Abstract

This research aims to understand consumer preference for kombucha, a fermented tea, by facial expressions (measured by automated facial analysis software) and by self-reported overall liking (using hedonic scores). This study focuses on whether or not package label colors influence emotions. One national brand of commercially packaged kombucha was chosen for the study based on the uniformity of its labels. Three labels in different colors (orange, yellow, and green) were used to test consumer liking of two different flavors of that brand of kombucha. The data showed that the mean overall liking of kombucha in a bottle with a green label (7.19) was significantly higher (p<0.1) than the overall liking of the same kombucha with a yellow label (6.58). Facial expressions evoked by kombucha were generally low in intensity. Although there were no significant differences in facial expressions elicited by the two labels (p>0.05), the yellow label was observed to have a higher probability to stimulate negative emotion (evidence value (EV) disgust=1.139) than the green label (EV disgust=1.137).