Even If You Hate Pumpkin, You Won't Be Able to Resist This Candle (It Sells Out Every Fall)

There are 23 pounds of coconut soy wax sitting in my basement. Every dresser, media console and shelf is littered with candles, both my own creations and that of more than a dozen different brands. And yet, when it comes to fall scents, there is one candle I rush to reorder—and hold higher than all others: the Snif x Half Baked Harvest collaboration, Half Baked Pumpkin Smash.

In a market dripping with candles that can easily skew potpourri-ish or cloyingly sweet, Half Baked Pumpkin Smash features layers of scents that capture the curl-up vibe of the season without causing a pumpkin spice-induced headache. You’ve got the essential cinnamon stick and pumpkin notes, sure, but the cozy factor is ramped up with the addition of roasted chocolate, the warming scents of cardamom and whiskey, and balanced with salted maple and a sweet-tart jolt of brûléed orange. Unsurprisingly, this delicious candle is the brainchild of a wildly popular blogger and recipe developer, Tieghan Gerard of Half Baked Harvest, and its 2022 launch was so successful it sparked a 25,000-person waitlist. Because I am that fragrance nerd, I had to know if it was coming back for 2024—and how the candle came to be.

To answer the first question, yes—Half Baked Pumpkin Smash is back, and it’s the same scent we know and love, only this year, it comes in a ribbed glass vessel (to take your #shelfies up a notch) and you can preorder a massive, 50-ounce version that boasts a 200-plus-hour burn time. (Compared to the 6- and 8.5-ounce varieties, which burn for roughly 35 and 50 hours, respectively.)

As for the second question? Well, this scent was nearly a year in the making. “We had countless iterations adjusting even the slightest notes to make it just right,” Gerard tells me via email. She’s known for her elevated takes on comfort food—and soul-warming cocktails—making people flock to her recipes as sweater weather starts to take hold.

“Fall has always been nostalgic and comforting for me, which is why people see it channeled into so much of my cooking,” she explains. “Growing up in Cleveland, we spent a lot of time outdoors apple picking, and I have fond memories of baking with my mom, surrounded by the rich colors and warmth of the season. I hope this candle captures that sense of home and brings those happy, familiar feelings to anyone who burns it.”

Even as a native Floridian, where a “pumpkin patch” is more of a roadside stand you sweat through while wearing shorts and flip flops, the scent is powerful enough to evoke feelings of curling up by a fire with an old fashioned and a slice of pumpkin pie. (Or a Spicy Bourbon Pumpkin Smash and a slice of Pumpkin Smash cake, two recipes Gerard created to promote the candle’s launch.) The pumpkin notes are more gourd-like than pumpkin dessert, and the smokey notes lend a sultry vibe.

At $34 for a 6-ounce candle, and up to $129 for the 50-ouncer, the scent can be a splurge, but given how well it fills a room, it’s worth it. Trust.