by Francine Paino, a.k.a. F. Della Notte

Most of this is a reprint of a 2024 post, but I’ve added more on the beneficial effects of the aroma of coffee for my amateur sleuths.

A 2010 study published in The American Journal of Psychology found that “memories associated with smells were not necessarily more accurate, but tended to be emotionally more evocative.” How true!

From my office window in Austin, Texas, I look at the magnolia blossoms on the tree in front of my house. Pretty and pink, the blossoms are at the top of the tree. They are too high for me to reach and cut. Yet, I still enjoy their lovely fragrance when they fall to the ground. That scent transports me 1,500 miles northeast and back over half a century. Images of my grandfather’s cherry tree come to mind, unlocking memories of my life in an immigrant community.  

My grandfather’s cherry tree didn’t grow, surrounded by green hills and grass. It grew in a crowded Italian ghetto: a city within a city. Corona, New York. Here, cement sidewalks and concrete streets only allowed for narrow curb strips of weeds in front of houses, separated by narrow alleys. Few residences had any planting space to speak of, but my grandfather’s house was one of them.

Now, when I remember and look at pictures, I wonder how he dealt with the adjustment going from the grinding poverty in the beautiful, gently rolling hills and mountains surrounding Sassano, Italy, to a somewhat better existence but one encased in hard, cold, and grey surfaces. It’s a question I never did ask. I suppose his poverty-stricken but agrarian roots wouldn’t allow his small piece of the stark, utilitarian landscape to remain solid chunks of grey without a trace of nature, and so, the cherry tree.  

Planted in a small patch of dirt in his yard, surrounded by cement, my grandfather’s cherry tree grew straight and tall. Its round trunk was encased in bark that looked so dark it could have been black. The tree gave off a sweet fragrance in early June, only perceptible in the early mornings before the smells of car exhaust, trash, fumes, brick, mortar, and wood from the close-together homes crowded it out.  And once spring arrived, windows were kept open more often and the aroma of cooking wafted out, joining the profusion of smells that swept the neighborhood and overwhelmed the delicate fragrance of cherry blossoms. I found it strange that those sweet smelling blossoms produced a fruit that was mainly sour and enjoyed more by the birds than by the family.

According to the charts, cherry trees in the northeast are ready for harvest by the third week of June. I recall birds pecking at them and dropping ripened cherries into the cement yard. My grandmother would sweep them up fast to keep them from getting under our shoes and dirtying her faded but clean linoleum floor. The memories evoked by the cherry tree do not stop there. Like tendrils on a vine, places, events, and smells latch on to the Prunus Serotina.

In New York City, public schools let out by mid-June in the 1950s. That meant I could help my grandfather tend his little farm two blocks from his home, nestled between dilapidated houses on either side of the property and protected by an eight-foot-tall chain-link fence that ran around the entire perimeter.

The land in his little enclosure always smelled earthy. He’d fertilize it before the planting began. There were rows of corn, cabbage, zucchini, and Swiss Chard. There was an area dedicated to lettuce. The corn always had a slightly sweet and earthy fragrance. I have no recollection of smelling the growing cabbages or zucchini. Still, when I sauté garlic, I often recall my grandmother doing the same, then frying thick slices of zucchini and smothering them in a rich marinara sauce to finish cooking.

As a child raised in this hybrid environment, half city and half farm life, I took these scents for granted. Didn’t everyone have them? Perhaps my favorite olfactory memory comes from the herb garden. The lemony aroma of thyme is still one of my favorites. So are the peppery scents of oregano and the sweet, refreshing smell of basil. My grandfather would smile when he handed me a bouquet of basil. Maybe he already knew the beneficial effects it had. I’d bury my nose in it and breathe deep before walking the three crowded city streets back to the house with the cherry tree.

I’m amazed by how much scientific support smell has gained for its impact on various aspects of life, beyond memories of days gone by. Scientists at Brown University reviewed 18 studies on aromachology. They found that smelling lavender can indeed relax you, reduce stress, and even help you wake up more rested. Researchers examined studies on other scents, such as rosemary, peppermint, and orange. They propose that rosemary may help you sleep better, improve memory, and help with hair growth. Peppermint might boost physical performance, and the smell of oranges can reduce anxiety and help you feel more content or happier. Of course, more research is needed. If nothing else, taking the time to “smell the roses,” is already a step in slowing down and enjoying nature – in this case, the aromatic plants. When discussing memory stimulants and other benefits of scents, we cannot ignore coffee. While not an herb, it cannot be left out of the conversation.

Scientists would have us smell the coffee to wake up, reporting that the aroma alone of any preferred caffeine brew would awaken us. In a 2019 National Institute of Health article, it is claimed that “Inhalation of coffee fragrance enhanced cognitive parameters, including continuity of attention, quality of memory, and speed of memory, and also increased the mood score of alertness….”  

It is no wonder that for Mrs. B. and Father Melvyn, coffee is the house wine of St. Francis de Sales Rectory. The protagonists of the Housekeeper Mystery Series welcome the benefits of coffee and its aroma, which keep them sharp as they manage the parish, keep their cats happy and safe, and solve mysteries and crimes.

Enjoy your favorite fragrances and join me in savoring a cup of coffee.

Happy Reading!

PS: My grandfather was a javaphile too!

SOURCES:

https://www.bridgeportct.gov/news/whats-smell-it-might-improve-your-memory#:~:text=The%20researchers%20also%20looked%20at,push%2Dups%20or%20running%20faster.
https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2008-03-26/scents-sensibility
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5198031/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rosemary-oil-benefits
https://www.livescience.com/2614-whiff-coffee-wake.html
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6881620/#:~:text=Results,modulate%20autonomic%20response%20to%20stress