Bizarre reason why coffee tastes better on one specific day of the week
If you're a certified caffeine fiend, you might think that every coffee is a great one.
Some people find though that their beverage of choice just hits differently on a certain day.
Now, you might assume it's a Monday morning when you need all the help you can get to start a new week, or perhaps it's that Sunday morning coffee brought to you in bed?
It turns out, it's actually a mid-week coffee that tastes the best.
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That's according to a new study, where researchers looked into whether your beloved coffee actually tastes different depending on what day it is.
The research was conducted by a group of scientists at the University of Oxford, who surveyed 3,000 people across 11 countries, including the UK, between April 2024 and February 2025.
Scientists have found that Wednesday is the best time to brew up, as most of us are happier to be past the mid-week slump and heading towards a (hopefully) work-free weekend.
If you want to get really specific, they drilled down even further and found that coffee tastes best in the morning, and especially on a spring morning.
Clearly they've never tried a coffee on a wintry afternoon, just saying...
The author of the study, Professor Charles Spence said: “Wednesday represents the start of the countdown to the weekend, which can make people feel more positive about everything, including what they are drinking.”
As for why the changing of the seasons can make a difference, Spence adds: “A season like spring, when the weather is improving and people feel hopeful about the coming year, may boost the feelgood emotions a cup of coffee can evoke.
“Meanwhile, autumn may herald the start of the ‘winter blues’, so even a coffee is less enjoyable.”
Seriously, add some pumpkin spice syrup into it, and you'll be away.
They even examined the best way to drink it, whether sitting down, standing up, or walking around.
The prime time was deemed to be when sitting down with friends, rather than having it alone.
Most people prefer to drink takeout coffee without a lid, due to it blocking that delicious smell.
They also found that the biggest coffee drinkers are aged 30 to 60, who enjoy it more than the under 30s.
Coffee is still second to tea in the UK, with 98 million cups of coffee served daily, versus 100 million cups of tea.
So if you're looking to have the ultimate coffee experience, put this in your diary now: a springtime Wednesday morning, sat down with friends.
You learn something new every day.
Topics: Drinks
Jen Thomas