Did you notice that several baristas are using cups with different shapes and colors at their coffee shops and at championships presentations?! Well, we risk to state that this trend that might look random started with a Brazilian neuroscientist called Fabiana Carvalho. Her mission one year and half ago was just to understand if cup’s shapes would change how the brain understands/perceives coffee aromas and flavors.

Several experiments later, she shares her findings of this first phase in this conversation (in English) and tells what she is up to now. Colors, textures, weight and even music will change how we interpret coffee sensorial profiles. She tells about this crazy journey into coffee lover’s brains in this episode, which was recorded during the International Coffee Week 2018.

SHE ALSO NEEDS YOUR HELP FOR AN ONLINE RESEARCH FOCUSING SPECIALTY COFFEE.
CHECK HOW YOU CAN HELP IN THIS LINK.

PARTNERS
Felipe Croce, from Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza
Diego Gonzales, from Sofá Café coffee shop chain
Joseph Fisher, from April Coffee Roasters
Charles Spencer
Tim Wendelboe

IMPORTANT: This episode was recorded during the International Coffee Week 2018, that hosted four world barista’s championships (Brewers, Latte Art, Coffee in Good Spirits and Cup Tasters). Thanks to SEBRAE Espírito Santo’s support, a studio was built in the heart of the event and you can notice that format and edition was adapted to be produced during the show. It was amazing! Recording straight from this event corridors was a dream coming true.

If you speak Portuguese, you might be interested in this episode as well.
EP 10: Neurociência do café por Fabiana Carvalho

Guest:
Fabiana Carvalho, post-doctoral neuroscientist at the University of São Paulo (USP). Her research project focused on specialty coffee is being supervised by Prof Charles Spence at the University of Oxford.
https://www.instagram.com/thecoffeesensorium/

RESUMO:
Já reparou que muit@s baristas estão usando xícaras de diversas formas e cores em cafeterias e em apresentações de campeonato? Bem, arrisco dizer que essa tendência que pode parecer aleatória começou com a neurocientista brasileira Fabiana Carvalho. Sua missão há um ano e meio era estudar se as formas de xícaras, canecas e copos mudariam como o cérebro interpreta aromas e sabores do café.

Diversos experimentos depois, ela compartilha suas conclusões nesse link (em inglês) e agora já articula para outras aventuras para compreender como o cérebro de coffee lovers funciona. Será que cores, texturas, peso e até música ambiente mudará a percepção sensorial do café?! É isso que ela conta no episódio de hoje em inglês.

SHORT CUT
06’55” – What is neuroscience?!
14’00” – Do cup’s shapes and colors affect how people understand sensorial profile? SPOILER: YEAP.
21’37” – After Fabiana’s findings, she describes the next steps for the future.
29’12” – Cultural background and cup’s color change how people perceive aromas and flavors?

Images: Raíssa Castor.

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