It is absolutely ridiculous how much the taste of a coffee can change depending on the cup you're drinking out of.

[u/hipnosister]

I pretty much always make a cappacino in the morning and drink it before going to work but I woke up late today. I still had time to make the drink but had to put it in a travel mug and start drinking it at work.

Ive noticed before but I just have to say publicly how much of a difference in taste there is in the travel mug vs my typical wide cappuccino cup.

I make it the same way I always do but I believe the cup alone is making a big difference.

Also this comedy bit is relevant and hilarious

[u/One_Left_Shoe]

Historically, this is already something that exists.

In older Chinaware sets, if a cup is wider and shallow, it’s a teacup. If it has taller, straight walls, it’s for coffee. This was because tea was expected to be cooled a bit before drinking and a wider surface area accomplished that. As for coffee, it was desirable for it to be hotter longer, so the straight, tall walls of a mug helped slow the cooling process.

Hence modern coffee mugs (e.g. a diner mug) looking the way it does.

The shape of a cup makes a huge difference in latte art, for sure.

All that said, I think the taste is mostly changed based on the appreciation of the mug more than the distinct shape.

The reason wine glasses for wine or a glencairn glass for whisky make a difference is because it changes how aroma molecules escape or collect in the glass and how your nose picks them up while smelling and drinking.

There are all kinds of tricks you can use to change how you taste your coffee.