How Sound Affects Taste

Taste is multisensory.

What you hear changes what you think you taste, from the room’s background noise to the music playing and the tiny sounds a drink makes when it fizzes.

Researchers call this sonic seasoning, the deliberate use of sound to nudge sweetness, bitterness, freshness, and even mouthfeel.

Loud broadband noise, such as airplane cabin noise around 80 to 85 dB, reliably suppresses perceived sweetness and can enhance umami. In practice, louder rooms can make fruit read as less sweet while savoury notes feel more vivid.

Source: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/xhp-0000044.pdf

Reviews of in flight and lab studies report the same pattern, sweetness down and umami up under 75 to 85 dB background noise.

Source: https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A4766dc2b-789d-4be0-90e6-19a2f0d2ce4c/files/m00fbacf1658a9fbc6676a47362a3da7a

For tastings on the ground that means keep volume comfortable if you want fruit and delicate aromatics to shine. Restaurant noise has been shown to impair flavour perception, so moderating sound helps guests taste more clearly.

Source: https://flavourjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2044-7248-3-9

Pitch steers expectations. Higher pitched, bright soundscapes are linked with sweetness and citrus lift, while lower pitched, darker soundscapes are linked with bitterness and depth. Changing the soundtrack can nudge perceived taste without changing the liquid.

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3677333/

You can hear freshness before you taste it. The hiss of opening, the clink of ice, and the gentle crackle of bubbles increase perceived effervescence when the sounds match what the eye expects. Experiments show auditory cues can make the same carbonated drink feel crisper.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0950329305000212

The sounds around serving prime expectations too. Research on opening sounds finds that a congruent can or bottle cue raises freshness judgments even before the first sip.

Source: https://flavourjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13411-015-0044-y

Apply this with REAL. Keep music bright and mid to high in pitch when you pour REAL BLUSH so red fruit notes feel lifted, choose light, detailed tracks for REAL DRY so citrus feels precise, and play balanced tracks with some lower register warmth for REAL SEC to support length without dulling aroma.

Source: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3677333/

Set the scene where you serve. REAL is brewed from outstanding loose leaf tea and fermented at The Fermentery on the Waddesdon Estate, which is why you get natural fizz, clean acidity, and a long finish that responds well to careful sound choices.

Source: https://realalcoholfree.com/pages/visit-us-the-fermentery

The clink itself is optional. Modern etiquette emphasises a gentle touch, eye contact, and inclusive toasting that does not require alcohol in the glass, so sparkling tea fits the ritual perfectly.

Source: https://emilypost.com/advice/toasts-and-toasting-tips-you-can-use-today

Final pour. Sound is part of flavour. Set the soundtrack, control the volume, let the fizz be heard, and you will taste the difference in every glass of REAL.