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How Cup Shape Affects Your Coffee Experience
Design & Science5 min readNovember 15, 2024

How Cup Shape Affects Your Coffee Experience

The shape of your cup isn't just aesthetic—it directly impacts aroma, temperature, and flavor perception. Discover how our Barista Collection cups are engineered to enhance every sip.

When you pour coffee into a cup, you're not just transferring liquid—you're creating an environment where chemistry, physics, and sensory perception converge. The shape of your cup plays a crucial role in how you experience your coffee, from the first aromatic whiff to the last satisfying sip.

The Aroma Connection

A cup's rim diameter directly affects how aromas are concentrated and delivered to your nose. A narrower opening, like those found in our Barista Collection, creates a funnel effect that channels volatile compounds—the molecules responsible for coffee's complex scent profile—directly toward your olfactory receptors. This is why a well-designed cup can make you notice notes of caramel, citrus, or chocolate that might otherwise go undetected.

Temperature Dynamics

The surface area-to-volume ratio determines how quickly your coffee cools. A wider, shallower cup exposes more liquid to air, cooling faster—ideal for delicate pour-overs where you want to taste the coffee as it evolves. A narrower, taller cup retains heat longer, perfect for espresso that needs to stay warm through the entire experience.

Flavor Perception

The curvature of the cup's interior affects how coffee flows across your tongue. A tapered design directs the liquid to specific taste zones, allowing you to perceive sweetness, acidity, and body in a more structured sequence. This is why professional baristas often prefer cups with specific internal geometries—they're not just vessels, they're flavor amplifiers.

The Perfect Match

Our Barista Collection cups are designed with these principles in mind. Each curve, each angle, each millimeter of rim diameter is calculated to enhance your coffee experience. It's not just about aesthetics—it's about engineering the perfect sip.