Was involved in a discussion regarding caffeine and caffeine-free beverages recently. I am pretty sure I’m a caffeine addict which may alter my “test” results, anyhow the discussion hinged on how I was unable to tolerate caffeine-free colas. I was able to taste a difference in blind tests. Likewise with coffee. It then moved onto the debate of whether caffeine has a flavor or not. At first, my own experience would have put me the “yes, it does” category, but then I got to thinking about root beer. Being one to enjoy root beer every now and then, I took notice that some brands were caffeine-free and some weren’t. In each case I was unable to notice a discernable difference, other than the usual flavor variation. Meaning I didn’t gag like I usually do with non-caffeine beverages.
So my question comes down to this: Does caffeine alter the flavor due to an interaction of existing ingredients?