The smell of burnt coffee could be one of the most evocative smells I know. I’m usually a tea drinker, so if I’m drinking coffee it’s probably because I’m in some sort of desperate situation, with time, energy, workload, or all of the above and I’ve resorted to more extreme measures. Smelling it instantly reminds me of many unpleasant moments in my life. Times when I was either up too early and/or too late and desperately working on a massive project (probably a final paper) that’s due in just a few hours. It make my stomach cramp just thinking about it. This is multiplied tenfold if the coffee is being consumed from a disposable paper cup that’s too hot to carry in any responsible way.  If you see me drinking coffee, chances are things are probably not well with me.

But now I’m in the writing center three days a week, which provides free (overcooked) coffee to the tutors, so guess what I’m smelling all day long?

Hopefully my many associations of burnt coffee will slowly fade away in a few weeks when the smell becomes just another everyday smell, not a reminder of the special occasions in my life when anxiety reigned supreme.