At Inlight, our purpose of empowering a more intentional world drives us to design each step precisely. When it comes to our space our goal is not just to serve coffee, but to create an environment where our guests—designers, writers, architects, and creators—can enter a state of focus. The Origami Cup is part of that. It transforms a simple act of drinking into a ritual of awareness.

When it comes to coffee, most people think flavor begins and ends with the bean. But science tells a different story: the vessel matters just as much. Research shows that cup design—its shape, thickness, even color—directly alters how we perceive aroma, sweetness, acidity, and body. A tulip-shaped cup can heighten aroma. Rounded bowls often make coffee taste sweeter. White cups tend to accentuate bitterness, while darker or colored cups can emphasize body or fruitiness. In short: before a sip even reaches your lips, the cup has already begun shaping your experience.

The Origami Sensory Cup

To embody this principle, Origami offers a Flavour Cup series (sometimes called the Sensory Cup set) with three distinct geometries—Aroma, Pinot, and Barrel—each calibrated to emphasize different sensory dimensions. Designed in Japan with input from sensory scientists and coffee professionals, the Origami set isn’t just beautiful—it’s functional artistry. Its flared rim gathers and releases aroma. The smooth, rounded interior enhances sweetness and balance. The thin lip ensures the flow of coffee glides naturally, guiding the liquid across the palate so that flavors are clear and distinct. It’s a cup created to disappear—leaving only the coffee, fully expressed.

Here’s how each shape guides your perception:

Aroma Cup

• The Aroma cup features a wide, spacious bottom (large headspace) and a normal thickness with an inward-angled rim. 
• Because of its headspace and shape, you often tilt it more, bringing your nose closer and engaging more retronasal olfaction. This emphasizes aromatic complexity, especially coffees with pronounced floral, herbal, or tea-like aromas (for instance, coffees with bergamot or jasmine notes). 
• Its design allows volatile aroma compounds to concentrate before release, making the nose the focal sense before taste.

Barrel Cup

• The Barrel design approximates a wine barrel shape. It has a moderate headspace and a thicker rim curved inward toward the lip. 
• Because its rim is thicker and directs the flow more centrally, it encourages a larger volume per sip, delivering more liquid to the tip of the tongue first—where sweetness is most readily perceived. 
• The name “Barrel” also references its dual role: capturing aroma like a wine barrel while letting body and sweetness shine. 

Pinot Cup

• In many sources, the third cup is referred to as Pinot (or “Point”) rather than “Point” explicitly, but the same principle holds in the set.
• The Pinot cup is characterized by an outward-flared rim, which allows the coffee to spread more across the palate. This shape helps engage balance and midrange complexity, letting acidity, sweetness, and body interplay more evenly. 
• In effect, Pinot is the “bridge” shape—less extreme than Aroma or Barrel, giving you a fuller, integrated tasting profile.

Why Inlight Chooses Origami

For us, the cup is not an afterthought; it is part of the ritual of clarity. We choose Origami because it embodies what we believe in:

• Absolute Clarity: Every curve is designed to let the coffee speak without distortion, revealing its true character.
• Meticulous Craft: Like our roast profiles, the cup is engineered with precision to heighten sensory detail.
• Purposeful Pursuit: The cup doesn’t distract—it refines, guiding the drinker into a more intentional moment.

More Than a Vessel

The next time you sit with us and lift an Origami Cup to your lips, notice the way it feels in your hand: the lightness, the balance, the curve. Breathe in the aroma that gathers at the rim. Let each sip be more than taste—let it be a moment of clarity, crafted for you.