London, April 12 (IANS): Stop sipping coffee… just gulp it down if you want the best flavour from your favourite brew, a study advises.

Taking big slurps of coffee releases much more aroma compared to merely drinking it slowly, researchers who conducted the study say.

“The findings could be useful to understand the factors which contribute to attract consumers to the pleasant aroma of coffee,” they added.

The study looked at “sip volume” when drinking coffee and found larger sips have a “higher aroma release”. It also considered different sipping amounts and the impact they had on the smell of coffee.

It was found that different coffee brewing techniques appeared to affect aroma release and that the bigger the sip taken, the more fragrance was released.

The researchers, from the University of Naples, said it was well known that smell and taste are related and that one can have a significant impact on the other.

They said the varying levels of aroma from different sized sips or gulps could be explained by the amount of saliva in drinkers’ mouths.

For the study, they tested four different types of coffee brews -- American, Neopolitan, moka and espresso.

Espresso coffee was identified as giving off the most aroma when bigger rather than smaller sips were taken.

However, the advice goes against that for other drinks, such as wine, where people are advised to take small amounts in their mouth to get the maximum flavour and aroma.

The findings of the study have been published in the latest edition of the journal ‘Food Research International’.