I am a cyclist. As any cyclist knows, the journey is not just about getting from A to B. It is really about all the points in between. It is not just about how many meters you climb, but also about how steep the climbs are and the gaps (rests) between each ascent. It is about how sudden and how sharp the corners are and also whether the sharpest corners are on the flat or on the fast descents. It is about the sequencing of these features on the journey. Are all the big climbs in the first half of the ride while you are still fresh? Or does this route save the biggest and steepest climb for just before the finish?
This is also true of taste journeys. A flat, unchanging, uniform experience is simple, unchallenging but boring and unexciting. Something that starts with an intense taste straight away may be exciting – probably quite moreish – but is likely to feel artificial and ultimately lack satisfaction. Your reaction to any bitterness in a flavor is invariably dependent upon how suddenly that bitterness occurs – how steep the climb is to its peak. More importantly, if bitterness is preceded by some sweetness, the reaction to the bitter flavor will be exaggerated, while if the sweetness comes afterwards, you will find the intensity of the bitterness much more bearable.
Every Shape of Taste is unique, with different sequences and intensities of flavors, with different gradients, different twists and turns along the way. It is these ‘features’ (moments) in the journey, just as much as the different tastes and textures themselves, that evoke the consumer’s emotional response. When you understand all these characteristics of the journey and how and why they evoke the emotional responses that they do, you will understand your foods and drinks better. You will learn to appreciate their subtleties more fully. You may also start to understand more about yourself.
If you work in the food and drink industry, you will find that you are in a position to adapt the taste journeys of your products to deliver more satisfying emotional journeys to your consumers.
Even better, when you can identify the ideal Shape of Taste that your consumers are looking for, you can then create a product to deliver a taste journey that will evoke the desired emotional outcome.
Order my book “The Shape of Taste” here
Chris Lukehurst is a Consumer Psychologist and a Director at The Marketing Clinic:
Providing Clarity on the Psychological relationships between consumers and brands
