Coffee's Enticing Aroma: Unveiling the Chemistry & Brain's Response
Have you ever wondered why coffee smells the way that it does? The smell of coffee is a distinct, known aroma that people around the world recognize, even if they aren’t coffee lovers themselves! Whether you love hints of vanilla or a darker roast, smelling coffee in the morning can be one of the best parts of greeting the day and getting ready for all that is on your calendar.
In this article, we’ll explore the chemistry behind coffee beans, providing you with exclusive insight into what makes coffee smell so good. We’ll even discuss the neuroscience behind smelling coffee and how it affects your brain, body, and function. Additionally, we’ll provide some tips to ensure you enjoy the aroma of coffee as long as possible.
What is the Aroma of Coffee?
The smell of coffee is a blend of a few different scents that combine to make a delicious, often mouth-watering scent that is hard to ignore. However, fragrant coffee is only associated with roasted beans. If you have ever come across green coffee beans, you may have noticed that they don’t have a smell, at least not as strong as the coffee aroma you’ll find with roasted beans.
However, after they are roasted, coffee beans have a specific smell that is so much more than just the coffee bean. The smell of coffee can also include vanilla, cocoa, and a hint of nuttiness, sometimes even more nutty flavor if you love a good cup of hazelnut! Much of this is because of the environment that it was grown in, which is why some people prefer a specific blend, even from a particular country where they harvest coffee.
Coffee’s aroma depends on the blend that you choose, but in most cases, you’ll enjoy the same delicious combination of vanilla, cocoa, and coffee beans, providing you with an enjoyable way to start your morning. However, understanding the chemistry behind coffee beans will give you some insight into just why coffee has a distinct smell that is nearly impossible to find with any other food or drink.
The Chemistry Behind Coffee Aroma
Interestingly enough, the smell of coffee actually depends on the green coffee bean before it’s even harvested. That’s why so many people are often picky about where they source their coffee. The location—right down to the weather, variety of coffee beans, and maturity of the beans—can have an influence on how your coffee tastes and, ultimately, whether or not it smells a certain way.
When roasting coffee, the chemical process can actually create specific aspects of coffee aroma. For instance, a compound called 2-methylpyridine causes the roasted smell. Coffee also derives its nutty aroma from 3-dimethylpyrazine and its burnt smell from a compound called 2-ethyl-3-meyhtpyrazine. The later stages of the roasting process involve the caramelization of sugars, which can create a hint of caramel taste with some blends, too.
If you’re smelling coffee beans and detect a hint of fruity or sweet scents, it’s likely because of the way that roasting breaks down amino acids and fatty acids, called ketones, to create the added layer to the coffee aroma. As you can see, there are plenty of smells that come out of the roasting process that add even more intricate layers to the scent of coffee. It’s also part of why so many people love this beloved drink! However, what many people don’t know is how coffee aroma can actually affect the brain.
How Does the Smell of Coffee Affect Us?
With 900 different aromatic compounds produced during the roasting process, it’s no wonder that the smell of coffee has a distinct effect on us. When we smell coffee, we activate the olfactory receptors within our nose, which tell us whether something smells like coffee or is coffee. However, you may not have known that in the field of neuroscience, people have determined that coffee actually affects us in unique ways.
For starters, inhaling coffee and smelling coffee beans can actually affect our cognition. More specifically, you’ll experience an enhancement of your attention, memory quality, and the speed at which you remember something. Furthermore, if you experience a better mood after having coffee, this is also to be expected based on what neuroscientists have discovered.
Fortunately, while smelling coffee beans or fragrant coffee can impact our mental state, it does not have any effect on our immediate blood pressure, heart rate, or even cortisol level after we inhale it. It also cannot lower our stress, but many of us may feel a little more at ease with our favorite coffee cup in hand.
It’s fascinating to think that coffee has such an effect on the human body and on our cognition. To guarantee you’ll enjoy the aroma of coffee as long as possible, let’s explore some tips to protect our favorite fragrant coffee blends.
Tips for Enjoying the Scent of Coffee
When it comes to enjoying the smell of coffee, there’s plenty that you can do so you’ll always enjoy the same beautiful aroma every time you have a cup. Here are our top tips so you’ll never miss out on quality coffee aroma:
- Brew Freshly Ground Coffee Beans: When it comes to coffee aroma, you’re going to enjoy the best scent of coffee when it is fresh. If you can, try to grind up your coffee beans right before you brew for the best flavor and fragrance.
- Quality Matters: It may be tempting to shop for the cheapest blends of coffee, but if you can, try to select quality beans. Quality coffee beans have an undeniably exceptional scent—good enough that you’ll likely be smelling coffee beans every chance you get!
- Store Them Properly: The worst thing you can do for your coffee beans is put them in the wrong storage. With a container like the Coffeevac, you’ll provide your favorite coffee beans with the proper storage to keep the smell out and protect its freshness, even long after you expect.
- Use Fragrant Coffee as Aromatherapy: You may also enjoy using delicious coffee candles or coffee beans as part of your perfume so you can bring the aroma with you wherever you go. With a coffee-scented candle or perfume, you can smell coffee all day long and add a little dose of self-care into your routine.
- Experiment with Brewing Methods: To achieve the best-tasting and smelling coffee beans, you’ll want to experiment with different brewing techniques. Try a cup of espresso or get a French press. You’ll enjoy a similar coffee aroma each time, but you might just find the flavor—and smell—that you enjoy the most!
How Will You Enjoy the Smell of Coffee?
Now that you know more about coffee aroma, how it affects us, and how you can enjoy it more, you’ll find so many more ways to enjoy fragrant coffee—whether you’re on the go or at home. If you love the scent of coffee, why not upgrade your storage so you can always smell quality coffee?
To purchase your very own Coffeevac so you can enjoy delectable coffee for a long time to come, browse our assortment of high-quality, airtight sealed containers today.
- Brie Allen
