Latté Art Influences both the Expected and Rated Value of Milk‐Based Coffee Drinks

Abstract

The present study investigated whether consumers' expectations and perceptions concerning milk-based coffee drinks would be influenced by: (1) the presence/ absence of latt e art on the froth of the coffee, and (2) shape-taste symbolism (i.e., angular versus rounded shapes presented on the froth). An online survey conducted using photographs of cups of coffee revealed that the presence of latt e art did indeed influence people's expectations concerning the value of the drink. Follow-up research revealed that people were willing to pay more for a milk-based coffee drink that had latt e art as compared to a similar drink served without art. In a third experiment, an online survey revealed that an angular shape, relative to a more rounded shape, influenced people's expectations concerning the likability, bitterness and quality of the drink. A final experiment (Experiment 4) revealed that shape influenced people's perception of the quality and estimated price of the coffee. Taken together, the various results reported here demonstrate that the presence of latt e art influences how much people expect, and are willing, to pay for a caf e latt e. As such, adding art to, and the type of visual design on, a customer's drink should be considered by those serving caf e latt e as an effective means of increasing value. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSThe addition of latt e art to milk-based coffees is an interesting, and somewhat recent, phenomenon. The inclusion of latt e art can help baristas differentiate their product from those of others. The results reported here suggest that the addition of latt e art influences how much people expect, and are willing to pay for milkbased coffees. As such, for the cafe owner thinking about how to increase profits, the experiments reported here suggest that people are willing to pay between 11-13% more for coffee with latt e art than for those without it.

Bittersweet Findings: Round Cups Fail to Induce Sweeter Taste

“…Hence, Study 2's findings, positively equating angularity with a more bitter taste, may readily be interpreted as additional evidence for this specific cross-modal correspondence [6], and the general discernibility of such effects in between-subject experiments (that is, without a direct comparison [8]). Interestingly, these findings are in line with a recent study that was unable to find effects of round latté art shapes on sweetness expectation in coffee, but where the effects of angular shapes on bitterness were found ( [16], experiment 3). It is possible that the effects of angular shapes might be more deeply ingrained in the human mind, due to their association with threat [15].…”

“…This might imply that, without the ability to rely on explicit visual contrasts (i.e., other, different shapes), visual perception alone is ineffective in establishing cross-modal correspondences between round shapes and sweet tastes without sufficient congruent haptic information. This might also have been a reason for other null results reported in recent studies investigating the relationship between round shapes and sweet taste in beverages [16,20].…”

“…However, assuming that the effect found is actually there, one has to conclude that individual cross-modal effects seem highly susceptible to change depending on the beverage category or sample population. One also has to wonder, then, why expectation effects (based on the beverage's visual inspection) did not surface here [11,16]. It is possible that other influences, like beverage color, might have played a larger role [17].…”

Does the Shape of the Drinking Receptacle Influence Taste/Flavour Perception? A Review

“…However, and relevant to van Rompay et al's (2016) [32] work, people expected the coffee displaying angular-shaped latté art to be more bitter than the coffee with a round shape on it. Relevant here in relation to the influence of shape on the perceived taste of coffee are the results of a study by Van Doorn, Colonna-Dashwood, Hudd-Baillie, and Spence (2015) [38]. These researchers demonstrated that people rated the quality a coffee served with rounded latte art (looking rather like a chocolate amoeba shaken on top of the coffee) as higher than the same coffee when a more angular star-shaped pattern was sprinkled on top of the drink instead.…”

Organic label's halo effect on sensory and hedonic experience of wine: A pilot study

“…Several studies have provided evidence for expectancy effects on sensory qualities of food and overall liking (Ares, Barreiro, Deliza, Gimenez, & Gambaro, ; Deliza & MacFie, ; Laureati, Conte, Padalino, Del Nobile, & Pagliarini, ). Sensory related expectancy effects have been found for specific external attributes such as the visual presentation of food (Paakki, Sandell, & Hopia, ; Tu, Yang, & Ma, ; Van Doorn, Colonna‐Dashwood, Hudd‐Baillie, & Spence, ), information about production practices and process (De Souza, Minim, Minim, Coimbra, & Da Rocha, ; Musto, Cardinale, Lucia, & Faraone, ), packaging‐related characteristics (Ares & Deliza, ; Maggioni, Risso, Olivero, & Gallace, ; Vidal, Barreiro, Gómez, Ares, & Giménez, ; Wan et al, ), price (Just, Siğirci, & Wansink, ), label appearance (Arcia, Curutchet, Costell, & Tárrega, ), and brand name (Di Monaco, Cavella, Iaccarino, Mincione, & Masi, ). For the case of wine tasting, Siegrist and Cousin () showed that such information affects the sensory experience itself and not only participants' overall assessment of the wine after the tasting.…”