Influence of teaware on subjective ratings of,and taste expectations concerning,tea

Two studies were conducted in order to investigate the influence of teaware on consumers’ subjective ratings of, and taste expectations concerning, one of the world’s most popular beverages, namely tea. In Study 1, 100 Chinese participants and 100 participants from the USA viewed online photographs of Chinese brand and British brand green tea presented in either Chinese or British tea sets. The participants then rated their feelings about, taste expectations concerning, and willingness-to-pay for, each cup of tea. In Study 2, 65 Chinese participants also viewed these photos with either a high or low price label for each cup of tea. The results of both studies consistently revealed that the teaware influenced Chinese participants’ bitterness and astringency ratings concerning their tea expectations; whereas no such effects were found for the USA participants. Moreover, the teaware also influenced Chinese participants’ pleasantness ratings of tea when no price information was provided, but not when price information was presented. Collectively, these findings highlight the influence of the visual appearance of the receptacle on the subjective ratings of, and taste expectations concerning, tea. These results also compare the influence of product-extrinsic and contextual cues on consumers’ taste expectations.     

As wine experts disagree,consumers’ taste buds flourish: how two experts rate the 2004 Bordeaux vintage

In the rating of 184 2004 Bordeaux wines, Jancis Robinson (JR) and Robert Parker (RP) showed: complete agreement on only 71/184 or 39% of the wines; for 110 of the remaining 119 wines, RP assigned a higher rating than JR. RP scored: 51 wines as EXCELLENT that JR rated as ABOVE AVERAGE; 38 as ABOVE AVERAGE that JR scored as AVERAGE; 19 as EXCELLENT that JR scored as merely AVERAGE; and 2 wines as ABOVE AVERAGE that JR rated as BELOW AVERAGE. JR offers a plausible way for the consumer to make sense of the wine ratings of a given specialist, in the same way the consumer learns to ‘calibrate’ her/his subjective judgments to those made by designated experts in other fields of interest. Here Robinson [(1997). Tasting pleasure: Confessions of a wine lover. New York, NY: Penguin] treats expert judgments of wine as ‘…?every bit as subjective as the judging of any art form’. Recent enological research indicates that this message needs to be understood in a broader socio-economic framework that focuses upon other important variables that drive wine consumer purchases, such as prior tastings and recommendations from fellow wine drinkers.     

Dynamic changes of taste experiences in wine and cheese combinations

The ideal cheese and wine combination might be relatively subjective, depending on personal preference, context factors, previous knowledge and experience of food and wine. The aim of this study was to (I) explore consumer liking for wine and cheese pairs; to (II) explore whether either wine or cheese dominates a combination and to (III) understand the relationship between consumer liking and the dynamic taste experience. Consumer testing was performed in a restaurant setting where 45 consumers evaluated liking and dominance of combinations of cheese and wine as a part of a conference lunch. In a laboratory, Temporal Dominance of Sensation (TDS) was used to analyse the dynamic responses of five wines and Roquefort Société tasted in a mixed tasting. Results show significant differences between the wines for dominance and liking for the wines and cheese. A sweet and fruity dessert wine together with the cheese scored high for liking and no dominance was indicated of either wine or cheese. TDS is found to be a useful method to provide additional information about sensory attributes that give a high liking score, showing the dynamic in the eating process.     

Does taste sensitivity matter? The effect of coffee sensory tasting information and taste sensitivity on consumer preferences

Product sensory information, an external cue, could greatly influence consumer enjoyment of hedonic products like coffee. The question is what type of sensory information, subjective (e.g., aroma, flavor and body) or objective (e.g., origin, varieties and production practices), has a higher impact on consumer product experience accounting for heterogeneous taste sensitivity. We examine this question using a between-subject experiment where participants were either given subjective, objective or no sensory information of a specialty coffee. Participants were classified as either supertasters or other tasters using the 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) paper strip. The results indicate that, compared to objective sensory information and no information, subjective sensory information results in a higher taste rating and a higher preference level for the coffee. More importantly, subjective information positively influences PROP supertasters’ purchase likelihood for coffee, without necessarily affecting their bitterness perception of the coffee tasted.     

Tasting and Judging the Unknown Terroir of the Bulgarian Wine: The Political Economy of Sensory Experience

Some Bulgarian winemakers insist that their unique terroir (taste of place) and native grapes can deliver a “distinctive” product in the global market. Such beliefs are the driving force for marginal producers to continue with their wine production in a fiercely competitive global wine market despite the lack of brand equity and cultural capital compared to the world's elite wines. How can the global consumer sense this unique “taste of place” which is itself an elusive culturally cultivated concept? What does gastronomic connoisseurship entail in a highly globalized world where knowledge of local products and taste are exchanged and experienced in a standardized way as a global foodway? Understanding these questions from the viewpoints of the Bulgarian wine sector, this article discusses the intersection of the sensory experience and the implicit global hierarchy of value that wine producers and consumers employ to objectify and communicate the subjective taste knowledge and identity of place.     

