Ice cream tastes better when it’s licked from a cone than eaten from a spoon, according to an expert.

The question of whether ice cream tastes better from a cone than when eaten from a spoon was a tricky hypothesis to prove.

Now, Kay McMath, a sensory scientist from Massey University and chief judge for the New Zealand Ice Cream Awards, has provided a scientific explanation to support the idea that ice cream tastes better when it’s licked, reports the NZPA.

McMath said that the flavour in food is released when warmed inside the mouth.

Licking an ice cream means the tongue is coated with a thin layer so it is more quickly warmed and the flavour detected by the taste buds.

Eating ice cream with a spoon tends to keep the ice cream colder for longer and delivers the sweet blob to the roof of the mouth before swallowing.

A smaller surface area is therefore involved in warming the ice cream to release the flavours, she said.

McMath said that because ice cream is eaten in smaller amounts when licked, the full melt and flavour is released with every lick.

She said this scientific explanation supports the view that the longer the ice cream licking moment lasted, the greater the enjoyment.

The theory has surfaced as Tip Top prepares to launch its 1-dollar Scoop Day, when 600 dairies across the country will offer cone ice creams at 1-dollar per scoop.