The smell of success just got a little sweeter in Canada.
Canadians have noticed that the country’s new plastic currency seems to smell like maple syrup, according to The Canadian Press.
Residents of the country to the north apparently began contacting the Bank of Canada shortly after the new notes were introduced in November 2011, asking if the currency had a secret scratch-and-sniff patch.
“I would like to know … once and for all if these bills are in fact scented, as I do detect a hint of maple when smelling the bill,” one Canadian asked in an email obtained by The Canadian Press.
Under the Access to Information Act, the news organization procured correspondence between citizens and the bank over a year-long period, revealing that many people were confused by the seemingly sweet-smelling money. Some residents even complained that the maple scent had worn off their bills and suggested the bank make it stronger.
But the scent is just a myth, according to bank official Jeremy Harrison, who told The Canadian Press that the bank was not adding any scent to the bills.
The bills have had other problems as well, such as reports that they melt together in high heat — like being left in a car in the sun — a claim the bank says has been proven false following rigorous testing. The new currency also features a stylized maple leaf that looks like the foliage from a Norway Maple, an species considered invasive in Canada. The bank also rejects this claim.
