Ever had a "what?!?" response to a highly regarded espresso blend? - Page 3

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Ever had a "what?!?" response to a highly regarded espresso blend?

Yes
45
98%
No
1
2%
 
Total votes: 46

chang00
Posts: 638
Joined: 16 years ago

#21: Post by chang00 »

The original confirmatory research on "supertaster" was by Dr Linda Bartoshuk, who was then at Yale Medical School, in 2000. She showed some people, especially Asian women, can taste low concentrations of 6-N-propylthiouracil, a bitter substance. The "supertasters" have higher number of taste receptors in the fungiform papillae on the tongue. Currently, there are five known taste receptors, namely, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami; the last one was identified by Japanese researchers not too long ago.

Although the original research was really regarding bitterness, this "supertaster" phrase has somehow been expended to other taste, most notably saltiness. Some would debate increased sensitivity to bitterness does not translate to other taste.

Most of the "taste", or rather flavor, of coffee is really "aroma", the signals are carried by the olfactory nerve, a different cranial nerve. In fact, most people cannot distinguish coffee if the nostrils are blocked. There is a gradual decline of the olfactory epithelium as we age, so by age 60, only about 50% remains. This could account for the reason as we age, the same food just does not "taste", or rather "smell", the same.

One can train smell with the Le Nez Du Cafe kit to arrive at a semi-standard calibration.

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ailevin
Posts: 53
Joined: 15 years ago

#22: Post by ailevin »

I think it is a poor model to treat of our senses like cameras, microphones, or chemical meters etc. that simply transduce the physical world into an "objective" electrical signal. Our senses are more akin to extensions of our brains, and while they do respond to the physical world, that response is context dependent, which is to say it depends on both expectation and prior experience.

I think a better way to think about our senses is the way we think about our motor abilities. Something is easier to taste when you have tasted it before, just as it is easier coordinate motor tasks that have performed before. We learn to sense much as we learn to move. Clearly their are boundary conditions here and much "prewired" capability.

However it is more obvious to me in my other hobby, astronomy, that you learn how to see much more with experience, and that further, an experienced observer can help you learn to see things that you didn't see before. I think that more experienced palates can help others learn how to taste things.

Alan

chang00
Posts: 638
Joined: 16 years ago

#23: Post by chang00 »

Now this is a weird "what?!" response, but not to a highly regarded espresso blend. Ever since becoming a coffee nerd, people invariably bring coffee as gift. This is a bag from the green mermaid. 14g, 78 tipped, 32 fragments, and 16 externally evenly roasted beans. I was surprised to see crema and some tiger stripping. The sad thing is, the dark roast flavor has been so entrenched that some guests prefer the charred taste, especially in milk. I can only roll my eyes. :shock:








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SAS
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Posts: 322
Joined: 14 years ago

#24: Post by SAS »

another_jim wrote:I had a double WTF moment with Vicace's Dolce. After hearing it was the second coming of espresso...
SAME HERE!
LMWDP #280
Running on fumes.

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malachi
Posts: 2695
Joined: 19 years ago

#25: Post by malachi »

SAS wrote:I was disapointed by the shot I had at the Kirkland Cafe Zoka produced by the Slayer Machine. Sorry, I can't recall the beans used.
HB wrote:"Have you ever had a WTF response to a highly regarded espresso blend? As in, why the !@#$% can't I pull a decent shot with this blend, when everyone around me considers it boss?"
What's in the cup is what matters.

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