Coffee, Our Bitter Lover - Why We Just Can't Get Enough

When asked if one enjoys bitter tastes, an average person will respond in the negative… likely rather enthusiastically. How does it make sense, then, that we as a species are so fond of a substance that is characteristically bitter?

 Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/804271

While Fortuna coffee is known for a significantly decreased to non-existent level of bitterness (shout-out to our guys in the roasting lab!), the simple fact is that coffee is usually fairly bitter. Still, human coffee consumption statistics reach new heights year over year. In fact, we Americans have consumed over 1.6 billion five-pound bags of coffee this year alone. The real head-scratching comes when we recognize that bitterness is actually an evolutionary defense mechanism that our bodies developed to protect against dangerous substances. So why are we lapping the stuff up like every cup is our last meal?

As it turns out, the more bitterness we can taste in coffee, the more we like it. A newly published study by Northwestern Medicine and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia reports that more bitterness-sensitive coffee drinkers are more likely to consume a far greater quantity than their less sensitive counterparts. Furthermore, this difference in sensitivity comes entirely from each person’s genetic variation. 

One might expect that those more sensitive to bitter tastes would despise coffee, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. We coffee lovers have, over time, developed a sort of sensor for caffeine; consuming to the point that our brains are telling us “yeah, this stuff is pretty cool, send more!” This means that we as a species have conditioned ourselves through caffeine-reinforcement to love that which we are supposed to dislike. We now associate good feelings and emotions with coffee, leading to further consumption. 

Source: (1.) Ong, Jue-Sheng, et al., "Understanding the role of bitter taste perception in coffee(...)"

This study involved a Mendelian Randomization approach, wherein researchers test genetic variation to determine a causal relationship between two variables. Bitter taste and beverage consumption were tested in a population of over 400,000 United Kingdom men and women. Genetic information was gathered and compared against self-reported consumption statistics including coffee, tea, and alcohol. The results, though unexpected, were strong enough to identify a correlation, though causation is still up for debate.

Marilyn Cornelis, assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, added that those in the study group sensitive to caffeine and consuming more coffee were drinking low amounts of tea. She theorized, however, that this detail is a result of the fact that the coffee drinkers were simply too busy drinking coffee to consider tea. 

Strangely enough, this study continued on to find that people sensitive to bitterness in certain other foods, like in some vegetables, would often avoid coffee. Additionally, individuals with higher levels of bitter sensitivity would consume less alcohol, specifically red wine. 

The implications here are very interesting. We've conditioned ourselves to love coffee... what else could we learn to love? What other seemingly normal elements of daily life have we, as a species, avoided in the past? Where does it all start? Where does it all end?

- Griffin Thomas
Marketing & Communications Manager
Fortuna Enterprises, LLC

Source: 
1. Ong, Jue-Sheng, et al. “Understanding the Role of Bitter Taste Perception in Coffee, Tea and Alcohol Consumption through Mendelian Randomization.” Scientific Reports, vol. 8, no. 1, 2018, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-34713-z.

---

Fortuna Enterprises - Want it all? We have it all!

Established in 2000, Fortuna Enterprises is the consummate leader in providing complete and comprehensive solutions for all of your coffee shop needs. Located in Greensboro, NC, Fortuna excels in unparalleled customer service by offering specialty roasted small-batch coffee, a fully stocked warehouse, imports, design, equipment repair, consulting, barista training, and more!

We are compelled to be the unsurpassed authority for all coffee shop requirements. We use this drive to continue our extensive research in carefully selecting only the highest quality coffees, equipment, syrups and other coffee shop necessities. Our products have a proven record of premium industry performance and unmatched reliability. We buy large quantities from our suppliers so we are in turn able to negotiate extremely competitive pricing for our customers. 

We look forward to hearing from you about how we can take you from concept to completion!