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Smell Test
The greatest sensual pleasure to be had from coffee beans is putting your nose into a bag of freshly ground beans and having an aroma orgasm meltdown. Nothing else in the coffee world approaches that. Because every time you get high from that great aroma you think "Aahh, what a great cup of coffee will come from this!" And of course, the coffee never tastes as good as the aroma promises. No matter how well prepared, the sip always falls short.
Ground coffee-bean aroma is right up there in the top-ten pantheon, which also includes (a) the smell of burning leaves on an early October evening on a suburban street in New Jersey, (b) the aroma of the seats and carpeting in a brand-new BMW or Mercedes or Range Rover while the car sits inside a dealership, (c) the scent of White Musk oil (i.e., purchasable at the Body Shop) that's been recently applied to the neck of a freshly showered lady in her mid 30s, (d) the smell of downtown Manhattan streets after a heavy evening rainshower in mid July, (e) the scent of damp agricultural soil near crops in California's Imperial Valley after another nighttime rainshower, and (f) the smell of soaked beach sand in the early evening after a rainshower.
I'm basically saying that people everywhere buy coffee because of the sizzle rather than the steak.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 15, 2009 at 6:51 AM
comment #1
lbeale
says ...
The smell of a new leather jacket.
And bacon sizzling in the pan.
Posted by lbeale
at July 15, 2009 7:26 AM
comment #2
actionman
says ...
the scent from fresh cut grass is quite nice
Posted by actionman
at July 15, 2009 7:28 AM
comment #3
btwnproductions
says ...
Popcorn.
Posted by btwnproductions
at July 15, 2009 7:29 AM
comment #4
vansmith
says ...
the smell of a fresh stack of hundreds right from the bank, ahhh...
Posted by vansmith
at July 15, 2009 7:30 AM
comment #5
CitizenKanedforChewingGum
says ...
spoken like a true capitalist bastard, van...
I salute u
Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum
at July 15, 2009 7:55 AM
comment #6
medproof
says ...
Aw, you had to ruin such a great sampling of aromas with a lame generalization about coffee buyers.
(I think the taste is as good as the smell, but it is different)
Posted by medproof
at July 15, 2009 8:02 AM
comment #7
Big Black
says ...
Drip coffee is almost always disappointing to me, because it sits and brews and stews and becomes more flat and bitter with every passing second. A proper shot of espresso, on the other hand, can be every bit as good as that freshly-ground smell of beans promises.
Posted by Big Black
at July 15, 2009 8:12 AM
comment #8
George Prager
says ...
The aroma of new plastic and Little Ceasar's when you enter a K-Mart.
Posted by George Prager
at July 15, 2009 9:03 AM
comment #9
CitizenKanedforChewingGum
says ...
The new plastic smell in most K-Marts is actually the "freshly" baked Little Caesar's pizzas.
Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum
at July 15, 2009 9:05 AM
comment #10
DeafBrownTrashPunk
says ...
I love the smile of concrete sidewalks after the rain.
Posted by DeafBrownTrashPunk
at July 15, 2009 9:49 AM
comment #11
Stringer Bell
says ...
Ahhh ... The smell of the W. 66th St. station after the homeless urinate on the bench where you sit.
Posted by Stringer Bell
at July 15, 2009 9:51 AM
comment #12
Barracuda
says ...
The smell of a screen door after it rains.
It's funny how a lot of great smells happen after it rains...
Posted by Barracuda
at July 15, 2009 9:54 AM
comment #13
p.Vice
says ...
Napalm in the morning has always been a favorite of mine.
Posted by p.Vice
at July 15, 2009 10:05 AM
comment #14
Rich S.
says ...
There's a weird smell produced by authentic British or Irish pubs (even ones in the U.S.) that you can't find anyone else. I guess it's the combination of stale beer, hardwoods and brass polish. Pure comfort.
Posted by Rich S.
at July 15, 2009 11:16 AM
comment #15
Rich S.
says ...
Sorry, "anywhere else."
Posted by Rich S.
at July 15, 2009 11:17 AM
comment #16
Chapman Carruthers
says ...
Charcoal.
Pages of an old book.
Gardenias right aflter bloom.
Posted by Chapman Carruthers
at July 15, 2009 11:40 AM
comment #17
Flowers
says ...
While coffee is one of the great olfactory frustrators unless it's actually smothered in chocolate and eaten...
roses always come in first and never lets you down
There's a reason Shakespeare wrote poetry about it
Posted by Flowers
at July 15, 2009 12:15 PM
comment #18
nemo
says ...
Back in the day, the aroma you inhaled while rolling a joint of freshly bought pot promised pleasures the joint never truly delivered.
Raking leaves in the October, even without burning them.
In the Midwest, the smell hanging in the air just BEFORE a big summer thunderstorm hits is electrifying. The air is crackling with anticipation. The smell reaches its zenith of pleasure just as the first big fat raindrops start hitting the hot streets and sidewalks. It's as if the air and the sidewalks are alive.
