It was surprisingly chilly for LA during the Thanksgiving holiday, but we've been putting off turning on the heater. Instead, we picked up a box of Java-Logs while doing some last-minute grocery shopping before the turkey feast began. After all, the idea of having the first fire of the season with family and friends was irresistible. In the past, we've been getting wood from the local firewood yard, so we were cautious about these Java-Logs being able to live up to the real deal...
TEST LAB: Java-Log
Los Angeles
Java-Logs have been touted as the "green" alternative to fireplace fuel--no weird, funky chemical odors that other suspicious starter logs may have, less carbon monoxide, and uses renewable and natural vegetable wax. It's made out of spent coffee grinds, and reportedly 11x cleaner for your chimney than burning wood.
Performance wise, the Java-Logs did fairly well: extremely easy to light (stacking firewood just so in our fireplace can be a bit of a pain, and then getting it going can also be a bit of a trial) and easy clean up--we swept up the ashes and used it as compost for the flowerbed in the backyard. The drawbacks: According to the instructions, we only burned one log at a time, which lasted about 2-3 hours. With one log, the fire was nice, but it didn't really heat up our living room.
Want to find out more about the Java-Log? Check out the site, java-log.com.
Comments (8)
AT Daily Email
Top House Tours
- Dwell on Design: Westside Home Tours, Part 1
- Dwell on Design: Eastside Home Tours, Part 1
- Dwell on Design: Westside Home Tours, Part 2
- Ashwiny's Riot of Colors
- David & Kurt Combines Classic with Modern
Top Posts
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
did it smell like coffee?
view plasticorange's profile
They don't smell like coffee and burn slowly. So far I think they are the best of their kind an alternative to burning wood.
view LoriSF's profile
Can you get it in Hazelnut or Italian Roast?
view btoddster's profile
I have been using these for a couple of years. They do not put out quite as much heat as real wood but neither do their petrochemical counterparts and they are much more convenient. They don't smell like anything specific inside but I have noticed that the outside chimney smoke ismells a little odd.
I have never had one burn less than three hours, usually quite a bit more. They are also reasonably priced especially when purchased by the case.
view Niamh's profile
Where can I buy these in the Los Angeles area? I have never seen these for sale here.
view spinsLPs's profile
Love 'em! If I only had a fireplace...
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/heat-cold/javalogs-010267
view leslie's profile
spinsLPs--
I got a box of them at Whole Foods--there was a stack of 'em right next to the seasoned firewood.
view grace's profile
^ Thanks, Grace!
view spinsLPs's profile