Ah, the little morning coffee… An essential ritual to start the day off right for many French people. And if it is often question of the nature of the coffee - black, softer, with a drop of milk, no one has ever really wondered about the container that contains it. And this detail would be of paramount importance, according to a study to be published in March 2017 in the magazine Food Quality and Preference . Indeed, the size and thickness of the cup or mug chosen to contain the precious beverage would have an impact on the perceived taste of the coffee (a bit like wine, in short!). We'll think twice before grabbing our favorite Tweety and Sylvester mug in a hurry...
And a convincing experiment shows it:300 volunteers from China, Colombia and the United Kingdom had to rate the aroma, bitterness, intensity, temperature, degree of caffeine and sweetness of a selection of cafes. They were also asked to notify the price they would pay for each coffee, depending on the appearance of the cup containing them. The participants unanimously thought that the coffee contained in a small narrow cup was more bitter, more intense and had more aroma. Conversely, coffee in larger and wider cups was found to be milder, and it was for this size that people in the UK and Colombia said they wanted to pay more. The Chinese meanwhile specified that they would pay the same price for the coffees contained in the large and small cups.
“If cafe owners, waiters and tableware manufacturers want to manipulate the expectations of coffee drinkers, they should consider the diameter and height of the cups they use/produce, as these elements have a potential influence on aroma, bitterness, sweetness and intensity “, concludes the study relayed by Refinery 29. We now know why we tend to serve coffee with milk in a larger cup, and conversely black coffee in a small one… Surprising!
