How do you describe a smell in words? You can’t. You can only assume that the reader already knows the smell of the items that the writer is comparing the smell with, but this should not be an automatic assumption.
I love the smell of wood smoke
Aromatic, pungent, earthy,
Redolent of the deep forests from which the wood came.
Sharp molecules hitting the back of your nose,
evocative of European dark oaks, hornbeams, yew, holly, ivy, Norwegian spruce and evergreens;
spicy tannins and resins of Asian sal wood, sandalwood, pine wood, juniper and wintergreen.
A Primeval smell, arousing the hunter/gatherer instinct,
drawing one inexorably towards the warmth,
visions of wild men sitting around a roaring fire,
tearing off hunks of meat from haunches,
fat dripping down the roasting carcass onto the smouldering logs, spluttering and spitting,
with tangy wisps of fat-laden smoke instantly lost into the night.
The smell of wood smoke evokes many intangible, deep emotions, hidden subconsciously – feelings of security but also the freedom of the open air, a promise of hot food, conviviality, a sense of wellbeing. The smell of wood smoke means life-giving warmth and food, and is the first indication of human habitation and activity, smelt through the trees long before the dwellings come into sight, let alone their dwellers.
C. Tim Taylor Dec 2018