There’s a reason why wine glasses look the way they do. The body is wide to maximise how much of the wine makes contact with the air, but the lip of the glass shrinks to keep as much of the smell inside — but not so narrow that your nose won’t fit.
When it comes to tasting wine, your nose is just as, if not more, important than your tongue. The aroma is responsible for what many of us would call the flavour.
“The mistake that many people make … is to mention things like fruity, meaty, herbal, citrusy, burned, smoky and even earthy as tastes. But these are not tastes. Strictly speaking, they are flavors. Don’t worry, most people are unaware of this distinction. But how do you tell the difference? Well, hold your nose closed — and what is left is taste” — Charles Spence, Gastrophysics
While wine is now heavily associated with the glass it’s served in, coffee doesn’t really have an equivalent. It’s served in round and wide mugs, short and straight, glass or ceramic, or whatever happens to be on hand.
But just like wine, the aroma is essential to a good coffee. It’s a bit odd, really, given that some 400 million coffees are consumed every year, that the same science applied to the wine glass hasn’t been applied to the coffee mug.
