Nothing else alarms you that it's the morning more than your clock, and possibly the aroma of coffee.
The smell of coffee is distinct and rich, but why? Research has shown that coffee is packed with heterocyclic compounds which influence the powerful flavour and smell that coffee produces. Researchers have extensively investigated which aromatic compounds are responsible for each of the iconic earthy smells associated with coffee. However, currently over 800 different aromatic compounds have been discovered in coffee; a figure which increases on a yearly basis with the precision in analytical methods advancing.
With such a complicated make up of aromas, it seems unsurprising that just the smell of coffee has been proven to wake drinkers up. One whiff of the scent sends signals to the brain that caffeine is coming.
However, is the smell better than the taste?
It is widely accepted that coffee drinkers can experience a completely different smell to taste; with some individuals delighting in the smell coffee but never opting to drink it. Research certainly suggests that the smell and taste of coffee is different. Professional Barry Smith of the University of London explained that nearly half of all those complicated and delicious aromatic compounds within coffee are wiped out by saliva. This causes the flavour to change before the drink has even been swallowed.
And even though smell affects taste, with research showing that around 80% of taste reaches us through smell receptors in our nose, the act of swallowing transforms the sensation of the smell in the brain. Professional Barry Smith refers to this as the 'second sense of smell' because the signals experienced through the nose from the inside of the mouth differ from those experienced by traditional sniffing. Essentially we have two senses of smell!
Another food which commonly differs in smell and taste is really strong blue cheese.