Between Bitterness and Sweetness: How Decaffeination and Sweeteners Shape the Sensory Experience of Espresso Coffee

The increasing demand for healthier beverages has encouraged the reduction of caffeine and sugar in coffee-based products. This study evaluated the sensory descriptive profile and consumer acceptance of traditional and decaffeinated espresso coffees sweetened with sucrose, sucralose, and stevia with different rebaudioside A concentrations. The sensory characterization was performed using Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) with eighteen trained assessors, and acceptance was evaluated by 120 consumers. The physicochemical analyses indicated that decaffeinated coffees showed lower pH values and higher titratable acidity compared to traditional ones. In the sensory evaluation, traditional espressos presented higher scores for brown coffee color, crema creaminess, roasted aroma, and bitterness, while decaffeinated samples exhibited higher red hue (a*) values and more pronounced acidity. Sweeteners influenced multiple sensory attributes: sucrose was associated with higher perceived sweetness and body, while stevia increased perceived acidity, roasted flavor, and sweetness aftertaste. Consumer preference mapping associated higher liking with samples sweetened with sucrose and sucralose. These findings suggest that both the coffee type and sweetening agent significantly affect the sensory perception of espresso coffee, emphasizing the need for formulation strategies that preserve desirable sensory attributes in sugar-reduced or decaffeinated versions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The conclusions reached represent a relevant source of knowledge for the coffee industry in the development and production of coffee-based beverages. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the behavior and sensory characteristics of sweeteners, offering insights into the perception of sweet and bitter tastes and the factors that influence them, as well as into the sensory profile of the samples, considering that the performance of sweeteners varies according to the product in which they are incorporated.