Presenting the Maître Tseng x Trudon collaboration, a collection of three scented candles that celebrate the world of tea and its thousands of years of history.
Maître Tseng, or Yu Hui Tseng, is a master of tea. From a long line of tea makers, she is also a descendant of the first disciple of Confucius. Maître Tseng is one of only ten Gongfu tea masters recognised across the globe – the only one operating outside of China, and the only female tea master in the world.
Maître Tseng is the founder of La Maison des Trois Thés (The House of Three Teas) in Paris, a sanctuary for connoisseurs and professionals alike. It is home to over 1000 varieties of tea, 500 at a time maturing in the world’s largest tea cellar.
The founding idea behind the Maître Tseng × Trudon collection came from imagining the flow of water from the sky, enriched by elements of the earth. Reflecting this idea, this range of scented candles is expressed in three stages representing the journey of water… essentially, what happens before it ends up in the teapot!
Each candle’s vessel in this collection has been adorned with golden calligraphy in the shape of the Trudon royal seal, and an embossed gold interior that is illuminated by the flame once lit.
TERRE À TERRE – EARTH TO EARTH
The third stage in water’s journey, when it has reached the forest floor and begins to seep underground. Terre à Terre (Earth to Earth), created by Mylène Alran, is mossy, almost peaty. It is at one with the soil: it is dressed in woody notes reminiscent of the freshness of vetiver, cashmere wood and patchouli, as well as notes of undergrowth suggested by an accord between moss and mushroom. With deep and revealing notes of moss, Terre à Terre is inspired by a rich and fertile land that can feed all living beings.
NOTES
Top: Violet Leaf Accord, Grapefruit accord, Elemi, Grapefruit
Middle: Undergrowth Accord, Indian Cypriol, Indonesian Patchouli
Base: Ambergris, Moss Accord, Haitian Vetiver
BURN TIME
The 270g candles burn for approximately 55-60 hours. Please follow the instructions enclosed with your candle to get the most out of it.
HOW IT SMELLS
Opening with green violet leaf and tart grapefruit, warmed slightly by elemi, the real star of this scent is the undergrowth accord, which is enrichened by earthy patchouli. The base of moss and vetiver adds more dirty greenness to the scent, which is rounded out by mineral ambergris.
LORE LOVES
This is truly one of the most unique candle fragrances we have ever smelt! It smells exactly like going on a walk through the forest, damp earth and fallen leaves beneath your feet, beams of sunlight peeking through thick foliage overhead, lighting up your path. You can hear the bubbling of a brook somewhere nearby, and stop to drink the perfectly pure water before you continue your journey.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Founded in 1643, Cire Trudon is the oldest wax manufacturer in the world.
In 1640s Paris, Claude Trudon, a convenience store owner, began to make tapered candles with a new methodology he had developed, utilising a special blend of beeswax and vegetable wax. His high-quality candles rapidly gained popularity, as they didn’t warp, smoke or splutter, and therefore didn’t cause fires!
In 1702, Trudon opened a factory so that their highly sought-after candles could be manufactured on a larger scale. Before long, their secret wax formula (still used today!) attracted the attention of the Crown. The house of Trudon became the candle provider to the Royal Court of Louis XIV, as well as many of the great churches of France. Louis XIV was so impressed with the candles that he issued his seal of approval with the official family crest. This crest can now be seen affixed to every Trudon product, with the addition of the motto “Deo regique laborant”, which means: “they (the bees) work for God and the King”, a nod to the creature that made their successful formula possible!
By the mid 17th century, Trudon had become the largest wax manufacturer in France. As candle makers for the Royal Court, Trudon were commissioned to make candles for many French icons – from Louis XIV to Marie Antoinette to Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon actually commissioned Trudon to make a candle for the birth of his son – rumoured to be the only gift he ever gave him – a black candle decorated with his likeness in gold.
Fast forward to 2007 when the house took the name Cire Trudon and became the leading specialist in manufacturing perfumed candles. All their candles are still hand-made, using traditional production methods akin to those Claude Trudon would have used in the 1600s. In their Normandy factory, each candle is hand-poured into hand-blown vessels from Tuscany. Today, Cire Trudon has extended their savoir-fare to a line of genderless perfumes as well as a variety of options to luxuriously scent your space.
