Consumer perception of and preference toward products are influenced by intrinsic product-specific (e.g., product temperature) and extrinsic non-product-specific (e.g., packaging or container) characteristics. Besides communicating information between products and consumers to create expectations toward the content at the point of sale, packaging also influences sensory perception of the content during consumption. Previous cross-modal studies on packaging effects on the content had largely overlooked hand-feel touch cues. Touch closely relates to consumers’ emotional responses to and their quality evaluation of products. One way to manipulate hand-feel touch cues in a beverage consumption setting is to vary materials of cup sleeve, which are served concurrently with brewed coffee (BC) and green tea (GT). This thesis aimed to determine 1) influences of intrinsic cues (product temperature) on sensory perception of and emotional responses to BC and GT; 2) cross-modal association (CMA) of extrinsic hand-feel touch cues (12 sleeve materials) with evoked emotions, basic tastes, and coffee-related flavors; and 3) cross-modal influences of extrinsic hand-feel touch cues (4 sleeve materials) on emotional responses, sensory perception, arousal, and valence of BC. Results showed both intrinsic and extrinsic cues influenced emotional responses to and sensory perception of BC and GT. Beverages at higher temperature were characterized by positive emotions, while those at room and cold temperatures were characterized by low arousal-negative emotions and high arousal-negative emotions, respectively. CMA between hand-feel touch and taste cues were confirmed to exist: bitter taste and black coffee flavor with cardboard sleeves; sweet taste and creamy flavor with towel; sour taste with stainless steel; and salty taste with linen. Correlations between certain textural parameters and sensory CMA were also observed: thicker and rougher materials positively correlated with positive emotions and sweet taste, while thinner and smoother materials positively correlated with negative and high-arousal emotions and sour taste. Additionally, coffee presented with samples (towel, linen, or stainless steel) were perceived differently, in terms of both emotions and sensory attributes, compared to cardboard (control). As highlighted here, touch cues are important in product evaluation. Professionals in food and beverage industries should consider incorporating more hand-feel textural features on product packaging or container designs
