RANT OF THE DAY: Cider Lane vs Caramel Apple

So back during testing, this candle had everyone a little shook..for different reasons.

Newbies either assumed it was a repackage of Cider Lane or something smiliar.

However we ol schoolers knew exactly what it might be - the grand return of Slatkin's Caramel Apple, which came BEFORE Cider Lane

So Caramel Apple came out either 2009 or 2010 and was a pretty popular fall staple for awhile. It made its last appearance back in 2013; during June SAS, CA was part of a fall-ish themed throwback collection along with Apple Crumble, Kitchen Spice, Salty Caramel, Creamy Nutmeg, Homemade Cookies, Ice Cream Shop and Mint Chocolate. After that, it disappeared..although it did come back in 2015 as a repackage with a twist as Home ~ Sweet Caramel Comfort 


Then in 2012, Cider Lane makes its debut. At the time, people really didn't know what to make of it. First of all, everyone was used to Caramel Apple being the
go-to caramel appley scent. Also the cold throw left a lot to be desired and put people off a bit, including myself. It came back the following year and seemed to pick up some popularity momentum. Then, as popular scents tend to do at BBW, it disappeared. It came back albeit watered down and renamed in 2015 as Warm Caramel Cider . It finally returned back to its former glory in 2017 and there was much rejoicing throughout the land. It seems to be a fall staple as it used to be and gained cult status amongst both newbies and ol schoolers alike.

So you may be wondering what it is the difference between Caramel Apple and Cider Lane. Honestly, the answer lies in the names...

Caramel Apple smells like..well..as caramel apple. You got a blend of both apple and pear spiced with nutmeg. The caramel note wasn't as gloopy/ooey-gooey as well as nauseatingly sweet; it smelled like brown sugar based caramel tempered with cream that was poured on something and left to harden. There was also an unexplained salty/savory nutty note that gave you the image of a fresh caramel apple rolled around in chopped peanuts.

Cider Lane, on the other hand, smelled like cider...or as I like to say.."it's like drinking cider while walking down the lane". It smelled less like fresh apple and more like apple juice. You got hot mulled cider heavy on the cinnamon. And the caramel note definitely came off as drippy and syrupy, like sauce you'd drizzle on a drink or dessert. And, I still dunno how BBW did/does it, by there is an outside/outdoors "lane" aspect to the blend; like walking around a cool brisk autmn afternoon with one of Starbuck's Caramel Apple Spice  drinks.

And now how does this new Caramel Apple candle add up?

Well it's definitely NOT Cider Lane.

But is it the same Caramel Apple from the Slatkin days?

 Ehhhh, not really. I has the same basenote as the old Caramel Apple but that's where the similarities end. It's missing that nuttiness and there is little to no pear. Honestly, it alost smells like they mixed the basenotes of Caramel Apple with de-"laned" Warm Caramel Cider. It's really a shame that BBW went this route because the old Caramel Apple was amazing and a whole crop of newbies who missed out would've gotten to experience it.

The morale of the story is don't reinvent the wheel when the wheel was already fine and working.

Comments

  1. How does the new Wicked Apple compare to the Slatkin Caramel Apple?

    ReplyDelete

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