Tag: food & drink

Aroma Chemistry - The Smell of Coffee

The Chemical Compounds Behind the Aroma of Coffee

Infographic on the aroma of coffee. Roasted coffee beans contain over 1000 chemical compounds, but not all of these are extracted during brewing. Polar molecules are more soluble in water and a greater proportion of them are extracted. Only a minority of the extracted compounds contribute to aroma, and this is dependent on both their concentrations and the threshold at which the human nose can detect them. The aroma varies in composition for different coffee beans.
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Whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or completely unfussy about the manner in which you get your caffeine fix, there’s no denying that the smell of freshly-brewed coffee in the morning is an invigorating one. The chemistry behind this aroma, though, is far from simple; a complex collection of chemical compounds are responsible, and this graphic takes a look at a selection of these.

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