D.S. & DURGAs ‘Breakfast Highlands’ Is Your Passport to Scotlands Past
It wasn’t love at first scent, but now I can’t stop burning it.
Notes: Oats, Honey, Hay
DS & DURGA’s previous line of ‘Breakfast’ inspired candles; ‘BREAKFAST LEIPZIG’ was one of those candles you smell and quickly put back down. “Not for me”, I told the staff at the Williamsburg location with a smile.
But as fate had it, I ended up purchasing BREAKFAST LEIPZIG and began to fall in love with its complexity when it burned. It wasn’t quite my normal scent profile — it had an almost sweetness to it that I usually stayed away from, with my preference for musky and woodsy scents. We were an odd pairing, but a pairing at that.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago when D.S. & DURGA released their latest scent — a sister to BREAKFAST LEIPZIG called BREAKFAST HIGHLANDS.
This candle promised to be a sweeter younger sibling to its predecessor with oats, honey, and hay, stepping in for tobacco, leather, fireplace, and other more traditionally woodsy notes. To be frank, I think its just perfect, without being too sweet. The honey is just sweet enough that this still gives off an air of complexity that does’t bucket it with other ‘sweet’ scented candles that venture into the world of kitsch.
In their words
“Old preserved castles and manor houses with epic tables of polished silverware. Plates full of oatcakes, eggs, smoked things, fishes, potato scones, toast. Pots of jams, handmade marmalades of slivered peels from oranges, lime, and grapefruit. Drink piping pots of hot tea while overlooking the craggy peaks of the Cairngorms, the rolling heather hills of Spey, of the sea lochs. Here is that meal to fill your nose and mind.”
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I don’t always seek out candles with complex note structures. In fact, I tend to scoff when I see brands like D.S. & DURGA that display notes by top, heart. and base. In all fairness — if there ever was a candle brand that deserved three tiers of notes its D.S. & DURGA.
Sometimes I like to compare D.S. & DURGA to a mad scientist. Their candles feel like such an intense blend of notes that remarkably capture entire environments using scent. BREAKFAST HIGHLANDS is no different in how it transports you to a quaint Scottish cafe the moment its lit.
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You’ll be hard-pressed to find a soy-wax based candle brand with nearly as strong of a throw as D.S. & DURGA. It’s really exceptional how it travels throughout the entire house without losing any of its quality or notes.
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D.S. & DURGA candles don’t have an exceptional burn-time, but the thick amber glass helps insulate the flame resulting in a very even burn without any tunneling in the wax.
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D.S. & DURGA candles are simple but very well-designed. The amber glass is thick and can be given a second life as a succulent pot or even a drinking glass.
The label illustrations are beautifully made and tell the stories behind each candle design well. The BREAKFAST HIGHLANDS illustration echos the BREAKFAST LEIPZIG illustration with special markings to denote its differences, including a teapot, honey, oats, toast, and a citrus.
It’s worth noting, each candle from D.S. & DURGA comes with a specially curated playlist. You can listen to the BREAKFAST HIGHLANDS playlist here.
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D.S. & DURGA takes sustainability seriously. Their boxes are foam free, and made with recyclable paper. The wax formulas are 100% vegan.
You can view their sustainability measures by clicking here and scrolling down to How do you source your materials?
BREAKFAST HIGHLANDS Playlist
One of the coolest things to come about in recent years from candle brands trying to distinguish themselves from others is scent playlists — curated playlists made to pair with your candle.
If you’d be expecting a very Scottish playlist with this candle you’re absolutely not wrong. The playlist comes together to help complete the journey the candle starts. There’s a mixture of bright futuristic songs and more traditional Scottish jigs that
First impressions and unboxing
So there you have it. It’s a wonderfully complex candle that delivers on its promise to transport you to the Scottish Highlands and a bygone era. The scent, in addition to an exceptional throw, design, sustainability, and colorful additions like their BREAKFAST HIGHLANDS playlist make this a candle worth its cost.
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Brand: D.S & DURGA
Family: Woody
Size: 7 oz
Burn: 50-60 hrs
Price: $65 ($1.30/hr)
Blend: Soy Wax -
👃 Scent: ★★★★★
💪 Throw: ★★★★★
⏳ Burn time: ★★★★
👩🎨 Design: ★★★★★
📈 Value: ★★★★
♻️ Sustainability: ★★★★★
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Overall: 28/30 (93.3%)
