Coffee

Coffee is a beverage obtained from the seeds of the coffee tree. The latter is a shrub with evergreen leaves belonging to the Rubiaceae family. The coffee tree originates from the highlands of Ethiopia and tropical Africa. This shrub produces fleshy fruits with two seeds, in red, purple or yellow colors, known as “coffee cherries”. The fruits (cherries) reach maturity 6 to 8 months after flowering for arabica and between 9 and 11 months for robusta. In perfumery, coffee absolute is used, obtained through volatile solvent extraction of roasted coffee beans.

Coffee, irresistible fragrances

When walking past a coffee shop that roasts its own beans, powerful and above all irresistible scents fill the air. The fragrance of coffee is rounded, syrupy, chocolatey. Its smell sometimes resembles that of tobacco, but in a much more gourmand way. Coffee brings a spicy note to compositions, but above all it is an excellent fixative that helps deepen the scent of volatile top notes. Yves Saint Laurent was the first to exploit the coffee note with such concentration in a feminine fragrance, Black Opium (and Black Opium Nuit Blanche). Here, coffee sits in the top notes, accompanied by pear and pink pepper. The heart includes jasmine and orange blossom. In the base notes, oriental notes (vanilla) and woody notes (cedar, patchouli) intermingle. The result is simply exceptionally stunning, an adrenaline shot… Black Opium is a fragrance for women who are a little mischievous, even rebellious, who break free from convention to live their lives to the fullest.

Coffee and other olfactory families

Coffee readily pairs with floral, woody, chypre or even leathery notes. A daring composition, CK Free by Calvin Klein, proves that coffee can be combined with unlikely notes. In this masculine fragrance, coffee is positioned in the heart notes with tobacco leaf. The green and woody aromatic sillage (absinthe, patchouli, juniper) gives this fragrance a longing for freedom. Coffee is also found in oriental fragrances. There, it offers gourmand yet elegant notes. As in Noir Exquis by L’Artisan Parfumeur, where coffee is again positioned in the heart notes, accompanied by orange blossom and maple syrup. The base brings an amber, warm sillage thanks to vanilla and tonka bean. Noir Exquis feels like a romantic rendezvous over a gourmand coffee.

Coffee, a beverage widely consumed by the French, is now lending its aromas to perfumery. After the success of Black Opium, perfumers have been tempted to explore this astonishing ingredient. Coffee is now found in floral, woody, chypre, oriental and even aromatic compositions! Coffee confirms the very strong link that exists between taste and smell… A prime and chic ingredient.