This cup tricks the brain to perceive plain water as juice

The Right Cup Drink Water taste fruit juice flavored sweet smell

You know that feeling of satisfaction when finding external support for a personal belief? That’s what I was looking for with this quirk. After reading a lot about healthy diets in scientific studies and research papers, I didn’t believe The Right Cup fits here. Initially I was convinced that the only 100% healthy way to ditch a bad habit is going cold turkey, because otherwise the brain will go into placebo effect. I’m still not fully convinced that replacing sugar with sweeteners is just as good for the body as skipping sugary experiences altogether. Nevertheless I didn’t find any compelling evidence to back this up, so for now I’ll just play neutral about it.

This cup, unlike this one, is made to smell and taste, which creates the impression of drinking flavored water. It promotes a healthier lifestyle by making people drink more plain water and less sugary drinks. A lot of people dread drinking water because it has no taste, so most refer to drinking water as unsatisfying.

The idea behind The Right Cup came from the fact that 80% of the taste experience comes not from taste buds, but from smell. And that’s indeed true considering when we have a stuffy nose we normally can’t taste much of what we eat.

What The Right Cup claims

  • the rim of the cup is enriched with scent and FDA approved food flavoring. The design positions your nose right over the opening, so your nose fully picks up the fruit aroma while your tongue flirts with a hint of sweet taste
  • 0 calories, preservatives, additives, sugar or carbs
  • the taste becomes more intense after a few uses, as the brain adjusts to the experience
  • comes in 6 flavors: Peach, Grape, Apple, Berry mix, Orange and Cola
  • made of 100% BPA free materials
  • has no use restrictions and is safe for everyone: adults as well as children
  • stimulates water consumption
  • reduces addiction to sugary drinks
  • suitable for people suffering from diabetes or obesity
  • helps pursuing a healthy diet
  • properly used releases flavor for at least 6 months. It’s recommended to be hand washed with cold water. Hot water tends to expedite the flavor release

the right cup tricks brain to think it's juice instead of just water

While I appreciate the novelty and good purpose of this invention, I can’t settle until I pick the holes to find

Achilles’s heel of The Right Cup

  • The creator claims there’s just water that you drink from this cup, however scientifically it’s not possible to acquire taste sensation with 0 taste stimulants. Therefore those particles that flavor the rim must dissolve in water in order to simulate a taste of any kind. So healthy and harmless as it may be, it’s not really 100% water
  • I personally have a mental obstacle when it comes to ingesting non-natural substances, which I associate with a chemical taste
  • How the cup releases the flavor over time influences the intensity of taste and smell. While drinking from the cup immediately after pouring might be the optimal way, in real life you simply don’t empty a glass of water every time you drink. I assume the water that stayed in the cup for 1 hour accumulates too much flavor. This piece here elaborates my point
  • On the long run is tricking your mind to not drink water a good idea? I’m still pondering whether this cup won’t contribute to “convincing” the mind that water tastes bad and ultimately do more harm than good

Bottom line: changing a habit is the most challenging process you can go through, and it’s 90% a mental battle. In what concerns me, I prefer just going cold turkey, for instance by cutting off all sugary tastes that don’t come directly from fresh fruit. It’s hard and “painful”, just like withdrawal, but after a few days the craving stops suddenly. That’s also the way to start enjoying water, by educating your brain to like it. For everyone else there’s The Right Cup and it costs ~€26

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