Tasting

[zipp]

Just lately I came across the termSupertaster which put to thoughts into my head:
It would be nice to have the ability to taste the subtleties of foods and drink. I can get some but not like other people

and the other thought was wondering how much burning your tounge effects the long term ability of taste buds to distinguish subtle flavor or is the flavor in the nose so burning the tounge has a limited detrimental effect on taste?

[scruffmcgruff]

IIRC...

Supertasters are interesting creatures, but unfortunately it probably wouldn't help too much with tea. The tongue only senses the 5 main tastes (sweet, bitter, salty, sour, umami), while the nose can detect far more specific flavors.

Supertasters have more sensitivity to taste on their tongue but not their nose, so in a way it could be a disadvantage-- they don't taste any more of the complexities, and they may sense bitterness to a much higher degree. (Supertasters are often aversive to even slightly bitter foods.)

I should ask if anyone here is a supertaster, though, since I have no real experience in the matter.

[LavenderPekoe]

You know, I have never thought about it, but I am really sensitive to bitter, so maybe I am a slight supertaster. I was reading the list of things supertasters avoid, though, and I like most of them, so, maybe not. I hate coffee, though, and I am really iffy on green tea, love black and oolong, though, but I do tend to brew it weak using lower temps and shorter times.

[Wesli]

Superstar? Yeah, I'm one of those.

[strangeseraph]

I'm definitely a supertaster. Is this going to give me problems with tea tasting? I tend to put sugar in my regular tea to cut the bitterness. ^^

[Vulture]

definitely have a good memory of tastes. I don't think I am super sensitive to bitterness as it can be enjoyable at times. Only downside is I cannot smell very well so most of what I taste is by taste alone.

[gingkoseto]

Even though they are born geniuses, many professional tasters are also strictly trained. Once a woman from a tea dealer family told me that when she started to learn about tea at a very young age, she was only allowed to have the cheapest tea for a couple of years, and then slightly better tea, and then better tea. The rationale is, if you drink good tea from the beginning, you can distinguish good and bad, but not the subtle difference between good and slightly better. It's believed training of taste buds at young age is very important. And in traditional tea business (probably modern day too), people involved are not allowed to have any strong spices, including ginger, chive, onion... first to prevent tea from being contaminated, secondly to keep their own sensitivity.

I am not a good taster at all, and I can tell why. I had very salty food at young age, and till now saltier food than average, and very spicy food... So my taste buds need strong stimulus to sense anything

The professional tea taster, they don't just taste. They can tell quality of a tea in dry loose tea form and in wet spent leave form. So they are also "superviewer" and "super ofalctor?"