Boba and Dumplings to GlowPost date：2026-06-10
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TAIPEI #44 (2026 Summer)
Boba and Dumplings to Glow
Creative Candlemaking with a Taiwanese Twist
TEXT AMI BARNES
PHOTOS CHEN CHENG-KUO
A common lament of travelers homeward-bound after a Taiwan visit is that leaving means bubble tea is usually no longer available on tap, and even if they're lucky enough to live near an overseas branch of Din Tai Fung, the unfavorable soup dumpling index is likely to leave them feeling short-changed, too. Well, consider this – Lykke Handcrafts Studio's delectable handmade candles offer a unique way to assuage that craving.
To find Lykke Handcrafts Studio, head to Yongle Market, located at the southern end of the historic and perpetually busy Dihua Street in Taipei's Dadaocheng neighborhood. Walking in off the street, you'll find your stock-image wet market. It's loud and it's crowded. The fabric market on the second floor is somewhat calmer, but no less visually stimulating.
The atmosphere on the next two floors, however, could not be more different. These floors house ateliers and studios where bespectacled tailors are usually found hunched over half-sewn qipaos and curtains in industrious quietude, although, as Tracy – our candlemaking coach and founder of Lykke Handcrafts Studio – led us to her workshop for a 10 o'clock class, few were already at work. (Dressmaking and fashion design are evidently not professions for early risers.)
Formerly a schoolteacher, Tracy found herself heading in a different direction after hosting some cultural-exchange classes. For her, there was joy to be found in using crafts as a medium to engage with Taiwanese culture – a sentiment she has captured in the studio's name (lykke is a Danish/Norwegian word encompassing the happiness of small pleasures and quality time spent with others). Over time, she has honed her offerings, and Lykke now runs several creative candlemaking classes (including the creation of flat candles in the shape of Taiwan). You can also create cute boba-themed fragrant plates made of gypsum. We opted for the most popular class, centered on the creation of a two-candle set featuring a pair of Taiwan's culinary icons – a steamed dumpling and bubble tea (aka boba).
▲Candle creations in different shapes, colors, and sizes
Our first task was picking the essential oils to scent each creation. According to Tracy, a fair few people try to match the fragrances to the food/drink, meaning sweet vanilla and the savory fennel get a lot of use, but if you don't feel the need to constrain yourself, you can pick from any of the 20 or so options she has to hand. I went with eucalyptus for my dumpling and English pear and freesia for the bubble tea.
The dumpling candle is made by pouring wax into a silicone mold. The first step thus involved poking a wick through the base of that mold using a looped wire.
As I was doing that, Tracy retrieved the melted wax from a small stove, and I added 15 drops of oil, stirring to combine and cool it to the required 65°C.
Unlike the real soup dumplings, which tend to be served mouth-scaldingly hot, my candle needed to chill in a fridge for a while before it could be demolded and placed in its miniature bamboo steamer.
The second candle in the set is even more of a show-stopper and has a marginally more complex construction process. After affixing the wick to the bottom of my container, Tracy handed me a block of "ice" with instructions to cut it into rough ice-cube-sized chunks.
Whereas traditional opaque candle wax is used or the dumpling, the bubble tea calls for jelly wax – transparent and squishy, it's perfect as a stand-in for ice and tapioca pearls. It also happens to be a lot of fun to work with; who doesn't enjoy slicing and tearing and squidging jelly-like substances?
Layering the ice and pearls was the most intricate step. The ice holds the wick in place and keeps the pearls pressed against the outer edge of the glass – important since the milky-tinted "tea" wax obscures anything deeper inside. Jelly wax also cools much quicker than traditional wax, so after adding my essential oil, I just had time to give it a few quick stirs before pouring it in.
Tracy then coached me on how to arrange the remaining pearls and ice cubes for that perfect loaded-cup look, then used a hair dryer to melt the piled-up pearls just enough to bond them all together.
Both candles came together in around 90 minutes, and the process is simple enough that it should be well within the capabilities of a supervised child. Before leaving, our creations were safely stored in a box – along with a cute postcard and a bubble tea snack – to ensure they survived the journey home.
This is one of several thoughtful touches that make Lykke particularly well-suited to visitors passing through on a short trip. Others include classes being conducted in different languages (including English and Korean), straightforward booking through platforms like Klook, and being one of the rare workshops that run classes for individuals, making it perfect for solo travelers.
You may not have access to unlimited Taiwan treats once you're back home, but as those of us who settle here long term could tell you, unfettered access to bubble milk tea can be a double-edged sword. Lykke's candles offer the best of both worlds – all of the joy and no calorie overload.
Lykke Handcrafts Studio
🚩Rm. 25, 4F, 21, Sec. 1, Dihua Street, Datong Dist.
