Yankee Candle sells so many types of candles that it can be intimidating trying to decide which ones to choose. With choices between signature candles, votives, wick candles, tumblers and jars, which one should you pick?
When choosing between Yankee Candles tumbler and jar, you want to consider fragrance options, burn time, and the ingredients used to make the candles.
If you are looking for lots of fragrance options, you might want to choose Yankee’s original jar candle. But if it’s candle size you’re concerned with, then tumblers would likely be the better pick for you. Let’s dive into the details a bit more.
Yankee Candle Tumbler vs Jar Background
If you’re not already familiar with Yankee Candle, it is a company that was founded by Mike Kittredge in 1969 when he was just sixteen-years-old. He wanted to give a Christmas present to his mother but had no money, so he melted crayons in order to make her a candle. And that was the buddings of the company we have come to know as Yankee Candle.
Since then Yankee Candle has created over 600 scents and their original jar candles have always been at the heart of it all.
With the original jar candle there are two size options: small and large. Yankee’s small original jar candle weighs 3.7oz, is 3.4 inches tall and 2.4 inches wide with 20 to 30 hours of burn time. The large one weighs 22oz, is 7 inches tall and close to 4 inches wide with 110 to 150 burn hours.
Yankee’s tumblers are slightly different. Firstly there are three sizes: small, medium, and large. The small ones are 7oz, 3.5inches tall and 3.4 inches wide and burn from 35 to 55 hours; medium ones are 12.5 oz, 3.8 inches tall and 3.7 inches wide, and burn for 40 to 50 hours. Fragrance options for this size are few. Lastly, large tumbler candles are 22oz just like the original jar, 5.6 inches tall by 3.9 inches wide and will burn between 75 and 100 hours – which is far less than the original jar candle.
Fragrance Options
Fragrance options vary not only by candle type but also by candle size. Large original jar candles have 120 fragrance options while small jars only come in 35 fragrances. Large tumblers are offered in 55 fragrances, medium ones are in four, and small tumblers come in 12 fragrances.
Something to note is that small tumblers are only available in seasonal fragrances, like Christmas Eve, Mistletoe, Holiday Wreath, Singing Carols, and so forth. Mountain Lodge and Summer Daydream are the only two everyday fragrances available in this size.
On the other hand, large tumbler candles are available in both seasonal and everyday fragrances, as are the large and small original jars.
Read more: 36 Best Yankee Candle Scents
Tumbler vs Jar: Face to Face
Since medium-sized original jar candles are not an option, and the small ones have limited fragrance options, we will compare large tumblers with large original jar candles.
The most trending fragrance for both jar and tumbler at the moment is Balsam & Cedar. This is a woody fragrance with hints of fruit. Berry, citrus, and herbs are what you would first smell as the top notes while the most dominant scents are balsam pine, cedar, and sandalwood in the middle. Musk, vanilla, and amber round out the base notes.
I find this to be a really warm, memorable, and inviting fragrance that I burn all winter long, not just during the holiday season. Here are more comparison notes:
Yankee Candle Balsam & Cedar Fragrance Jar vs Tumbler Comparison
| Yankee Large Original Jar Candle | Yankee Large Tumbler Candle | |
| Weight | 22oz (623g) | 22oz (623g) |
| Dimensions | 7 x 3.85 inches | 5.6 x 3.9 inches |
| Number of wicks | 1 | 2 |
| Wick material | 100% natural | 100% natural |
| Wax type | premium-grade paraffin blend | natural soy blend |
| Scent makeup | premium quality scent ingredients | premium quality scent ingredients |
| Burn time | 110-150 hours | 75-100 hours |
| Pros | longer burn time perfect winter holiday scent not overpowering | soy-based wax blend scent fills an entire room |
| Cons | paraffin wax base scents not as strong as they used to be | shorter burn time |
When choosing candles, one of the main benefits of purchasing them is considering the amount of time they will last. Let’s face it, good candles don’t run cheap. So when buying one, you want it to last as long as it possibly can.
If I was solely looking at numbers in this comparison, the ones that stand out are 110-150 hours. This is the amount of time that Yankee’s large jar candles burn. That factor alone would motivate me to make that purchase.
But there are a couple more things that stood out to me from the chart above, the number of wicks and the type of wax used.
Tumbler vs Jar: Which Features Stand Out
Previously, I wrote about all the factors involved in determining your candle’s burn time.
All of those factors come into play with this comparison as well, so let’s further explore the number of wicks, wax type, and burn time for each of these candles.
Number of Wicks
In addition to burn time, the number of wicks used in a candle determines whether or not it burns evenly. This is important because if a candle does not burn evenly, it will tunnel. Tunneling occurs then the center of the candle burns down further and further while the sides do not melt at all.
When the burn is uneven like this the candle ends up not lasting long at all and then there’s wasted wax stuck on the edges. There are ways to fix it, but in order to avoid it altogether, some candles are made with more than one wick.
Usually it’s wider candles that have two or three wicks, but sometimes candle ingredients can create the need for more than one wick even if the candle isn’t that wide.
Yankee’s tumbler candles have two wicks and my guess is that they wanted to make sure the candle burns evenly, but according to Yankee, two wicks also produce more intense fragrancing.
The single-wicked jar candles have been reported to have less intense fragrance and only having one wick might partially explain this complaint.
Wax Type
Typically soy-based wax blends burn more slowly than paraffin-based wax blends. Soy wax requires more time to heat up because it is more dense than paraffin. This could be another reason why two wicks are used in the tumbler candles – to help heat the soy wax more quickly.
But wax type does not explain why candles of the exact same weight have such a huge gap in their predicted burn times.
Additionally, paraffin wax (which is used for the original jar candles) has been said to be less eco-friendly than soy. Although Yankee uses a premium blend of paraffin wax, it’s base still originates from a nonrenewable crude oil that under some conditions can be unhealthy and is definitely less sustainable than soy-based waxes.
Read more: Paraffin vs. Soy vs. Beeswax: Which Wax is Best for Scented Candles
Burn Time
Even though soy wax usually burns more slowly than paraffin wax, the fact that there are two wicks in the tumblers can contribute to their shorter burn time.
Other factors include the kind of wick used as well as which fragrances have been added to the wax. Even the slightest change in the wax, wick, fragrance combination can affect burn time.
Tumbler vs Jar: Which One Should You Pick?
There are definitely some advantages and disadvantages to picking either one, and like always, it really boils down to what you prefer.
Are paraffin candles the last type of wax you will ever burn in your home? Then you might want to choose Yankee’s tumbler candles. On the other hand, if you are looking for candles with super long burn time, you may have to settle for the large original jar candle, which is made with a premium paraffin wax blend.
Only looking for seasonal fragrances? Then small tumblers might be your jam. Otherwise, you would have to consider original jar candles or large tumblers to open up your fragrance options.
Use an Original Jar Yankee Candle if:
- You want more fragrance options
- You want longer burning time on a large candle
- You are comfortable burning paraffin wax blends
Use a Yankee Candle Tumbler if:
- You would like more size options
- You prefer soy-based wax blends
- You are not too picky about fragrance options
Yankee Candle Company has become a favorite international candle brand offering high quality candles at a pretty modest price. If you are still struggling to make a choice, you could always choose a small version of each to determine whether you prefer their original jar candles or their tumblers.