Allergic to Coffee?

I have become one of those people who I used to despise - a coffee snob.

That's right. I turn my nose up at instant coffee and even grind my own coffee beans.

What the hell happened?

I don't really know, but one thing that I've discovered is that I have some weird olfactory (that's stuff to do with the sense of smelling in case you didn't know) response to coffee. Actually it's coffee shops.

If I make my own coffee at home, it has no effect, but if I go to a coffee shop (regardless of brand) afterwards my sense of smell is dominated by a weird coffee aroma. Its sort of like a stale coffee smell.

I've written about the coffee shop aroma before on my blog, but to actually have it as some kind of phantom smell is quite unsettling.

All I can think of is that it's some kind mild allergic reaction.

I'd love to know if anytone else is afflicted by this - and whether it's a recognised medical condition.

In the meantime, I'll just go and have another cup of joe...