Thermal taster status associates with oral sensations elicited by wine

Backgrounds and Aims: Individual differences in the perception of wine flavour may contribute to variation in wine consumer behaviour. Two phenotypes shown to associate with the intensity of oral sensations elicited by simple solutions are thermal taster status (TTS) and responsiveness to the bitterant 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Thermals tasters (TTs) perceive ‘phantom’ tastes when the tongue is thermally stimulated. Here, we investigate the effect of TTS and PROP responsiveness on the perceived intensity of oral sensations elicited by wine. Methods and Results: Two white (2008 Pinot Grigio, Italy and 2007 Gewürztraminer, Canada) and two red (2007 Valpolicella, Italy and 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile) wines were assessed by 20 TTs and 20 thermal non-tasters (TnTs). TTs rated the intensities of sweet, sour, bitter, astringent and overall flavour higher than TnTs, and males (17) tended to rate these sensations higher than females (23). Unexpectedly, PROP responsiveness was not associated with intensity ratings of oral sensations for any wine (P(r) > 0.05). Neither TTS, PROP responsiveness, nor gender was linked with liking scores of the wines. Conclusion: TTS may be an important determinant of individual differences in oral perception of wine. Significance of Study: Understanding how individuals differ in their perception of wine can assist with product development, formulation and marketing.     

Acceptability of partially dealcoholized wines – Measuring the impact of sensory and information cues on overall liking in real-life settings

In this study, the effect of partial alcohol reduction in wine on consumer expectation and overall liking was investigated in real-life settings (by a Home-Use-Test). By varying the wine in the bottle and by manipulating the information on the label, it was possible to assess the relative impact of sensory properties and information cues on overall liking.Standard Chardonnay and Syrah wines were partially dealcoholized from about 13.5% to about 9.5%. After bottling, these dealcoholized wines were presented once with information about real alcohol content (9.5%) and once with false information about alcohol content (13.5%). A third bottle with standard wine inside was also presented with real information about alcohol content (13.5%). A group of 194 French wine consumers rated the three wines at home for liking before and after tasting on continuous hedonic scales. Another group of 90 French wine consumers evaluated the wines at the laboratory.The same order of preference was obtained in both laboratory and home conditions but wines generally attained significantly higher hedonic scores in Home-Use-Tests. A strong segmentation of consumers highlighted specific consumer behaviors regarding expectation and overall liking of wines. Results emphasized the importance of both sensory and information cues in the development of overall liking by consumers.     

The premium price for Italian red wines in new world wine consuming countries: the case of the Russian market

Italian wine is increasingly appreciated in new world consumer countries and, in particular, in Russia where consumers associate its consumption with an Italian lifestyle. In this paper, market value for wine search attributes is measured through the estimation of a hedonic price model using online data from a Wine Searcher website and the information contained in the labels of wines marketed in Russia. Results show a premium price for wines from Piedmont and Tuscany, and in particular for non-native varieties and for Indicazione Geografica Tipica and Protected Geographical Indication wines. Additionally, vintage and higher alcohol content have a significant positive impact on the prices that consumers are willing to pay for wines. The knowledge of the implicit price of wine quality attributes has important implication for producers to aid in the adoption of effective marketing strategies, and for decision-makers for the adoption of effective measures to improve regional competitiveness in the world market.     

Sandwiches and milk with varying fat and sodium contents: What is the best combination?

Saltiness and fattiness were systematically varied in combinations of wheat bread (unsalted vs regular-salt), spread (none vs regular-salt and regular-fat), cheese (low-salt and low-fat vs low-fat). All possible combinations, amounting to sixteen samples of sandwich and milk, were presented to 43 subjects for ratings of pleasantness. The subjects also rated the pleasantness of individual components. The unsalted bread without spread but with low-salt, low-fat cheese and any of the milk types received the lowest hedonic ratings, whereas the regular-salt bread with spread and with any of the cheese and milk options received the highest. The pleasantness of individual components predicted the pleasantness of a combination by only 10–40% (multiple regression analysis). Thus the pleasantness of an entity depended on the pleasantness of components only to a very limited extent. The absence of major elements, such as spread on bread or the salty taste in bread, had major effects on acceptance.     

The influence of product knowledge on the relative importance of extrinsic product attributes of wine

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of product knowledge, both subjective and objective, on the relative importance of four extrinsic product attributes of wine, namely price, age, brand and region of origin. The relative importance of four product attributes is evaluated comparative to consumers’ self-reported and objectively measured knowledge of wine, using the conjoint analysis technique. The results suggest that product knowledge does influence the relative importance of extrinsic wine attributes in product evaluation, with the price of wine shown to be the dominant attribute regardless of the level of product knowledge expertise. Brand, age and region of origin received differing rankings of importance. Across all four levels of product knowledge, consumers navigate their evaluative product decisions according to the midpoint between most and least expensive wines in their consideration set. Price sensitivity appears to heavily impact consumer evaluation strategies, which serves to inform wine pricing strategies.     

