Rise of the Supertasters

     Have you heard of these lost, under-appreciated superheroes, "supertasters"? About 25% of the U.S. population are considered supertasters, meaning that they have at least twice the amount of tastebuds that we boring/regular/average tasters have. Now, if two of you live in a house and your significant other can't describe what he or she tasting as well as you can, that doesn't mean you're a supertaster. That might just mean that your spouse just isn't the sharpest tack in the tackle box.

     But would it be better to be a supertaster? Would you sit there at dinner and just get lost in the millions of layers each bite of gourmet food had, washing over you for hours? Many think the experience of being a supertaster is more likely just the opposite. The subtle spiciness of a dish is for you, too spicy to keep in your mouth. The light acidity of a finessed Cabernet Franc is to you, just pure acidity. A little oak on a nice Spanish tempranillo could be like chugging a vile of vanilla.

     So you supertasters, choose wisely. You average tasters, be happy you can enjoy twice the range of foods and wines that supertastes sometimes cannot. Are you a supertaster? Do you have a friend who insists that they can taste a wine from 4 feet away? Comment below.

 Stasi said:
Don't know if you've seen this, but you can have your 'buds "done" at this website (by taking a quiz or following the rather complicated tongue-coloration test - I say go for the quiz): http://budometer.com/index.htmThe site will then tell you which wines you're most likely to enjoy and give options matching those preferences. It was spot on for me (a sensitive taster) and my husband (a tolerant taster).
April 10, 2008 12:15 PM

Name:


Your Web Page:




Word Verification: