How delicious is that cup of hot chocolate? The answer may lie in the color of the cup as much as the drink itself:
"The colour of the container where food and drink are served can enhance some attributes like taste and aroma," as explained by Betina Piqueras-Fiszman, researcher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain). Along with her colleague Charles Spence, from the University of Oxford (UK), the scientist has come to the conclusion in the case of drinking chocolate.
Both conducted an experiment in which 57 participants had to evaluate samples of hot chocolate served in four different types of plastic cup. They were the same size but of different colours: white, cream, red and orange with white on the inside.
Published in the Journal of Sensory Studies, the results reveal that the flavour of chocolate served in orange or cream coloured cups was better for the tasting volunteers.