If you do not know this, in my opinion,
you should not start a cafe
AHNSTAR
Hello everyone, this is Ahnstar
For a really great cup of coffee,
There is an importance in choosing the coffee cup
Because the taste of coffee varies depending on the cup we choose
This is the aroma cup from AVENSI
It is a cup designed for coffee
In fact, if I extract the same coffee into
these different cups
you will notice the difference in the taste of the coffee
Q. Why does the taste of coffee differ depending on the cup it is extracted into?
I've mentioned repeatedly to you guys
that the brains ultimately determine the taste of coffee
When we perceive taste,
most people think that the taste is perceived through the tongue
But when we eat food, drink coffee, or drink other beverages,
the taste of coffee is significantly influenced by its aroma
Q. Why do we think the taste is perceived through the tongue?
The taste perceived through aroma
Is perceived through the anterior(front area of the nostrils) and posterior(back area of the nostrils) nasal passage
When we drink coffee,
the volatile aromas that enter through the nose
are transmitted to the brain through
our anterior nasal passage
And then the same volatile aromas would volatilize in the posterior nasal passage, and in the mouth
Those volatilized aromas will be sent to the back of our mouth
through the nose, and to the brain
So when we drink a cup of coffee,
the taste and the aroma in the mouth
is more likely to be the taste and the aroma transmitted to the brain through the posterior nasal passage
For example, let's say we are eating gummies
And we block our noses when eating them
Then probably the sweetness, the texture
and the bit of the sourness
is something we would taste all mixed together
And the moment we unblock our noses
we'll perceive the aroma and taste the flavors
such as grape, orange, and strawberry in the gummies
(Let's assume we're eating gummies) When we block our noses, we will only taste the flavors through our taste buds
And the moment we release our noses, we can perceive the aroma through the posterior nasal passage
This is what ultimately manifests as the taste of coffee that we talk about
That is why we have the term sensory for coffee
When you're cupping
(Sensory: the ability to distinguish between good and bad coffee by its taste and aroma) Within sensory, we distinguish the aroma and the taste
Scents are called aromas (Scent perceived through the nose)
and the aromas and the taste are collectively referred to as flavors (the combination of aroma and taste perceived by the nose and mouth)
Here is one of my tumblers
Let's assume that I extracted a really fancy
washed beans from Panama Geisha,
Then say, I poured a cup in this tumbler
and another on here in this sensory glass like this
Now, let's say we drink the coffee from this. What do you think?
We would not feel the volatile aroma coming through the anterior nasal passage
Because the hole where the coffee comes out is small, the area that touches the tongue would also be different
The aroma transmitted through the posterior nasal passage would also be less rich
Let us assume that we drink the same coffee in this cup then
If we drink coffee in this aroma cup,
Due to the shape of the cup, the cup surrounds the nose
The volatile aroma comes in sufficiently through the anterior nasal passage
Because the part that touches the mouth is wide, the area that touches the tongue is also wide
The aroma transmitted through the posterior nasal passage would be richer
That is why when we use these two cups to drink the same coffee
the taste of the coffee can not help but be different
It would be so disappointing if customers or our guests
couldn't fully experience the taste of this coffee due to the limitations
of the coffee cup
So personally, I avoid drinking quality coffee
in takeaway cups
Because of the narrow opening of takeaway cups
It is difficult to fully enjoy the aroma and taste of the coffee in the first sip
So for me,
when I have no choice but to get a takeaway,
then I would
take the lid off before drinking it
Drinking without the lid, you can fully enjoy the aroma and taste through the anterior and the posterior nasal passage
The better the coffee, the more I will always follow this routine
Now, if you see here
This is the regular espresso cup
and this is an aroma cup made specifically for espresso
So, if we drink the espresso in this cup
(Typical espresso cup) It sufficiently goes through the anterior nasal passage but does not fully cover the nose
Now, check out this one
Typical espresso cup - does not fully cover the nose / Aroma cup for espresso - fully covers the nose
That is why the final taste of the coffee
we perceive differs
Regardless if is good or not
even if these two cups contain the same coffee,
you would taste different flavors
If you look at this aroma cup, there is a line in the middle
They recommend pouring the coffee only up to this point
Why is that?
