Does Coffee Cup Affect the Coffee You Drink?

Having a cup of coffee is what keeps many of us going through the day, whether it perks you up, wakes you up or gives you some energy its wonderful stuff. The way we like our coffee is personal to the individual and can quite often be a touchy subject when not done to our tastes.  Some like it sweet, some like it bitter, some like it black and some like it white, the list just goes on. Making sure that you prepare your hot drink properly is a must and it now unfolds that the cup you use to drink out of could contribute.

It is thought that the color of the cup you drink your coffee out of can have an effect on the taste of your drink. As odd as it seems the theory has been tested through the means of an experiment carried out in 2014.

A blue mug, a white mug, and a clear glass mug were used to conduct the experiment. Eighteen participants took part and they were all served the same coffee but in either a blue, white, or glass mug. Each participant was asked to rate the coffee on its sweetness, aroma, bitterness, quality, and acceptability. As suggested the coffee was experienced differently depending on the color of the cup they drank from. There were very obvious differences between the white one and the clear one with the white being very bitter and the clear one not. The coffee in the blue mug however was described as a moderate bitterness. Likewise the coffee in the white mug was described as less sweet than those in the blue and glass mugs. The other areas of taste that were observed came back insignificant as it was only a small scale experiment however it is expected to be carried out with a larger group in the future.

The color of the coffee cup you drink from isn’t the only thing that can affect the taste of your coffee. It is believed that the material of the cup can also have an effect and some more than others. Coffee is served in a variety of different vessels including plastic, paper, metal, glass, and ceramic cups.

Plastic cups are typically used as travel mugs. They are useful for taking in the car, taking to meetings and taking on day trips. Although very useful some plastics can be very cheap and contain harmful toxins in them. Be careful to choose a quality plastic to prevent this but be aware that it can still make your coffee taste a little different.

Paper cups are most specifically used in cafes and coffee shops where you can have your drink to go. Again extremely useful and very popular but also at risk of giving your coffee the slight taste of paper. This however isn’t always the case and there are plenty of people who believe that their coffee tastes just fine out of a paper cup.

Metal cups like plastic cups are typically used as travel mugs.  It is however a very good conductor of heat and will, therefore, get very hot from the contents of your drink. For this reason they tend to have a plastic insert to prevent you from burning yourself.

Glass cups are generally seen in coffee shops but some homeowners like to use them too. Glass isn’t known to affect the taste of coffee but it does allow it to cool down much quicker.

Ceramic cups are the most popular material to drink coffee from. They too don’t affect the taste of your coffee and they manage to keep it hot for some time. The only disadvantage of a ceramic cup is that if it becomes chipped or cracked it can hoard bacteria. If this happens the cup should be thrown out immediately.