There’s nothing better than curling up during the winter with a nice mug of hot chocolate, unless of course you drink it from a green mug, as drinking it from an orange mug is much better.

According to international team of researchers, hot chocolate does, in fact, taste better when served in an orange mug.

The study reinforces research that shows how different colors affect our perception of food, which is why McDonald’s bears its iconic red and yellow colorway.

‘The colour of the container where food and drink are served can enhance some attributes like taste and aroma,” said Betina Piqueras-Fiszman, a researcher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain.

Along with her colleague Charles Spence, from the University of Oxford, she has proven this case with hot chocolate, as it tastes better in an orange or cream-colored cup as opposed to a white or red one.

The pair asked 57 volunteers to evaluate samples of hot chocolate served in four different types of plastic cup. These were the same size but colored variously white, cream, red or orange with white on the inside.

Their results, published in the Journal of Sensory Studies, revealed that the volunteers preferred the hot chocolate in the orange or cream cups, despite the fact that the hot chocolate was the same in each cup.

Despite the hot chocolate being the same, the participants said the hot chocolate was more aromatic and sweet in the cream-colored cups.

“There is no fixed rule stating that flavor and aroma are enhanced in a cup of a certain color or shade,” said Piqueras-Fiszman.

“In reality this varies depending on the type of food, but the truth is that, as this effect occurs, more attention should be paid to the color of the container as it has more potential than one could imagine.”

When serving a food or beverage that has comforting properties, complementing it with a warming color such as an orange or cream can influence the consumer’s perception of the food in a positive manner.

James Gilbert | Elite.