Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan) in the 90s television show "Twin Peaks" may have thought he found "damn good coffee" in that little town, but he might have enjoyed his joe even more if he drank it out of a different cup.
A study published in the journal Flavour investigated a barista's claim that customers complained about bitter coffee more when they drank it from a white mug.
Study participants were asked to sip coffee from white mugs, clear mugs and colored mugs. Black coffee stands out in a white mug, but the contrast in colors might be what caused participants to rate the coffee more bitter, researchers surmised. The opposite reaction from the coffee drinkers occurred when they drank from a transparent mug.
Transparency seems to be the way to go when it comes to "good, hot black coffee," as Agent Cooper would say.
Blue mugs were reported to enhance both bitterness and sweetness.
"These results support the view that the color of the mug should be considered by those serving coffee as it can influence the consumer's multisensory coffee drinking experience," according to the study. "These results add to a large and growing body of research highlighting the influence of product-extrinsic color on the multisensory perception of food and drink."
