smoking changes the ph level in your mouth, that is why.

another_jim wrote:In the past, when almost everyone smoked; there was no difference in taste preferences between the two groups. I think any differences that one sees now are not due to the smoking itself, but due to the neurological factors that keep the few diehards smoking.

That would not be true if the pH in your mouth alters taste preferences....

Smoking changes a lot but my preference for medium to darker roasts did not change one bit after quitting smoking, not that my case is proof for this but I bet Jim has more experience investigating this and did not make his statement haphazerdly.

Marcelnl wrote:That would not be true if the pH in your mouth alters taste preferences....

Smoking changes a lot but my preference for medium to darker roasts did not change one bit after quitting smoking, not that my case is proof for this but I bet Jim has more experience investigating this and did not make his statement haphazerdly.

I believe we are not talking about taste preferences. At least I am not. OP says his friends who are heavy smokers do not get underlying notes, they taste only brightness. In regards to "taste preference" smoker or non smoker, you will keep liking what you like. A smoker who doesn't like light roasts still would not like light roasts even after they quit smoking. However, they may start getting those flavors which they were not able to before. Or in other words, because the tobacco alters the ph level in your mouth, you will feel certain tastes more pronounced.
Also, the different tobacco types will have different effects. Such as burley based blends will make your mouth more basic and Virginia or Virginia based blends or Oriental tobacco will lean towards acidic side.

ie. smoke only burley and you will get nutty, earthy tastes more pronounced.
ie. smoke only Virginia and you will get acidic tastes more pronounced, such as orange juice will taste more like lemonade instead of Orange

It is not any different than blending coffee. You have burley (sumatra) you have gold virginia (kenya) you have kentucky (guetamala), you have orientals (ethiopia). Blend all and you get a bit of everything, balanced etc. Regardless, there is one thing certain, aside from altering PH levels, smoking will damage those precious cells in your mouth and you will taste a bit of less of everything in the end. Numb is the right word I believe.

thepilgrimsdream wrote: I know smoking effects ability to taste, but have you experienced that this changes smokers coffee preferences towards darker roasts?

I would have sworn that the OP mentioned taste preferences but I probably misread something.

The OP asked if smoking changed taste acuity. It didn't when everyone smoked and was used to smokey environments. It does now, when people are no longer used to smokey environments. The same can be said for coal soot in 19th century cities and coal soot now, or for any other aromatic that is common and then becomes rare. People learn to compensate when they run into it all the time, not so much if they don't. Even a pack a day smoker probably hasn't been able to light up in a cupping room for the last 25 years, and in a cafe for the past 10, so they too would be put off by the smoke.

As to underlying taste preferences: The fact that far fewer people smoke means the demographics of smoking has changed. This means that any taste biases smokers had a generation ago are not the same as the ones they have now, simply because it is different group of people who smoked then and smoke now.

Finally, the preference for light and dark roasts might be generational. People mostly do not adjust their tastes once they have formed them unless they are compelled. Boomers often acquired their taste from the dark and medium dark roasts of Peets, Starbuicks and the the older specialty cafes; millenials acquired theirs more recently, as third wave roasters were going to lighter roasts.

There could be a deeper causal connection between the decline of smokey and sooty environments and a growing dislike of roast or smoke flavors in foods. However, I see no decline in the consumption of BBQ or malt whiskey; so this would be very hard to prove.

Obviously we do not have many smokers here, which is great. Unfortunately I am one of those smokers. As Jim said, the tobacco smoke is off putting and smokey environments certainly has negative effect on taste, but it is not something permanent and its effect on ability to taste is not that high. Smokey environments or the smoke itself messes with how you perceive aromatics, not the flavors. No matter how smokey the environment is, an apple will taste like an apple but you may not be pleased because the aromatics of apple mixed with tobacco smoke.

However, for the smoker himself/herself it is not that simple. Combustion of solids at such high temperature, turning to gas phase from solid phase in an instant and they fill their mouth with it. The heat from the smoke alone is enough to kill millions of cells. In addition, because of the high alkalinity of the smoke, PH level in smoker's mouth gets altered. This alteration of course is not permanent but easily could be, depending on how much and how often and what type of tobacco they are consuming. In its pure form, the tobacco is not something you could constantly inhale due to alkalinity (ie. cigarillos, cigars, pipes etc). Your lungs simply won't hold up to it and same goes for your mouth. That is why they came up with cigarette papers, filters (it is not there to hold excess tar, it is there so you get a dry and cool smoke), most recently propylene glycol and voila you have lower alkalinity, can smoke one after another like there is no tomorrow and you do not even realize your ability to taste is altered. You will only notice how big the change was only after you quit smoking.

Smoke flavors in foods, or malt whiskey or BBQ will not change the way you taste other foods and beverages, because they are not damaging as many cells in your mouth as hot smoke and alkalinity does. So, no decline is not surprising. Due to reasons listed above (and many more not listed) those subtle flavors for the tobacco smoker won't be there as much and they will get basic flavors more pronounced, such as sweet, salty, hot, sour etc.

In regards to preference. I agree wholeheartedly with what Jim said "People mostly do not adjust their tastes once they have formed them unless they are compelled". I am a smoker and I hate dark roasts. I hate light roasts too. This was also the case in my non-smoking days. The only roast I like is the right roast. And for me it is the roast which compliments & completes a particular bean. Because the right roast changes from person to person, it is hard to point a finger at and even harder to achieve. If only there was haute couture of coffee roasting. Specifically roasted to your liking. Now I am sure someone will come up with that idea soon! Whatever