Researchers took solutions that tasted bitter, sour, sweet, or astringent—a flavor found in legumes and raw produce that creates a dry, puckering feel in the mouth. They either chilled the solutions to 5 degrees Celsius, the recommended temperature for keeping food cool…or heated the solutions to 35 degrees Celsius, a couple degrees below human body temperature. Volunteers then rated the tastes.

 

Both sour and astringent solutions tasted stronger at warm temperatures, and the intensity lasted longer than it did with chilled drinks. Bitter flavors came through best when chilled. And temperature had no effect on perception of sweetness.

 

For most people, temperature can enhance flavors. But for some, dubbed thermal tasters, temperature alone can be a flavor. Heating or cooling parts of the tongue creates the sensation of taste without food—a finding that’s hard to swallow.

 

Thanks for the minute for Scientific Americans 60 second Science, I am Sophie Bushwick.