The effect of viscosity and volume on pleasantness and satiating power of rice milk

The present study examined the influence of two viscosity levels (62.3 and 3.2 mPa s relative) either matched for taste or non-adjusted, and two volumes (500 and 250 ml) in a rice milk beverage on satiety and pleasantness. The separate viscosity treatments were isocaloric. Seventy-one participants consumed one of the samples in a fasted state between the hours of 8:30–9:30 a.m. Participants rated thirst and hunger prior to consumption, and then thirst, hunger, overall pleasantness, pleasantness of taste, and pleasantness of viscosity immediately post-consumption. The time to consumption of lunch was measured using food diaries. This procedure was repeated for five consecutive days. Significantly greater reductions of hunger, and longer times to lunch were observed with the 500 ml treatments, but not with the thickened treatments. Results indicate that the volume of a rice milk beverage consumed in place of a breakfast has more satiating effect than the viscosity. Moreover, a change in overall pleasantness ratings, and pleasantness of taste ratings over time was found, demonstrating the importance of repeat testing for hedonic ratings of novel foods.     

Intensity of taste and astringency sensations elicited by red wines is associated with sensitivity to PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil)

The relationship between sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and taste and astringency perception elicited by red wines was examined. Twenty-five subjects were classified into three PROP sensitivity groups (non-tasters, tasters and super-tasters) based on their bitterness ratings of a 0.32 mM PROP solution as measured on a Labeled Magnitude Scale (LMS). In a completely randomized block design, subjects used the LMS to rate the bitterness, astringency and acidity intensities of three commercial red wines. Contrary to the findings of previous studies with wine, bitterness, astringency and acidity intensities were all correlated with individual PROP taster status. PROP non-tasters gave significantly lower intensity ratings for the bitterness, astringency and acidity of the red wines than did PROP tasters and super-tasters. Individual differences among taster groups may be related to preference and consumption behavior of consumers of wine and other alcoholic beverages.     

Willingness to pay for red wines in China

China's rapidly expanding wealthy population has expressed a new desire for imported red wines. Using data collected in China's major red wine consumption region of Beijing, this study analyzes the impact of country of origin, price, wine age, and brand on consumer-derived utility and willingness to pay for red wines. Findings from a conditional logit model and a mixed logit model indicate that price remains the key factor in Chinese consumers' red wine choices. For gift purchases, consumers are willing to pay an additional $20 to move from a US wine to a French wine. For own consumption, French wines are preferable if their price is within a reasonable range of $13–20 above Chinese or US wines. Chinese consumers also strongly favor branded and matured red wines. China's rapid and sustainable economic growth and its stronger integration to the global economy have led to greater disposable income and the expanding consumer demand for luxury beverage of red wines.     

Comparison of best–worst and hedonic scaling for the measurement of consumer wine preferences

Background and Aims:  Best–worst scaling (BWS) is compared to standard hedonic scaling for measuring consumer wine preferences. BWS is a relatively new method for producing ratio-level scales and has gained recent attention for application in sensory research, but has not been applied to wine.
Methods and Results:  Regular wine consumers (112) evaluated eight designed wines with both scaling methods in an intra-subject design over two test periods. The methods did not result in comparable product liking results. The eight wines could almost be differentiated on an aggregated level with hedonic ratings ( P  = 0.076); there was no significant difference with BWS. Latent class analysis was used to identify two clusters, which differed on the preferences for the designed sensory components. The BWS design had to be split into several blocks, so no complete individual measures were available, which prevented analysing heterogeneity for this method.
Conclusions:  BWS needs more wines to be assessed per person in order to discriminate between red wines and to allow modelling of consumer preference heterogeneity. Respondents would have to accomplish complete individual BWS designs, which requires repeated exposure to the same set of wines over several tasting sessions.
Significance of the Study:  This study demonstrates that BWS is not as suitable for sensory consumer preference measurement of red wine as hedonic rating. While BWS has shown a higher discriminative ability for different products and in non-sensory research, the factors of alcohol, tannin and memory fatigue make it less practical for red wine sensory measurement compared to hedonic rating.     

Off-flavours in wines through indirect transfer of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from coatings

This paper assesses the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the drying of coatings on the sensory characters of corks and wines. According to Italian National Standard Method 11021:2002, a small-scale chamber was used (1) to expose wines to the drying of coatings with both low and high VOCs, and (2) to expose corks to the same coatings. After exposure to the coatings, the corks were then placed in direct contact with wine. Different styles of white, red and rosé wines were tested. In both directly exposed wines and in wines after contact with the exposed cork, the taste and smell off-flavour perception and intensity were assessed by a panel of eight experienced wine tasters using a five-point numerical scale according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard methods. The results showed that the sensory characters of wines, especially taste, were influenced by the VOC content of the coatings. The taste off-flavour perception was found to be higher than the smell in wines exposed to coatings with either high or low VOCs contents. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan analysis prove that: (1) panellist's answers were significantly different, (2) it was difficult to differentiate the off-flavour perception on the high-level scale, and (3) the panellist off-flavour perceptions versus wine style discriminated the wines into two groups (red and white/rosé). For all the wine styles, Pearson's test showed no significant correlation between off-flavour perception levels and the main chemical characters of the wines. For the wines that were in direct contact with the exposed corks, the panellists detect the off-flavours according to the levels of VOCs in the coating and wine styles and they assessed the highest levels of alteration were to the taste.