![Tealight!](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Tealight%21.jpg)
A tealight (also tea-light, tea light, tea candle, or informally tea lite, t-lite or t-candle) is a
candle
A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time.
A person who makes candles i ...
in a thin metal or plastic
cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...
so that the candle can liquefy completely while lit. They are typically small, circular, usually wider than their height, and inexpensive. Tealights derive their name from their use in
teapot
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea ba ...
warmers, but are also used as food warmers in general, e.g.
fondue
Fondue (, , ) is a Swiss melted cheese dish served in a communal pot ( ''caquelon'' or fondue pot) over a portable stove () heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. It was promote ...
.
Tealights are a popular choice for
accent lighting Accent lighting focuses light on a particular area or object. It is often used to highlight art or other artifacts. Common types of accent lights include wall sconces, floodlights, recessed lights, torchère lamps, or track lighting. The brighter l ...
and for heating
scented oil. A benefit that they have over taper candles is that they do not drip.
Tealights may be set afloat on water for decorative effect. Because of their small size and low level of light, multiple tealights are often burned simultaneously. Longer-burning tealights may be called nightlights. They are also lit for religious purposes.
Varieties
![Heilig Kreuz Kerzenlabyrinth 15122012 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Heilig_Kreuz_Kerzenlabyrinth_15122012_02.JPG)
Tealights can come in many different shapes and sizes, small and large, as well as burn times and scents. However, tealights are commonly short and cylindrical, approximately in diameter by high, with white unscented
wax
Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to giv ...
.
A standard tealight has a power output of around 32 watts, depending on the wax used.
When used in batches of fifty or more, such as at a party, the two criteria most desired are "least amount of smoke" and being long-lasting.
Cup design
The
wick
Wick most often refers to:
* Capillary action ("wicking")
** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp
** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts
Wick or WICK may also refer to:
Places and placename ...
is tethered to a piece of metal to stop it from floating to the top of the molten wax and burning out before the wax does.
Tealights have been protected under several patented designs. In some cases, the standard tea light metal cup has been replaced with a clear plastic cup, sometimes made out of
polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
plastic. The clear cup allows more light to escape the holder. However, the metal cups are much more common.
Holders
![Heart-shaped tea-light candle holder, Himalayan salt](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Heart-shaped_tea-light_candle_holder%2C_Himalayan_salt.jpg)
When not placed on a tray, tealights are placed in a special holder, which may be pierced or have partly clear walls to allow light to pass through.
From small pockets of
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
,
metal
A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
,
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
, and other materials to larger, more elaborate tea light lamps, holders come in a wide range of styles, colours, and shapes. They have an appropriately sized cup to use a tealight candle, either scented or unscented.
Discount stores
A discount store or discounter offers a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down cos ...
, gift stores, and home decor stores often carry an array of holders for these small candles.
Electrical
Electric tealights have become increasingly popular as newer technology becomes available. They can feature
incandescent
Incandescence is the emission of electromagnetic radiation (including visible light) from a hot body as a result of its high temperature. The term derives from the Latin verb ''incandescere,'' to glow white. A common use of incandescence is ...
or
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
bulbs, the latter becoming the preferred format as LEDs become more-efficient and brighter. They can come in many different colours to set a mood, match a decor or augment the container's design. Some can also simulate a moving flame with various mechanical or electronic animations.
Electric tealights are not useful as a source of heat, so they are not suitable for chafing dishes or other food warmers.
Safety
The use of tealights may be prohibited by safety regulations, such as in hospitals.
Electric tealights are much safer than a flame-based tealight, and can be left unattended as there is no open flame or heat to worry about. This allows them to be placed inside freestanding lace structures, or in candle holders made from paper, wood or other flammable materials. They can also be made much smaller to fit where a large flamed-based tealight cannot.
See also
*
Hindenburg light
The Hindenburg light or Hindenburglicht, was a source of tallow lighting used in the trenches of the First World War, named after the Commander-in-Chief of the German army in World War I, Paul von Hindenburg. It was a flat bowl approximately dia ...
*
Outdoor candle
An outdoor candle, which is also known a pitch torch or a garden candle (, , fi, soihtukynttilä) is a large (usually 10 cm wide) tealight-like candle that are lit outside. They are commonly found in Scandinavia, and are used as an out ...
- a tealight-like candle that is lit outdoors
*
Samovar
A samovar (russian: самовар, , literally "self-brewer") is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating in Russia, the samovar is well known outside of Russia and has spread through Russian culture t ...
*
Tea cosy
A tea cosy or tea warmer is a cover for a teapot,Article of the'' Boston Journal'', 25 November 1879 traditionally made of cloth. It insulates a teapot, keeping the contents warm. Their use predates the invention of vacuum flasks as a means o ...
, an insulated cover also used to keep a teapot warm
*
Votive candles
A votive candle or prayer candle is a small candle, typically white or beeswax yellow, intended to be burnt as a votive offering in an act of Christian prayer, especially within the Anglican, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic Christian Christian denom ...
(can be taper candle or tealight)
References
External links
*{{Commons category-inline, Tealights
Candles