I rendered my first beeswax this year and it came out a beautiful butter-yellow color with a very pleasant, mellow odor and a medium-firm texture. I then ordered a candle-making kit from a major supplier which included several pounds of beeswax -- which was a totally different color, odor, and texture; it was darker, had a sharper odor, and was a good bit harder than the wax I produced. What, do you think, could explain the difference?