I never smelled anything like that before a storm when I lived on the East Coast. It's very different from the smell just after a thunderstorm. They're both wonderful smells.
Posted by nemo
at July 15, 2009 12:46 PM
comment #19
frankbooth
says ...
"I'm basically saying that people everywhere buy coffee because of the sizzle rather than the steak."
Craziness. You don't get CAFFEINE from "sizzle." Plus, if your coffee tastes bad, you're doing it wrong.
Nemo, I know exactly what you mean. We don't get summer storms here in Northern Cali, and I sometimes miss them.
Posted by frankbooth
at July 15, 2009 1:03 PM
comment #20
frankbooth
says ...
My contribution to the topic: Laphroaig. I don't drink it anymore, but I could inhale the bouquet all day long.
Posted by frankbooth
at July 15, 2009 1:05 PM
comment #21
byanyother
says ...
Orange blossoms on a summer day in California.
Night blooming jasmine on a summer night in California.
The smell of man's t-shirt after a day of wear.
And the way some men smell in general.
Garlic gently cooked in butter. And white wine.
A sleeping baby's head.
A clean puppy.
Wine on the breath after the first glass.
Tomatoes ripening on the vine in Italy in August.
The beach - coconut tanning lotion, salty water, sea air.
Freshly baked French bread out of a clay oven.
Basil.
Freesias in Spring.
Pine needles in the high sierras.
Mom.
And of course, coffee, still the best of all.
Posted by byanyother
at July 15, 2009 1:32 PM
comment #22
George Prager
says ...
Chewbacca's `taint.
Posted by George Prager
at July 15, 2009 2:21 PM
comment #23
lipranzer
says ...
Wish I could contribute to this, but I can't smell.
And even back when I could drink caffeinated beverages, I was never a big fan of coffee. Coca-Cola was always my drug of choice. I'd only have coffee if I really needed the caffeine, like when I had to pull two all-nighters in a row to finish my history thesis, or when I stayed up all night at a retreat the summer before my junior year in high school. Anybody remember the "Cosby Show" ep when Vanessa sneaks out to see a horror movie and is so freaked out she's in the kitchen drinking coffee, and after reprimanding her, Bill Cosby mentions he studied the coffee she was drinking in medical school because it was so strong ("One sip will keep you up for 4 hours. 2 sips will keep you up for 8 hours. One cup and you'll never blink again")? That was the coffee I had at that retreat.
Posted by lipranzer
at July 15, 2009 8:34 PM
comment #24
erniesouchak
says ...
pot roast
Posted by erniesouchak
at July 15, 2009 9:42 PM
comment #25
mpneeb
says ...
Apple Pie in the oven.
A well-preserved comic you're opening up for the first time in years to read.
New York strips on the grill.
Apple Farm Restaurant in San Luis Obispo.
Posted by mpneeb
at July 16, 2009 5:35 AM
comment #26
Frank
says ...
The leather smell inside old-time shoe repair shops.
Ditto about apple pie baking and bacon frying.
Kiehl Pharmacy's Rain on the back of that freshly showered lady in her mid 30s is easily the equal of The Body Shop's White Musk. (Wells, since you're in NYC these days, check out Kiehl's.)
Gasoline (so sue me)
Posted by Frank
at July 16, 2009 11:37 AM
comment #27
FilmTurtle
says ...
That fantastic, fresh, clean scent in the air right after a good rain? It's called "petrichor" -- the smell of rain on dry ground. I discovered it a few years ago and I think it's now my favorite word.
Posted by FilmTurtle
at July 16, 2009 6:42 PM
comment #28
Gnome de Guerre
says ...
Cigars and pipe tobacco. Before they're lit.
Come to think of it, gunpwder too, before it's lit.
Neither smoking, chewing, or shooting has ever fulfilled the promise of that first whiff.
Posted by Gnome de Guerre
at July 16, 2009 6:46 PM
comment #29
mccool
says ...
Garage. Don't know how else to describe it? Stale cut grass and gasoline maybe?
And the aroma of coffee IS richer and more promising than the taste. Although I love the taste. I guess I would love it even more if it tasted the way it smells.
Jeff's right about BMW's. I don't find that Mercedes retain the scent. Saabs do. At least they did when they were still Swedish.
New shoes.
Ditto the smell of old books. And cigar or even cigarettes before they're lit.
Catching a whiff of someone barbecuing in your neighborhood. Even better, walking the dog and catching the scent of a fireplace in the winter...
And do I have to quote the line from "Christine"?
Posted by mccool
at July 16, 2009 7:38 PM
comment #30
mccool
says ...
And home...Jesus, the smell of home
Posted by mccool
at July 16, 2009 7:42 PM
comment #31
byanyother
says ...
McCool, "that's just about the finest smell in the world, 'cept maybe for...."
Posted by byanyother
at July 17, 2009 8:15 AM
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