Consumers' perception of different brewed coffee extractions using the sorting technique

This study investigated coffee brewing methods from the consumer perspective using the sorting task. The hypothesis was that consumers consider espresso and coffee capsule beverages to be the result of similar extractions. In the first assessment, the following ten extraction methods were studied: paper filter, cloth strainer, Italian coffee maker, French press, electric coffee maker, espresso, and four capsule coffee machines, and 36 assessors conceptually sorted them into groups. In the second assessment, two espresso and eight capsule coffee samples were evaluated. One hundred and eighteen assessors tasted the samples and sorted them into groups according to their sensory similarity. They also evaluated each group for their acceptability and quality and characterized them by the check‐all‐that‐apply (CATA) method. The results showed that when conceptually evaluating the different brewing methods, the consumers considered espresso and capsule coffees to be alike, but when they tasted the different espresso and capsule coffees, they perceived them as different beverages. Therefore, the sorting task is suitable for measuring how the consumers perceive similarities and differences among different brewed coffees, and was improved by association with the CATA analysis. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Coffee capsules are gaining markets worldwide, so this study investigated whether capsule coffee is similar to espresso coffee from the consumer point of view. To analyze this question, the sorting method was applied in an innovative way evaluating the perception of the different coffee extraction methods by presenting videos, photos and the coffee machines and devices themselves. Subsequently, sorting was applied to evaluate the actual beverages. When conceptually evaluating the different brewing methods, the consumers grouped espresso and capsule coffees together, but they perceived differences in the sensory characteristics when they tasted the samples. Thus, marketing companies will be able to use the findings of this research to better communicate with consumers.