How does milk reduce bitterness in coffee?

Question

While making my morning coffee it struck me that a dash of milk reduces the bitterness in coffee, yet the same amount of water doesn’t dilute the coffee as much, so got to thinking, what is it in milk that lessons the bitterness in coffee? I did a google search and was met with “X best ways to reduce bitterness in coffee” which didn’t help.

In: 113

Answer 1

There are compounds in tea which are commonly referred to as “Tannins” and they can be bitter. The proteins in milk interact with those tannins in such a way that they no longer “fit” into the taste receptors which signal bitterness.