No warning, it just blew up.
By Marie Coyle
@MarieCoyle (50225)
July 18, 2022 1:20am CST
I love candles. I love coffee. So a friend bought this candle for me. Yes, once it was a candle, in the shape of a coffee mug, surrounded by coffee beans set in the candle wax on the outside. I've had coffee bean candles before, but not one like this.
After I finally made it home this evening, I settled down to relax a bit, and lit my candle. After a few minutes there was a big POOF! and the candle was destroyed. The coffee beans were on fire. Talk about a bad smell....and a hot mess!
Live and learn, I guess. If I am ever gifted another one, it will be just for looks, I guess.
15 people like this
16 responses
@oahuwriter (26773)
• United States
18 Jul 22
Wow, what a mess! Hope everything ok?
3 people like this
@oahuwriter (26773)
• United States
19 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle
Know what you mean, for I light a small candle in remembrance of my Mother, like her birthday etc. It's just a little round white candle, but, I keep a close eye on it. Glad everything ok and you're ok too.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
@oahuwriter
Thank you. I thought about it today, how lucky that it didn't blow the hot, smoldering coffee beans all over the room. It was a true, stinky hot mess!
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
I was in the same room. I only have a candle lit if I am in the room, I guess that's a good idea now! And yes it was a mess and it was smoking! I carried it out to the patio so I wouldn't have to smell it.
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
I definitely would have enjoyed ice cream a lot more than the smoky mess! LOL
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
I have never had a candle do that. I would think it must be defective somehow.
2 people like this
@jstory07 (146260)
• Roseburg, Oregon
18 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle I hope nothing got ruined when it did that.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
@jstory07
Nothing ruined but the candle itself. I had it on a heat proof candle plate, thank goodness.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (160565)
• United States
18 Jul 22
Oh, wow! If a coffee bean is too close to the wick or gets too warm, they can act as glowing coals and they will stay burning for a LONG time!
Yeah, those type of candles are decorative only. It should have had a warning label to that effect.
If you want the smell of coffee without making coffee, keep the grounds the next time you make coffee, allow them to dry thoroughly and sprinkle them in with your scented wax in a wax warmer. You'll get a fresh brewed coffee smell.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (160565)
• United States
18 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle No bet! I'm wondering if it was a soy based candle. They are softer and don't take as much heat to liquefy them.
2 people like this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
@DaddyEvil
I thought of that, too. They really are a lot softer.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
No warning label. It did say, trim the wick before lighting, but I do that anyway. I thought about how hot the candle would get, but since the coffee beans were on the outside of the candle and around the wax handle(decorative of course) I could light it...I thought about this after it blew up. It came from a ritzy boutique and I think it was handmade, so what do you bet whoever made it didn't go through the proper channels? Only thing I can think of. I was surprised!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (126003)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Jul 22
Whoa, that must have really startled you! Hopefully the mess wasn’t too bad to clean up. If anything, it looks like you now have an interesting art piece that is sure to be a conversation starter.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (126003)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle Well, at least you have photographic evidence of what happened! And the picture doesn’t smell! Haha
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
I had to bag it up and put it in the trash, it was just too stinky.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
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22 Jul 22
@moffittjc
My daughter came by, she loves candles too. She had one she got recently for her birthday from a friend, it has coffee beans on the outside, too! She isn't burning it, not after she saw mine. She cut the wick out of it and tossed it, said she didn't want to even leave it out in case someone decided to light it. We live and learn.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
I know, I am not sure how I could approach her to ask her where she bought it? I guess I could tell a white lie and say I would like to get one for a friend or something, but honestly they need a warning on that candle, like just for looks, or make it safer. I have had a few candles made with some coffee beans pressed in to the outside of the candle. They were fine. But like Daddy Evil said, this one was most likely made of softer soy wax and that didn't hold up.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
@sica98
I know, I could...she is a very elderly lady who was my aunt's best friend. I just hate to hurt her feelings in any way.
1 person likes this
@sica98 (2441)
• Malaysia
18 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle You could show the picture to your friend for starters and see how it goes from there.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
If it was just for display, it wasn't marked anywhere as such. Plus, it gave explicit directions to trim the wick. So yes, I did think it was for everyday use. And there was immediate flames after the big poof noise.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (198110)
• United States
18 Jul 22
Oh wow, well at least the beans didn't go all over the place!
1 person likes this
Oh my - how did that happen? That's a crazy way to roast coffee beans 
. I hope you were ok . . . and also wherever the candle was sitting on 
.@much2say (57336)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle You probably did everything right - something must've been wrong with the candle's contents or the way it was made. Thank goodness there were no injuries or a serious fire!!
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
Recently given to me by my aunt's best friend, and I lit it last night. It burned for a few minutes and then there was a big noise and it was on fire. It said I could burn it. Even gave directions on trimming the wick, which I always do anyway. I've had candles with coffee beans in them before, on the outside. And yes, I put my candles on a heat proof candle plate. I had to carry it outside, it smelled terrible.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (486127)
• Italy
19 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle 
I am sure we also had a very bad experience with a scented candle but I cannot remember what exactly happened.
I am sure we also had a very bad experience with a scented candle but I cannot remember what exactly happened.1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
@LadyDuck
When I purchase candles I usually try to buy Yankee or similar quality on sale.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99393)
• Atlanta, Georgia
19 Jul 22
@MarieCoyle Thank goodness nothing caught fire.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
@RubyHawk
I'm glad I wasn't right next to it, it was popping like popcorn!
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
It was memorable if nothing else. It still smelled like burnt coffee in here this morning, but the fans have finally removed most of it, thank goodness.
1 person likes this
@misunderstood_zombie (8140)
• United States
19 Jul 22
That is so scary. I'm you and your home are OK.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
19 Jul 22
Rhonda, me too. I'm just glad I put it right by where I was sitting so I was right there when it decided to explode!
1 person likes this
@solidcodes (1799)
• Philippines
18 Jul 22
What do you think the reason it blow up?
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
•
18 Jul 22
There were coffee beans not only on the outside, but IN the wax of the candle, that you couldn't see from the top. There must have been a cup of coffee beans in that candle. And they will catch fire. I just had no idea they were even in the candle, I thought it was just the decoration for the outside. I've had coffee candles with beans on them before, they never did this.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (50225)
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19 Jul 22
Coffee beans are a food product. But sometimes people use them to decorate with. In this case, I think they went a little too far with that idea.
@MarieCoyle (50225)
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18 Jul 22
I love to burn candles. They aren't just for looks to me. Plus of course I always keep some for power outages.
@MarieCoyle (50225)
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18 Jul 22
It certainly was. Made a loud, dull popping noise and just exploded. I've burned many candles in my life, but never have had one do that--and it was only lit for a few minutes before it destroyed itself!
1 person likes this
