While walking near my brother’s house in Rochester I came across a spot where you can smell all three from three different businesses (commercial bakery, coffee roaster, and a BBQ joint). I have often thought that I could make a mint if I opened a restaurant that roasts its own coffee, bakes its own bread and smokes its own meat, each at a different time of day. You’d draw people from miles around.
Some commercial products that are no longer made:
“Blush” cologne (only discontinued a few years ago)
“Gingergrass” cologne (dates back to the late 1970s)
“Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo (also dates to the late 1970s)
Coffee flowers smell heavenly - not unlike lilacs or jasmine
Plumeria flowers (the scented ones - some have no odor)
Toasting raisin-cinnamon bread
We have a plumeria plant that grows nice green leaves but no flowers. It’s been several years since we’ve had it. ![]()
Ground ivy
Clover on a hot sunny day
Funny, I was just having a chat with a new friend, who said she had taken a branch from her mom’s plumeria tree and planted it - the branch grew into a nice tree, but no blossoms. She said that according to her research, apparently trees need to feel “threatened” in order to bloom.
So get out there and threaten your plumeria! Tell it you’re gonna whup its ass if it doesn’t produce some flowers, RIGHT NOW!
Also, another great smell: crush the leaves of an edible ginger plant and sniff that. Heaven.
Popping popcorn! There’s a reason theaters sometimes place fans near the popcorn machine
Fresh-cut grass
Fall leaves combined with a little “winter’s coming” scent
Top of baby’s head
Old books
ETA: turpentine
Blooming citrus trees
Cinnamon
Frangipani
Bread baking