Let us say we drink it with a full cup of coffee
If we drink a full cup of coffee, the cup cannot completely cover our nose
But let us assume now that there's small amount of coffee
Then we would have to tilt this cup at a much greater angle
If the coffee is poured up to the line, the cup can cover our noses sufficiently
And the angle entering the mouth would also be different
If we go into more details
It's the same with wine glasses
When we drink wine
pouring a full glass of wine distracts us from smelling the aroma
In fact, using this principle
There are brands that changed the taste of their coffee by simply changing the design of their cups
Secondly,
another reason why the taste of coffee varies depending on the cup is
The thickness and the material of the cup
I mentioned that we can taste coffee through our anterior and posterior nasal passage
but the brain makes the collective judgment of the flavor
That's why we also perceive taste by touch
For example, glass cups like these are lighter
These ceramic cups, on the other hand, are heavier
So when drinking coffee in a heavy cup
There is a higher probability of perceiving the coffee to be heavier
That's why airlines serve their meals with heavy utensils
[Charles Spence, "Gastrophysics"] Because there are research studies that say holding heavier utensils
will make you perceive the food taste better
And that is why at fancy restaurants
you will notice that they have heavy utensils
That could also be considered one of the restaurant's strategies,
aiming to intricately influence the outcome of that taste
The same goes for cups
Whether I serve it in plastic
or in a paper cup
or in a ceramic cup,
customers will perceive the taste differently depending on the material and the thickness of the cup
That is why when we look at aroma cups for coffee
and carefully crafted cups,
the shape of the cup,
and the thickness of it is designed with great detail
Furthermore, the third reason why the taste of coffee varies depending on the cup is
The color and the shape of the cup
Even just changing the color of the product or its packaging
the percentage of sweetness the customer perceives
can be increased up to 10%
On average, when people drink from a pink cup,
they are more likely to find the coffee sweet
[Relationship between the shape of a plate and taste] When the same food is served on a round plate compared to a square plate,
after gathering the results of how the customers feel,
even with the same food,
they said that the food tasted sweeter when served on a round plate
So the customers even
expect the flavor depending on the shape of the cup
and that expectation affects the taste of the coffee
That is why the recently released aroma coffee cups
(Avanti, Origami, Saula) have a very round shape, I think
Since specialty coffee inherently possesses acidity,
shaping items like cups
to be more rounded
may help form an expectation reminiscent of sweetness
avoiding a feeling that neutralizes acidity
Was just my anecdote haha
So, I have explained the reason on why coffee
taste different depending on the cups
The important part is to make customers, before drinking the coffee,
form an anticipation for the flavor
And I find that quite important
[To taste the flavor of the coffee better: 1. Shape of the coffee cup] By first inhaling the aroma that coffee possesses through anterior nasal passage first,
creating customer anticipation is important,
[2. Using a heavy cup] Using a heavier cup to create a sense of anticipation
with a slightly more luxurious feel is also very important
[3. Considering the design and color of the cup] Being mindful of the design and color of the cup so that
customers will question the taste of the coffee beforehand
and creating anticipation is also very important,
But by explaining how professionally it was extracted,
how much care it was prepared with,
and how it was made with good ingredients
to the customers can also
be the essential factor in the flavor of the coffee
Because it can create a positive anticipation
and that will naturally affect the taste
Extracting a delicious cup of coffee is important,
but I can say that
before the customers take that first sip
creating an anticipation for that coffee is also very important
Now, do understand that the taste is perceived not by the tongue but by the brain
You need to increase the quality
and positive anticipation for the taste
While I was preparing for this episode
I reference the book called "Gastrophysics" by Charles Spence which I read before
and "The Principle of Taste" by Choi Nak-eon
If you are someone who is preparing to open a cafe,
or someone who likes coffee,
I recommend reading these two books
Before reading these books,
if you're trying to open a cafe
I recommend stopping for a second
The more I know the more complex coffee is
Do I HAVE to know this?
Well, business can still strive without knowing these
and not knowing doesn't interfere with you enjoying coffee
But people who are selling coffee for money from the customers,
For those who want to enjoy
better tasting coffee by learning more
these aspects can enrich your coffee experience
furthermore
it allows you to provide consumers with even a slightly more
enjoyable cup of coffee
In the end, differences come from details
Yes, I hope today's content
has been helpful
I look forward to bringing you
more useful coffee-related content in the future
Thank you