is poured into each candle.”
Because I wanted to put Digestif to the test, I purposefully made aromatic dishes this weekend: sweet potato and coconut milk curry on Friday, bacon and eggs for Saturday brunch, and a Sunday dinner of oven-roasted chicken with lots of garlic. I waited until I sat down to eat to light the candle and found it diffused a calming, clean scent throughout my kitchen and living room within 30 minutes. It’s not odor-absorbing, but it does an excellent job of masking even the strongest cooking smells.
And just like other Brightland products, the candle’s packaging is minimal and sleek enough to leave on your kitchen counter. With Mother’s Day coming up, I’m ordering a couple for the special women in my life. Get your own Digestif Kitchen Candle for $42 at brightland.co now.
