A multi-country citizen-science study on what makes us enjoy a cup of coffee

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Authors: Georgiana Juravle, Delia Elena Diaconaşu, Ana‐Maria Andrei, Felipe Reinoso-Carvalho, Simon D’Alfonso, Valentina Goglio, Kosuke Motoki, Simone Schmidt, Ceyhun Uçuk, George H. Van Doorn, Fabiana M. Carvalho, Charles Spence
Cited by: 1
References: 50

Abstract

Many coffee preferences are known, but studies that comprehensively integrate simultaneous contributions to coffee enjoyment are lacking. An online citizen-science questionnaire designed to identify those factors associated with momentary coffee liking, surveying demographics, extrinsic/intrinsic qualities, and coffee-related habits, is presented (N = 2987; 5 continents; 7 languages; 11 countries; 77 nationalities). The results indicate a higher liking for coffee consumed black, during spring, in the morning, on Wednesdays, and from ceramic cups. Higher-priced coffee is appreciated significantly more, and liking-consumption quantity appears best-optimised at 4-5 cups/day. Several key characteristics for coffee-dislike are evident: waking-up late, drinking from a cup with a lid on, at noon during autumn, with cream, and, potentially implying a possible coping mechanism for bitterness-disliking, adding sugar to coffee. These results constitute the first multi-country cross-context integration of momentary coffee liking and provide an empirical foundation for context-sensitive models linking sensory/behavioural/temporal factors in beverage preference research.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Coffee research and impacts Sensory Analysis and Statistical Methods Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques

Publication details

Journal / source
npj Science of Food
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
10
Issue
1
Publication date
22 April 2026
Language
EN