Printed from smellbook.com/smells/clove. This printout keeps the entry for Clove itself: its description, reference card, Connections, questions, evidence, related smells, record details, states, names and citation. It leaves out your own notes, the map, the lists of paths, routes, stories and fragrance directions, and the lists headed “Also linked to” (other entries that share its place or material) and “Linked from”; they are on the page online. The entries this one links to are still printed under Connections and Related smells.
Categories and types group entries for browsing; they are editorial, not evidence. How smells are grouped.
A strong warm spice smell with sweet, woody and medicinal-like aromatic character.
Its type, Source, means the smell is named after “a physical origin that can contribute a smell”; it is not an evidence source, such as a study or a book. The origin page for Clove (the food or drink, not this smell entry) lists every smell recorded as coming from it.
Clove has a strong, warm and penetrating smell, sweet at first and then dry, woody and slightly prickly in the nose. EDITORIAL
Named in the VERIFIED claims about this smell: not a list of what it is made of, and not its cause.
Links SmellBook records for this entry: what it comes from, molecules and related smells. EDITORIAL links are chosen by SmellBook editors and VERIFIED links come from VERIFIED claims. Nothing here is a ranking, and a molecule is not presented as the cause of the smell.
QUESTIONS ABOUT CLOVE
Clove has a strong, warm and penetrating smell, sweet at first and then dry, woody and slightly prickly in the nose. Many people find a clinical, dentist-like edge in it, while others notice mainly its festive warmth. Even a single clove carries far, and the smell lingers on fingers and in jars long after use.
It turns up in the spice cupboard, in baked hams, mulled drinks and spiced fruit, and in winter baking. Many people link it with festive seasons, pomanders and hot spiced punch on cold evenings.
Typical settings: baking, spice cupboard, hot drink.
One VERIFIED scientific claim from one published source is recorded for this entry: Eugenol in clove essential oil. This claim says only what its source supports, in the scope shown with it.
The scientific study behind this evidence is chemistry or emission work, not a study of how the smell is perceived.
4 molecules are named in this claim; see the evidence for the role the claim gives them. Each molecule this claim names has only the role the claim states.
Clove is a strong spice source profile and makes no medicinal or therapeutic claim.
Words that are easy to mix up: When does woody become smoky?, Why is creamy not just sweet?, Is every warm smell spicy? and When is woody also resinous?
No historical source or heritage record is linked to this entry yet.
Answers marked EDITORIAL are written by SmellBook editors to describe the experience and add no scientific fact. Answers marked VERIFIED point to claims on published sources, checked against each source's own summary where one was available (each claim's page says how); what each claim supports is in its own text and scope.
Scientific evidence · 1 claim
Eugenol in clove essential oil
A review reports eugenol as the major compound of clove essential oil, at least half of it, with eugenyl acetate, β-caryophyllene and α-humulene making up a further 10–40%.
Clove essential oil and extracts; composition, not odour potency, and amounts vary with the extraction method.
How this was found: Chemical composition. Compounds were identified or measured, without any assessment of their odour. Source: review of earlier studies; chemistry work.
José Nabor Haro-González, Gustavo Adolfo Castillo-Herrera, Moisés Martínez-Velázquez & Hugo Espinosa-Andrews
DOI 10.3390/molecules26216387Each molecule is named by the claim shown after it. Each molecule named here has only the role the claim states. About molecules in SmellBook
Links chosen by SmellBook editors, not a ranking.
Associations can vary strongly by person, place and culture.
PATHS FROM HERE
Each step is a relationship SmellBook editors recorded in the knowledge graph, named as it is published there. Paths are not ranked or personalised, and they do not mean the smells smell alike.
Each step is a molecule that a VERIFIED claim names for both smells, in whatever role the claims state. Sharing a molecule does not mean two smells smell alike.
MY SMELLBOOK · LOCAL ONLY
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WHERE THIS SMELL APPEARS
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IN FRAGRANCE & SPACES
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FOR RESEARCHERS AND EDITORS
Identity, revision history, corrections and how to cite Clove.
CULTURAL: This entry's associations depend on context, language, memory or culture; its description and smell words are editorial. It says nothing about research or historical evidence; evidence for this entry is shown separately: VERIFIED.
How this entry is identified and named, for citing it or matching it with other records.
SmellBook SB-0156 — Clovesmellbook:smell:clovehttps://smellbook.com/smells/cloveSmellBook. (2026). Clove (revision 3, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:clove. https://smellbook.com/smells/clove@misc{smellbook_clove_r3,
author = {{SmellBook}},
title = {Clove},
year = {2026},
note = {SmellBook Public Atlas, revision 3, 2026-10-06, smellbook:smell:clove},
url = {https://smellbook.com/smells/clove}
}TY - ENCYC ID - smellbook-clove-r3 TI - Clove AU - SmellBook T2 - SmellBook Public Atlas PY - 2026 DA - 2026/10/06 ET - revision 3 UR - https://smellbook.com/smells/clove N1 - SB-0156; smellbook:smell:clove; resolver https://smellbook.com/id/smell/clove ER -
The citation names revision 3 of 2026-10-06, so a reader can tell exactly which version was cited. Citing records what was read; it does not grant a licence.
Clove is a strong spice source profile and makes no medicinal or therapeutic claim.
Editorial description expanded to answer what it smells like and where you meet it; independently reviewed.
Created 2026-09-22 · Updated 2026-10-06Dataset history In the SmellBook dataset since the first of three dataset releases of 2026-09-30.
No correction notices published for this entry. Corrections policyEVIDENCE MATTERS
SmellBook separates cultural association, community perception, verified evidence, prediction and experimental relationships rather than presenting them as the same thing. Read the evidence guide ↗ See the evidence coverage report ↗