Côté Bougie review: our verdict
Orange blossom, amber, musk, but also crème brûlée, bourbon vanilla, green tea or lemongrass: at the Côté Bougie showroom, you first choose by scent. Everything is handmade here since 2003, with entirely vegetable wax, Italian cotton wicks, free of lead and chlorine, and fragrances that come from Grasse.
You can take your time: the team lets you smell, compare, and founder Omar is happy to tell you how the candles are born. True craftsmanship lies in custom orders, where you choose colour, scent and quantity: the house has already delivered a series of 42 candles in less than two weeks for a fiftieth birthday. Loyal customers fill their suitcases with them on every visit; others order online and have them delivered as far as France. For a small souvenir at a few cents, pass by: here, you buy a real gift.
The trap: come on a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday, the Sidi Ghanem workshop closes at 13h on Saturdays and all day on Sundays. The good tip: the M Avenue boutique, more central, with a range that has expanded.
