Why Do We Smell Coffee In Order To Reset Our Sense Of Smell?

Why do we smell coffee in order to reset our sense of smell?

Ever noticed the bowl of coffee beans at a perfume counter?

 It has to do with something called olfactory fatigue. Olfactory fatigue is a temporary condition in which our sense of smell becomes desensitized to certain odors. This can happen after prolonged exposure to a strong smell, such as perfume.

The idea is that sniffing the coffee beans cleanses your olfactory palate, allowing you to better distinguish different perfumes. While the science behind this is shaky, there’s a clever trick at play. Strong coffee aromas can temporarily overpower lingering smells, offering a brief “refresh” for your nose. So, while coffee beans might not be a magical reset button, they can be a pleasant way to switch gears between perfumes, priming your nose for the next fragrant encounter.

When we smell coffee, the strong aroma helps to reset our olfactory receptors. This means that we are able to smell subsequent fragrances more clearly.

This complexity helps to overwhelm our olfactory receptors and reset them to their baseline state.

But why coffee?

Why not smell something else, like flowers or fresh fruit?

Well, it turns out that coffee is particularly effective at resetting the sense of smell because of its complex aroma. Coffee beans contain over 800 different volatile compounds, which are molecules that are easily vaporized and can be detected by our noses.

When we smell coffee, these volatile compounds bind to our olfactory receptors and send signals to our brains. These signals help to stimulate the olfactory receptors and clear away any lingering smells.

Also, coffee is a relatively neutral smell. It is not too sweet, too sour, or too bitter. This then makes it ideal for resetting the sense of smell, as it will not overwhelm the olfactory receptors.

In addition, the strong aroma of coffee can also help to distract the brain from other scents, making it easier to focus on the particular one at hand.

The strong aroma can temporarily overpower lingering smells, allowing you to better perceive subsequent fragrances. So, while coffee beans won’t magically “cleanse” your nose, they can provide a refreshing change of scent and heighten your appreciation for the next perfume you encounter.

So, next time you’re at a perfume store and they offer you some coffee beans to sniff, now you know why. It’s all in the name of science!