Holding a concrete cup for the first time, almost everyone does the same thing. They lift it and are slightly surprised that it weighs more than they guessed, and then their fingers rub the wall of the cup to see how real that roughness is. These two small reflexes say quite a lot about why we chose that material.
Concrete is the material of the city. It makes the pavement, the stair tread, the parapet of a bridge, and we pass it every day without looking at it. Putting the scent of the forest inside a block of concrete is a joining that we find very true to life now, when most of us live in the city and still keep remembering trees.
Weight and surface, two things that speak without words
A heavy cup changes the way you set it down. Your hand slows itself, and once it is on the table it stays there firmly, not shifting when you reach for the book beside it. We like that feeling, because it is like putting your hand on a block of stone by a stream: a steadiness that is real, not yet a promise.
The surface tells another story. Concrete, once poured and left to dry, gives a rough face with tiny grains, and each one differs a little from the next depending on the temperature and humidity of the day it was poured. Some are paler, some carry a few darker streaks. This is the true character of the material, and it makes every cup its own edition.
We keep the face of the cup plain, with no gloss coating, because that roughness is the best part of it. The longer it is used, the more the human hand smooths the surface where it is usually held, and the cup begins to carry the mark of your home.
How concrete works with a candle
Concrete conducts heat slowly and holds it a long time, so the inside of the cup warms unhurriedly and then keeps that warmth for a stretch after you blow the flame out. With soy wax blended by ZUNGZA, that means the wax surface heats more evenly and the scent rises along a soft line rather than shooting up and dropping away.
A thick wall also shelters the flame well, so it stands steadier in a room with a fan or a door left open. You should still trim the cotton wick to about five millimetres before each lighting, and on the first burn let the candle go until the wax melts evenly out to the wall of the cup, usually about two hours.
Because concrete holds heat, stand the cup on a heat-resistant surface or put a thin piece of wood underneath, especially on a painted tabletop. Once the wax is gone, the washed cup is a very fine place to keep a few pebbles brought home from a journey, or some small lengths of cinnamon for the kitchen corner.
A few questions you often send us
Is the concrete cup too heavy to carry around
It is heavier than the glass cup, so it is the range meant to stand in one place at home. For journeys, a small bottle of essential oil is more convenient.
Why does each concrete cup differ a little
Because the colour and the surface depend on the temperature and humidity of the day it was cast. That small difference is the true character of the material.
How do I reuse the concrete cup once the wax is gone
Soak it in warm water for about ten minutes to lift the last of the wax, wash it and let it dry. After that it is a small pot, a place for pebbles, or an ornament with real weight on a shelf.
Read more three cups that learn their forms from the mountains, four forest scents in a concrete cup, and the story of a length of cinnamon bark arriving at the workshop.