SMELLBOOK REFERENCE · SB-0157
Nutmeg
Permanent ID: smellbook: · updated 2026-10-06, revision 3
Character EDITORIAL
Nutmeg smells warm, dry and woody, with a gentle sweetness and a soft peppery lift that is rounder than black pepper.
Words: spicy, warm, dry, woody. Families: Temperature and texture, Sharp and bitter, Wood, earth and stone.
Evidence
Scientific evidence
- Terpenes behind the characteristic nutmeg odour (CLM-NUTMEG-001). Suchandra Chatterjee, Sumit Gupta & Prasad. S. Variyar, Comparison of Essential Oils Obtained from Different Extraction Techniques as an Aid in Identifying Aroma Significant Compounds of Nutmeg (Myristica Fragrans), Natural Product Communications, 2015.
Molecules named in these claims: sabinene, α-pinene, β-pinene. A molecule listed here is named in a VERIFIED claim about this smell. It is not presented as the cause of the smell; each claim says what its source supports.
Cite
SmellBook. (2026). Nutmeg (revision 3, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:nutmeg. https://smellbook.com/smells/nutmeg
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