📞0921-906-676
🔗instagram.com/lykkehandcraftstw
🕝10:00am-7:00pm
🔎
Dadaocheng | 大稻埕
Dihua Street | 迪化街
Yongle Market | 永樂市場
Boba and Dumplings to Glow
Creative Candlemaking with a Taiwanese Twist
TEXT AMI BARNES
PHOTOS CHEN CHENG-KUO
A common lament of travelers homeward-bound after a Taiwan visit is that leaving means bubble tea is usually no longer available on tap, and even if they're lucky enough to live near an overseas branch of Din Tai Fung, the unfavorable soup dumpling index is likely to leave them feeling short-changed, too. Well, consider this – Lykke Handcrafts Studio's delectable handmade candles offer a unique way to assuage that craving.
To find Lykke Handcrafts Studio, head to Yongle Market, located at the southern end of the historic and perpetually busy Dihua Street in Taipei's Dadaocheng neighborhood. Walking in off the street, you'll find your stock-image wet market. It's loud and it's crowded. The fabric market on the second floor is somewhat calmer, but no less visually stimulating.
The atmosphere on the next two floors, however, could not be more different. These floors house ateliers and studios where bespectacled tailors are usually found hunched over half-sewn qipaos and curtains in industrious quietude, although, as Tracy – our candlemaking coach and founder of Lykke Handcrafts Studio – led us to her workshop for a 10 o'clock class, few were already at work. (Dressmaking and fashion design are evidently not professions for early risers.)
Formerly a schoolteacher, Tracy found herself heading in a different direction after hosting some cultural-exchange classes. For her, there was joy to be found in using crafts as a medium to engage with Taiwanese culture – a sentiment she has captured in the studio's name (lykke is a Danish/Norwegian word encompassing the happiness of small pleasures and quality time spent with others). Over time, she has honed her offerings, and Lykke now runs several creative candlemaking classes (including the creation of flat candles in the shape of Taiwan). You can also create cute boba-themed fragrant plates made of gypsum. We opted for the most popular class, centered on the creation of a two-candle set featuring a pair of Taiwan's culinary icons – a steamed dumpling and bubble tea (aka boba).
▲Candle creations in different shapes, colors, and sizes
Our first task was picking the essential oils to scent each creation. According to Tracy, a fair few people try to match the fragrances to the food/drink, meaning sweet vanilla and the savory fennel get a lot of use, but if you don't feel the need to constrain yourself, you can pick from any of the 20 or so options she has to hand. I went with eucalyptus for my dumpling and English pear and freesia for the bubble tea.
The dumpling candle is made by pouring wax into a silicone mold. The first step thus involved poking a wick through the base of that mold using a looped wire.
As I was doing that, Tracy retrieved the melted wax from a small stove, and I added 15 drops of oil, stirring to combine and cool it to the required 65°C.
Unlike the real soup dumplings, which tend to be served mouth-scaldingly hot, my candle needed to chill in a fridge for a while before it could be demolded and placed in its miniature bamboo steamer.
The second candle in the set is even more of a show-stopper and has a marginally more complex construction process. After affixing the wick to the bottom of my container, Tracy handed me a block of "ice" with instructions to cut it into rough ice-cube-sized chunks.
Whereas traditional opaque candle wax is used or the dumpling, the bubble tea calls for jelly wax – transparent and squishy, it's perfect as a stand-in for ice and tapioca pearls. It also happens to be a lot of fun to work with; who doesn't enjoy slicing and tearing and squidging jelly-like substances?
Layering the ice and pearls was the most intricate step. The ice holds the wick in place and keeps the pearls pressed against the outer edge of the glass – important since the milky-tinted "tea" wax obscures anything deeper inside. Jelly wax also cools much quicker than traditional wax, so after adding my essential oil, I just had time to give it a few quick stirs before pouring it in.
Tracy then coached me on how to arrange the remaining pearls and ice cubes for that perfect loaded-cup look, then used a hair dryer to melt the piled-up pearls just enough to bond them all together.
Both candles came together in around 90 minutes, and the process is simple enough that it should be well within the capabilities of a supervised child. Before leaving, our creations were safely stored in a box – along with a cute postcard and a bubble tea snack – to ensure they survived the journey home.
This is one of several thoughtful touches that make Lykke particularly well-suited to visitors passing through on a short trip. Others include classes being conducted in different languages (including English and Korean), straightforward booking through platforms like Klook, and being one of the rare workshops that run classes for individuals, making it perfect for solo travelers.
You may not have access to unlimited Taiwan treats once you're back home, but as those of us who settle here long term could tell you, unfettered access to bubble milk tea can be a double-edged sword. Lykke's candles offer the best of both worlds – all of the joy and no calorie overload.
Lykke Handcrafts Studio
🚩Rm. 25, 4F, 21, Sec. 1, Dihua Street, Datong Dist.
📞0921-906-676
🔗instagram.com/lykkehandcraftstw
🕝10:00am-7:00pm
🔎
Dadaocheng | 大稻埕
Dihua Street | 迪化街
Yongle Market | 永樂市場
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