A new study published in Multisensory Research on Jun. 3 suggests that the way we perceive taste may be influenced by sensory cues, including how the cup feels in our hand as well as the texture of nearby objects.
Led by Natsumi Kubo and Atsunori Ariga, the research study was carried out by a team from the Department of Psychology at Chuo University in Tokyo. The study results showed that people perceived coffee as less acidic when their cup felt smooth to the touch. Moreover, the external stimulus affecting perceptions of taste could come from sources other than just the coffee cup itself.
This study is the latest in a growing body of research to suggest that the way we perceive coffee’s taste comes not only from the way it has been prepared or roasted, but also from the surrounding environment.
Rough vs Smooth
In the first of the study’s experiments, 92 participants were each served two identical cups of coffee at 158 degrees Fahrenheit (68 degrees Celsius). One of the cups was covered with a rough external sleeve, and the other had a smooth Kraft paper sleeve. Both cups were made of the same material, and participants were blindfolded to eliminate visual clues that might influence their perceptions of the coffee.
Interestingly, those who were served the rough-sleeve cups first consistently reported that the coffee tasted less acidic in the smooth-sleeve cups. However, when the order was reversed, this perception disappeared. The researchers reported that effects on other perceived taste sensations, such as sweetness and finish, couldn’t be confirmed.
Other Experiments
Researchers carried out two further experiments to try and identify whether tactile cues needed to come from the coffee cups or other external stimuli, as well as whether or not timing was a factor.
In the second experiment, 24 blindfolded participants reported the same taste perceptions when they touched another rough or smooth object with the opposite hand when drinking coffee. This suggests that the tactile cue doesn’t necessarily need to come from the cup itself.
In the third experiment, 48 blindfolded participants were included. This time, drinking coffee and touching a separate rough or smooth object didn’t happen simultaneously, causing the effect on taste perception to disappear altogether.
The results of these experiments seem to suggest that coffee cups are only one part of a wider sensory environment – one in which many objects will affect perceptions of taste.
Implications of the Study
This Japanese study aligns with previous coffee-focused studies. In a 2018 study by Fabiana Carvalho, Charles Spence and others, cup shape and texture was shown to have a marked effect on perceptions of taste.
Lead researcher Atsunori Ariga is confident that the study’s findings could have wider implications. For example, they could influence everything from café design to cup textures for specialty coffee Q Graders. With that said, the Japanese study was limited to black coffee and was carried out in a controlled setting. Therefore, it’s uncertain whether or not the results could translate to a real-world setting.
Sources
- The Contextually Tolerant but Temporally Intolerant Sensation Transference from Tactile to Taste in Drinking Coffee — Multisensory Research
- The shape of the cup influences aroma, taste, and hedonic judgements of specialty coffee — Food Quality and Preference