Tea or coffee? The answer might be genetic

"Bitter taste perception is shaped by not only genetics but also environmental factors," he said.

Cultural rather than 'genetic' imo. Same as Vegemite, marmite etc and pretty much everything (drink/foodwise).

Is it genetic that my wife (Japanese) can slam a large mug of French roast at night and still sleep like the dead but if this Yank of N. European extraction were to partake I'd lay awake all night?

Or if she drinks 3cm of beer her face is as red as the post button below. Meanwhile, I can drink 3 gallons and remain pasty faced.

If people like the bitter taste so much, why do so may add sugar?

Americano? Please stop it. I drink both tea (green, black, and red three to five times a day) and coffee once or twice a day. Maybe it's a UK thing.

"Evolutionarily speaking, we should want to spit that Americano straight down the sink."

Starbucks is not gonna like this article.

I'll have both tea and coffee, thank you.

Try coffe Luwak pls.to each his own.

actually good coffee is anything but tart.. sweet (without adding sugar) or fruity would be a good coffee quality indicator.

btw, French Roast is mostly charcoal, with the caffeine destroyed by the heat. Light roasts and Robusta beans are much stronger in caffeine.

ebisen Thanks for the heads up on French roast. Don't drink it because it does indeed taste like charcoal, but with the caffeine destroyed what's the point of drinking it?

Ah so Drinking coffee without sugar is like drinking lemonade without sugar. Yuck! That being said, I saw a survey of Japanese elementary girls that said they don't approve of guys who like sweet coffee, haha, lol

If people like the bitter taste so much, why do so may add sugar?

I don't think most coffee lovers (am one of them) enjoy or even 'feel' the bitter taste that much tbh. It's all about coffee's unique smell & flavor, with or without sugar (and in my case no milk).

I actually find tea more bitter than coffee (go figure).

コーヒーもう一杯くれ、世界中一番お美味しいだから。コーヒーもう一杯くれ、俺は運転手だぞ。。。

A spo' o' coffee, please.