Coffee Drinking and Emotions: Are There Key Sensory Drivers for Emotions?

Natnicha Bhumiratana,Edgar Chambers Iv,Mona Wolf,Koushik Adhikari

doi:10.3390/beverages5020027

Natnicha Bhumiratana, Edgar Chambers Iv + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages5020027

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Journal: Beverages	Publication Date: Apr 1, 2019
Citations: 21	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Kansas State University, University of Georgia

Abstract

In the past couple of decades the coffee market has exploded, and to remain competitive, it is important to identify the key drivers for consumer acceptance of coffee. This study expanded on the previous emotion study on a population of coffee drinkers in Manhattan, Kansas, USA and focused on identifying the sensory drivers of emotional responses elicited during the coffee drinking experience (CDE). A trained coffee panel performed a descriptive analysis of six coffee samples and identified the key sensory attributes that discriminated each coffee. Utilizing Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR), the descriptive data were then mapped with the emotion data to identify sensory drivers for eliciting the emotional responses. The sensory characteristics of dark roast coffee (roast–aroma and flavor, burnt–aroma and flavor, bitter, and body) might elicit positive-high energy feelings for this population of coffee users. Tobacco (flavor) and cocoa (aroma) may also be responsible for positive emotions (content, good, and pleasant). Citrus and acidity seemed to be negative sensory drivers as they induced the feeling of off-balance. Sensory descriptive data could be useful to describe emotion profiles elicited by coffee drinking, which could help the coffee industry create coffee products for different segments of coffee drinkers.

Highlights

Human senses are powerful elicitors of emotions and the interactions between the two are rarely debated [1,2,3]
Assessment of the emotional responses elicited by the sensorial experience during product consumption is vital
The emotions elicited by the coffee drinking experience were identified in our previous work [7], where they determined a list of 44 emotions suitable for defining the ‘Coffee Drinking Experience (CDE)’

Summary

Introduction

Human senses are powerful elicitors of emotions and the interactions between the two are rarely debated [1,2,3]. A number of studies have attempted to define and categorize human emotion, but it is only recently that emotions have been linked to acceptance of food and beverage. There is more awareness that the emotional experiences consumers receive from a product via sensory perception determine acceptability and consumption [4,5]. Assessment of the emotional responses elicited by the sensorial experience during product consumption is vital. The emotions elicited by the coffee drinking experience were identified in our previous work [7], where they determined a list of 44 emotions suitable for defining the ‘Coffee Drinking Experience (CDE)’ Several researchers have developed emotion scales to measure the affective feelings evoked by product consumption (EsSense ProfileTM) [6] or by olfactory stimulations from everyday odors (Geneva Emotion and Odor Scale) [1].

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