Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) of Modern Iced Coffee in a Café Setting

Abstract

Abstract

Coffee consumption in Indonesia has expanded significantly alongside the rapid growth of café culture, creating demand for diverse modern iced coffee offerings. This development highlights the importance of dynamic sensory methods in capturing evolving perceptions in realistic settings. This study characterized the temporal sensory profiles of five modern iced coffee variations-Arabica iced Americano, Arabica iced latte, and three Robusta-based flavored coffee-milks (iced salted caramel, iced Irish, and iced butterscotch)-using the temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) method in a coffeeshop environment. A sensory lexicon was established through a focus group discussion (FGD) with eight consumers and applied in consumer-based TDS evaluations. The results demonstrated distinct sensory dynamics between black coffee and milk-based beverages. Americano was dominated by bitterness and roasted notes, with intermittent acidity. In contrast, flavored coffee-milk samples were consistently characterized by sweetness and chocolate as dominant attributes, resulting in confectionery-like profiles. Multivariate analysis, including a principal component analysis (PCA) that explained 89.46% of the total variance, confirmed two distinct clusters: (1) Americano and latte, characterized by bitterness and roasted notes, and (2) flavored coffee-milks, dominated by sweetness and chocolate. These findings highlight the suitability of TDS for evaluating dynamic sensory changes in café-style beverages, providing practical insights for optimizing recipes optimization and differentiating products in the modern coffee industry.