November 26, 2014
When asked “How do you take your
coffee?” most of us specify whether or not we want cream, sugar, or milk as a
way to perfect our caffeinated beverage of choice. However, one thing that
stands between us and drinking the best cup of coffee is the color of our mug.
According to a recent study published
in the journal Flavour, the color of our mug can
affect the way we perceive the taste of our coffee.
 |
The color of your coffee mug
can make the difference between a bitter
and sweet tasting cup of caffeine.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
via Medical Daily
|
The color and design of a product
can affect consumers’ perceptions. Louis Cheskin,
psychologist and marketer, increased margarine sales in the 1940s when he
suggested it be colored yellow to more closely resemble butter. Now,
researchers from the Federation University Australia, believe café owners,
baristas, and kitchenware manufacturers can increase their coffee sales and get
more returning customers by considering the color of their mugs.
George Van Doorn, author of the
study and lecturer in psychology at Federation University Australia, was
influenced to conduct a series of two experiments after a barista once told him
that when coffee is consumed from a white, ceramic mug, it tastes bitterer than
when consumed in a clear, glass mug, according to The Conversation. In Australia, these two mugs types
are among the most commonly used vessels to serve coffee in Australian cafes
and restaurants.
To put this observation to the test,
Van Doorn sought to investigate whether consumers’ perception of a café latte
beverage would be influenced by the color — transparent, white, or blue
— of the mug from which it was consumed by conducting two experiments. In
experiment one, the research team put the validity of the barista’s claim to
the test to measure the intensity of the coffee flavor in the transparent,
white, or blue mug. The goal was to observe the perceived variations in coffee
flavor without telling the 18 volunteers that they were, in actuality, drinking
down the same stuff. The white mug enhanced the rated intensity of the coffee
flavor relative to the transparent mug.
In experiment two, Van Doorn recruited
36 volunteers, but this time, the shape of the mugs were identical. The results
were similar to the first experiment. The mug type exerted a significant
influence on participants’ ratings of the perceived sweetness of the café
latte. Coffee in a white mug was found to taste less sweet when compared to the
other colored mugs. The blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
“Our study clearly shows that the
color of a mug does influence the perceived taste and flavor of coffee,” Doorn
wrote in the The Conversation. He added: “The
effect of the color of the mug on the flavor of the coffee reported here
suggests that café owners, baristas, as well as crockery manufacturers should
carefully consider the color of their mugs. The potential effects may spell the
difference between a one-time purchase and a return customer.”
This isn’t the first time a study
explores how our perception of food is contingent on the characteristics of the
container from which we eat and drink. A 2013 study published in theJournal of Sensory Studies found
hot chocolate tastes best from orange or cream colored mugs. However, the
sweetness and the aroma of the beverage was not influenced by the color of the
cup, despite participants mentioning that the chocolate was slightly sweeter
and more aromatic in a cream colored cup.
Taste can be influenced by a variety
of factors from the color and cutlery to emotion and price. Remember, next time
a barista asks you how you’ll take your coffee, don’t forget to say in a blue
mug, please.
-------
Sources:
Spence C, Van Doorn GH, Wuillemin D.
Does the colour of the mug influence the taste of the coffee? Flavour. 2014.
Piqueras-Fiszman B and Spence C. The
Influence of the Color of the Cup on Consumers' Perception of a Hot Beverage. Journal of Sensory Studies. 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Join the conversation