Coffee Not Tasting So Good Today? Try Changing The Colour Of Your Mug

In Australia around a billion cups of coffee a year are drunk in cafés, bars and restaurants. Given the popularity of coffee and to keep the economy turning over, then it’s a fair assumption to assume that café owners and coffee mug designers and manufacturers will do what it takes to enhance the coffee drinking experience for all coffee lovers

We came across an article just the other day which suggested that the colour of their mug plays a large part in how the coffee drinker perceives the taste of their coffee to be. A study was then carried out which made for some interesting reading

This very study apparently came about quite unintentionally when a barista was overhead mentioning that coffee tastes more bitter drunk from a white china mug than it does a clear glass mug. It’s worth noting at this point that these are the two most common types of mugs used to serve coffee in Australia

Although several studies have been carried out on how colour and flavour is related with a strawberry mouse presented on a white plate considered to be 10% sweeter and 15% more tasty than when served on a black plate, there’s been little to compare coffee flavour with the colour of the mug it’s served in

Coffee and contrast

Working on what the barista had said that brown could maybe considered bitter, or at the least negative when related to sweetness, and that coffee from a white mug had a more bitter taste than from a clear mug, it was decided to take that mechanism one step further. If a light, milky brown coffee was perceived as bitter then conversely a blue mug should intensify that bitterness as blue is brown’s complementary colour and as such the ‘brown’ of the coffee should pop out. This should elevate the rate of bitterness of the same coffee when served in a transparent mug

In another experiment the white mug was thought to make the coffee flavour more intense relevant to the transparent mug but due to physical differences to the mugs the experiment was carried out again using identical clear mugs with sleeves in different colours. Once again the coffee was rated less sweet than that in the blue and the white mugs

The study clearly did show that the colour of the mug influenced how the person drinking it rated their coffee

So what’s the point of this blog? Well it’s just to show that colour can affect taste and also mood and ambience which is why it’s important to think carefully about the colour of your café furniture when choosing it.

If you’re seeking furniture for your café or restaurant then why not take a look at our online store or visit our showroom if you happen to be in the Preston area. We’ve got a colourful range of furniture which will match any décor and set the ambience you require. You can also contact us on 03 9357 9688 with your questions.