Research says our DNA affects whether we prefer coffee or tea. Researchers studied how our DNA did this, and why we like some things more than others. The researchers said people who like bitter tastes are more likely to drink coffee. People who are more sensitive to the bitter taste of caffeine are more likely to prefer coffee. They were also more likely to drink more coffee than people who were not so sensitive to caffeine.
Researchers looked at data on more than 400,000 people. They also looked at the tastes of 1,757 twins and their brothers and sisters. They said other things can also affect our taste, like our environment, social factors or medicine. One researcher said: "Bitter taste...is shaped not only by [DNA], but also environmental factors. Even though humans naturally dislike bitterness, we can learn to like or enjoy bitter-tasting food."