Bitter compounds

Bitter compounds trigger the basic taste bitter. In drinks they come, for example, from hops, herbs, cinchona bark, coffee, tea, citrus peel or tannins. Bitterness in small amounts is often appreciated because it offsets sweetness and makes drinks mature and multi-layered.

Sensitivity to it varies, since perception is individual and partly genetic. Typically bitter are tonic water, bitter liqueurs, pilsner and espresso. Bitterness should be distinguished from astringency, the dry, furry feeling caused by tannins, which belongs more to mouthfeel.