2/19/2007

Sniffing Around

I was out at Atlas Global Bistrot the other night for dinner and as I tried to decide what I wanted for dinner from the eclectic and execellent menu, and an arresting aroma wafted toward my table.  I began to sniff.  This was a habit I had picked up from the old Italian guys I would see at Randazzos produce market on Outer Drive in Detroit as a child.  They would pick up a piece of cheese and hold it uncomfortable close to their noses.  I wasn't raised to smell food like that, at least by my mom.  But those guys were onto something.  The best way to determine quality, freshness and to differentiate food and drink is by our heightened sense of smell.  Mozzerella has a mild smell, parmigiano reggiano has a nutty smell, fontina has a more rich, buttery smell and epoisses, the mother of all cheeses, has an sweet alcohol and ferment aroma.  And that is just what's in my fridge at the moment.  Excuse me while I get a glass of wine.  I'm back.  Back to Atlas, I caught the scent of what I determined was truffle, that rich, earthy, pricey tuber so prized in France and Italy.  After a glance over the menu, I saw the offending (in a good way) item.  It was shaved atop a veal chop.  Now I could order.  The point is that aromas elicit a visceral reaction in us and an emotional attachment to what we smell.  My great aunt used to smoke eve cigarettes and every time I smell those cigarettes, I immediately think of her.  Coffee smells great.  We all can admit to that.  Even my aforementioned mother who has never let a sip pass her lips confesses her love for the coffee aroma.  I challenge you to go beyond the simple smell of coffee and delve into the nuances of coffee aromas.  Take a cup and swirl it like you would with a glass of wine.  Aerating the coffee does the same thing as with wine.  Even put it in a wine glass and swirl if you want to get all "Sideways" about it.  Ethiopian coffees are a great place to start.  They are still largely wild and give off more interesting aromas.  Yirgacheffe has all sorts of spicy notes and a noticeable earl grey or bergamot (citrus) nose.  Harrar is the inexplicable blueberry aroma which can be observed even before the beans are roasted.  Central American coffees sometimes have a red fruit aroma of plum and cherry.  South American beans will often give chocolate and cocoa preeminence.  And Indonesian coffees have hints of vanilla, cinnamon and cloves.  Get yourself sideways and sniff around some of our terrific single-origin coffees and blends. 

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