Classical music salons, 16th-century Islamic courts, Bedouin tents, North American highways, Japanese jazz bars, co-working spaces, and sensory labs have all served as unexpected venues where coffee and music converge, often leading to remarkable outcomes. Join us on a journey to explore how coffee has inspired iconic musical 
creations and how music has enhanced the coffee-drinking experience since the very beginning of brewing. From the drip to the drop, this is the story of coffee and music.

From the rich chambers of the rising sun, 
Where arts, and all good fashions first begun, 
Where earth with choicest rarities is blest,
And dying Phoenix builds her wondrous nest, 
Coffee arrives, that grave and wholesome liquor, 
That heals the stomach, makes the genius quicker, 
Relieves the memory, revives the sad, 
And cheers the spirits, without making mad.

—Brief Description of the Excellent Vertues of that 
Sober and Wholesome Drink Called Coffee (1674), 
Anonymous

This charming poem, featured in musicologist John A. Rice’s 2007 article ‘Music in the Age of Coffee’, illustrates the relationship between coffee and the creation of music. Rice argues—and he is not alone in this assertion—that the introduction and popularization of coffee in Europe ignited a wave of ‘manic intellectual and artistic creativity’. He cites several renowned classical musicians who were positively hooked on coffee, relying on it as their ‘creative drug’. In fact, coffee appears to have played a role in the composition of some of Europe’s musical masterpieces. For instance, just two months before his death in 1791, Mozart wrote to his wife: ‘… then I had Joseph summon Primus and bring me black coffee, with which I smoked a wonderful pipe of tobacco; then I orchestrated almost all of Stadler’s rondo.’ Thus, while coffee first arrived in Europe as a medicine and spice, it ultimately enriched more than just palates, invigorating as it did the spirit of an era. Rice elaborates: One of the most remarkable and distinctive features of musical life in eighteenth-century Europe was the astonishing level of productivity achieved by many of its composers. The sheer number of major works written by Antonio Vivaldi… J. S. Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and many others reflects, in part, the century’s predominantly optimistic, energetic mood… It was probably no coincidence that this age of almost manic intellectual and artistic creativity was preceded by the introduction into Europe of a drug that, although not isolated and named until 1819,  thoroughly pervaded eighteenth-century life.

Coffee and music, then, emerged as ‘allies’ in 18th-century Europe, with coffee contributing to the creation of some of the era’s most defining compositions. This partnership, of course, did not begin at that time, but we will return to that later. For now, let us jump forwards two centuries. (We will be doing a lot of time-jumping; I hope you’re suitably caffeinated.) 
Researchers in sensory science have introduced the intriguing concept of ‘crossmodality’, which refers to our brain’s ability to integrate information from various sensory modalities—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell—into a cohesive experience. Particularly relevant to our discussion here, Professor Charles Spence from Oxford University’s Crossmodal Research Laboratory and his colleagues have demonstrated how music can affect our perception of flavour. This research has inspired a variety of marketing strategies, including the idea of ‘sonic seasoning’. In a 2019 article published in 25 Magazine, Spence explains that sonic seasoning refers to ‘the surprising impact that certain pieces of music [or] soundscapes have been shown to have on the tasting experience.’ For example, highpitched music has been shown to enhance sweetness in bittersweet foods, while lowpitched music (such as brassy tones) can intensify bitter flavours. Spence and his colleagues have not only conducted research but have also partnered with industry professionals to create ‘creamy music’ designed to highlight smoothness in chocolate.Why jump from 17th-century salons to 21st-century sonic labs and creamy music? These two anecdotes serve as a delightful overture to our subject: the relationship between coffee and music, and how each influences the other. Although the term ‘sonic seasoning’ is modern, humans have been enhancing their coffee experiences with sound for centuries, ever since the introduction of coffee as we know it today.