25/05/2026
Why does coffee taste bitter? A new study published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology has provided the clearest molecular explanation yet, revealing how specific compounds found in coffee activate a human bitter taste receptor known as TAS2R43. The research, led by scientists from the University of North Carolina and Stanford University, used cryo-electron microscopy to visualize the receptor at near-atomic resolution. The findings help explain not only how humans perceive coffee bitterness, but also why bitterness varies among different coffee compounds and brewing profiles.