Does Your Coffee Cup Affect the Taste?
When you sit down with you favorite coffee mug/cup, is it standing in the way of the best tasting coffee? Most of us don't think about what we're drinking out of, but rather just the coffee itself. To assist with making the most of your coffee drinking experiences, here are some tips to make sure each cup tastes as good as it should.
- Use a porcelain mug - I have found porcelain is the best in terms of allowing the coffee to taste it's best. Because it's not porous, it holds the warmth for longer periods which will help to preserve the flavor. These mugs are also reusable so they're environmentally friendly too! They're easy to find in any store and can even be picked up at a thrift store for pennies.
- Try to avoid plastic, paper, and Styrofoam cups - These cups can add the flavor of their materials to your cup of coffee, altering the taste. While you might not realize it at first, the flavor is slowly eroded by these kinds of cups. Even worse, there is some debate as to whether these cups will release some of their more toxic ingredients into your coffee because of the high temperature of the water as it sits in the cup.
- Be sure to wash your coffee mug regularly - We all know that you can get rings around your coffee cup if you don't wash it out regularly, but this also affects the taste. The oils in the coffee can adhere to the sides of your cup and then be deposited into your next cup. Instead, be sure to scrub out your coffee mug each day.
- Using a stainless steel travel mug is the best alternative when traveling - Because stainless steel is not porous and holds heat well, these are the best mugs to use for travel. While porcelain is the ultimate vessel, the stainless steel mugs don't seem to remove any of the flavors of a freshly brewed cup of coffee. These do need to be rinsed before you use them to prevent any metallic taste in the first cup.
Hopefully these tips will enhance your coffee drinking experience. In answer to the question of whether a coffee cup can affect the taste of your coffee, only your taste buds can decide. Some people are more sensitive than others while others can't even tell the difference. But if you're looking for the purest flavor you can get, try some of these tips to see if you notice a difference.
