Black coffee and the good seeds

A deep, rich and warming note for mood-enhancing fragrances

The moment I wake up
Before I put on my makeup
I say… I need a cup of coffee.
Is there a better way to start the day? Well, maybe yes: a cup of coffee and a perfume that smells like freshly brewed espresso! – said every caffeine addict. 

Duty first: a brief botany lesson
The coffee plant belongs to the Rubiaceae family, native to Yemen and Ethiopia, in the province of Kaffa, from which it is said that its name derives (and it’s very likely). There are about 60 different species of coffee plants, but only two of them are actually considered: Robusta and Arabica. This plant with glossy green leaves produces white flowers that turn into pretty fruit which look like small cherries. These fruits change color from pale yellow to bright red when ripe, and this takes almost eight months after flowering. Composed of a pulp and a bean, this cherry will be harvested when ripe. Subsequently it will undergo various processing stages to produce green coffee, which will finally be roasted before being consumed as a drink.

Now, let’s be honest: very few other notes do have that energizing, invigorating and warming power, and this explains the fact that everybody loves coffee.
Let's think about it for one second, it's really unlikely to know someone who doesn't love the smell of freshly roasted coffee, isn’t it? Likewise, this note enchants the nose with its complex and evocative facets: Arabica or Robusta, the smell of coffee arouses positive emotions and immediately nestles in our olfactory memory.

Coffee in perfumery
As a note, it is unquestionably versatile: as a starting point, its facets are always sweet and spicy, but the coffee note can be transformed into something more captivating by gourmand nuances and hints of chocolate, or more austere and dry with hints of tobacco or marine notes; or feminine when playing with rose, jasmine, orange blossom, lavender or iris. It also gives a toasted aspect to flowery fragrances, making them more full-bodied and interesting. The perfumer can therefore play on harmonious combos or unexpected, creative contrasts, and give the coffee note infinite olfactory characters. 

The false myth
There‘s also a curious fact about coffee: when we are in a perfume shop and we are smelling many different perfumes, we are often given a small glass jar with some coffee beans inside, to 'clean the sense of smell' between one fragrance and another. Actually, it's not true that smelling coffee beans ‘resets the nose’: it’s only a simple and familiar smell, so it’s perceived as neutral. This makes you guess that many other things could replace the beans, for example our own clothes, or skin, or just breathing fresh air. 

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