Has anyone created soap that really smells like coffee?

Hi, everyone.

I've tried to make coffee soap three times. I use double-strength coffee instead of water plus coffee essential oil (0.8oz per pound of oil). Both of those ingredients smell like fresh-brewed coffee, but my soap never smells like coffee. Is it even possible to get soap that smells like coffee? If so, how much essential oil do I need to make that happen?

Thank you!

DeeAnna said:

http://www.naturesgardencandles.com...brewed-coffee--worlds-best-fragrance-oil.html

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This is definitely a good one (just finished a batch using this FO yesterday and unmolded today), but I think it smells way stronger oob than in the actual soap (just my opinion). I used about 0.7 oz. ppo with this batch, and I probably could have bumped it up to 1 oz ppo (or maybe a little more). It's a really nice coffee scent though, and behaves really well in CP soap.

The FO that I really like as a go-to is WSP's Fresh Brewed Coffee. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/fresh-brewed-coffee-fragrance-oil.aspx

Both are really good for "just coffee" scents (which I like, because then I can throw in some EOs of clove or cinnamon, or whatever strikes me).

Also, if you're using brewed coffee in your soap, I've found it really helps when you brew some ridiculously strong coffee - like espresso-style, drink-it-with-a-fork coffee. Otherwise you'll get some good coloring out of it, but the scent really won't come though.

None of my coffee soaps has ever come out smelling like coffee, no matter how strong my coffee. Like DeeAnna suggested above with her link, your best option is to use a fragrance oil.


IrishLass

Thank you for the link, DeeAnna. I prefer pure essential oils instead of fragrance oils. It's important for me to know the ingredients, and that's almost never possible with fragrance oils. But maybe a fragrance oil is the only way to get soap that smells like coffee, in which case I'm out of luck!

Thanks again.

Thank you, SplenderSoaps and IrishLass! Definitely some good thoughts there, and it's encouraging to know that I'm not the only one who's had this problem.

Thanks again!

I wasn't aware that there was an actual coffee eo - like coconut and vanilla, it's fo or no go.

Where did you get it from and was that the suggested usage rate?

Same here, I use FO, the only scent that comes in the finished soap. I never had any natural coffee scent in my soap. It goes away.

I'm in the same boat in that I won't use FO`s. Coffee EO is prohibitively expensive as well. I haven't made a coffee soap, but my thought was to try using dehydrated (instant) coffee to get a really strong, thick paste of coffee, or even add instant coffee flakes right into the soap. I get the feeling that the scent won`t last through saponification though and there is probably a point where the soap wouldn't be cleaning you so much as covering you in a bubbly coffee mixture.

Well I just checked my coffee! Not happy with the smaller ones!
I used a double strength or better coffee instead of water for the lye solution, also added about 1cup I think it was of coffee grounds. 40oz lard batch.
Small soaps don't seem to have any smell!
Also I used a silicone caulking and cornstarch to make the small molds and they worked very well, but now have coffee stains it looks like! I'll have to see if that cleans off or soaked in!

I did not check the slab yet. Things came up and weather turned bad, and I did not get my cutter made, so the soap is over a week old, maybe near 2, and not cut yet.
Oh well, if it got too hard I have a band-saw I can cut it with and soap is good for the blade LOL

Also I do not think the color is as dark brown as I was expecting it to be.

I'll have to look back and see when I made it for sure.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! Looks like if I'm set on using EOs only, I'm out of luck when it comes to soap that smells like coffee.

The Efficacious Gentleman, there is indeed coffee essential oil. I've bought it from New Directions, from Piping Rock, and from Amazon. It is pretty expensive, but when you figure the cost per bar of soap, it's not that bad, and of course it's cheapest when you buy it in large quantities from a bulk seller like New Directions. As for usage rates, I haven't seen a usage rate specific for coffee EO, so I've been going with 0.8oz/lb of oil. Oh, by the way, the Piping Rock coffee EO didn't smell much like coffee, but the others did (straight from the bottle, not in the finished soap). The finished soap smells pretty much like plain soap to me.

Thanks again, everyone!

If you gel coffee soap it comes out much darker bug, not sure if you did or not.

Hello, Saponista! Thanks for your post, but I have to say, I don't know what that means! I'm a beginner. What does it mean to "gel" the soap?

Thanks.

If you insulate your soap while it is in the mould the reaction causes it to heat up and liquefy into a gel form. This helps to brighten colours. You have to be careful not to let the soap overheat though or you can ruin it.



In the picture, the Orange started out the same colour, but I gelled the soap on the right. There is quite a colour difference.

Saponista said:

If you gel coffee soap it comes out much darker bug, not sure if you did or not.

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I just had it in lined cardboard boxes, closed, then put in an unused oven.
I think I had a towel wrapped around the boxes also, but not sure now.

I got busy with other things and let the soap sit awhile. I also had sound rounds in food storage bowls I never took out.
I looked now and the top seems more brown where air got to it, the bottom in the tub seems to be turning back to white a bit more. Of course no air to the bottom so it is also more fatty/lardy feeling than the top. I think it not only is not drying, but maybe some of the moisture from above settling to the bottom to keep it even wetter softer right now.

Was just kinda an experiment to be doing something at that time, and I do not like how any of it turned out. Nothing smells like coffee, not the large slab, small bars, tubs, or the individual molded shapes. None has the darker color I want either.

A word of warning also, I've read where folks use a plastic store bag to line molds. Make sure it does not have labeling or other inks etc... on the soap side or maybe not at all!
I used a store plastic shopping bag and it had red logo and printing, now my soap has it! LOL
I thought any inks/logo was on the outside of the bag, not the soap side, but the soap got printed!
Not a big deal for this batch, but I know NOT to do that again!

Thanks! I found this thread to be very helpful!!! I really want to make a coffee soap once I get my initial soap done and tested. Crafters Choice & Nature's Garden's names come up a LOT from what I can see when it comes to FO & EO. Would you ever add brewed coffee and one of these FO's or do you think the coffee would throw off the scent? Just curious

I Ive the crafter choice Fresh Brewed coffee but the boyfriend insists it smells like cocopuffs

JimSteel said:

I'm in the same boat in that I won't use FO`s. Coffee EO is prohibitively expensive as well. I haven't made a coffee soap, but my thought was to try using dehydrated (instant) coffee to get a really strong, thick paste of coffee, or even add instant coffee flakes right into the soap. I get the feeling that the scent won`t last through saponification though and there is probably a point where the soap wouldn't be cleaning you so much as covering you in a bubbly coffee mixture.

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I have tried using instant coffee granuals in soap batter. The granuals won't dissolve.

I dump coffee grounds in my lye water. I get a mild coffee scent from the grounds in the soap, and also a nice scrubby affect.

dixiedragon said:

I have tried using instant coffee granuals in soap batter. The granuals won't dissolve.

I dump coffee grounds in my lye water. I get a mild coffee scent from the grounds in the soap, and also a nice scrubby affect.

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Do you mean used grounds or fresh coffee from the can.
How much do you use for how large a soap batch?

Here in UK you can buy coffee essential oil but quite expensive