On the train I did not know I had boarded, the stations of my senses through which the molecules travelled before a verdict, and the tracks that could shift that.
Well done and expressive. I love your passion and sensibility. I find it an interesting article as I pair it too my sensory background in professional tasting. The company I worked for would go to companies and do a spec speak. It was to get say a cookie company’s R&D on the same page as they discussed flavor, what do we mean when we say pepper? Red pepper, hot pepper bell pepper and the way to do that was everyone had a small cup of that product in front of them to taste. So there could be 50 -100 cups of prepped foods in front of them. If you think about color if I see red you might really be seeing another version than me and theres no way to tell that but we have been taught when I see that color I call it red so we are on the same page. It’s similiar to flavor like you said we are all individuals. When I would train my panelists we would do a thing like a spec speak, but it would be intensive for months and our panelists data was not really great till about 2 years in. When you taste this way I would describe it as a little thread goes from your olfactory bulb and tongue to your brain and says red bell pepper. When you have those very firm you can rattle off flavors and the group is all on the same page its a beautiful thing to see happen. I would tell them in training because it seemed like an insurmountable task to learn that right now you have a big pile of books on the floor and you are creating places for each one to be put on the shelf, there will come a day where you just take one out when you need it and thats an awesome day. Even with wine which i have studied, when you understand what you like and can have the words to describe it you can get a wine for a moderate price that may taste like a bottle twice the price. Some of the hardest things to taste and learn is coffee, wine and chocolate and I have taught all three and trained panelists for coffee and chocolate. The reason is the loudness of some of the notes over shadow some of the lower notes. Like sitting next to a band playing loud music while trying to speak to someone next to you. You have work really hard and practically read their lips to understand what they are saying. I remember the first time I tasted peach in a coffee I was over the moon that I could finally “hear” it. It can hurt your brain. LOL. Flavor and texture is a huge thing and in the food industry they pay a lot of money to get it right to make the masses buy their product. Not always the best food for you I will say that. Some of the beautiful things in life is a well chosen bottle of wine with the people you care about. ❤️ Thanks for taking the time to write this, it was thought provoking for me.
Wow! Thank you for this thoughtful response and sharing your experience as a person who does flavor profiling as a professional! I loved this - “The reason is the loudness of some of the notes over shadow some of the lower notes. Like sitting next to a band playing loud music while trying to speak to someone next to you.” I wrote a more scientific piece for a magazine pitch where I talk about the faintness and repetition improves the ability to retain that perception in that person.
You’re very welcome I appreciate you reaching out, it’s a treat to discuss things of this nature with others that have a similar interest. Sounds like another interesting article you wrote! Where could I find it?
Fascinating perspective! Thank you
I can completely relate to your article. Excellent.
I would have brought a bottle of vermouth...
Well done and expressive. I love your passion and sensibility. I find it an interesting article as I pair it too my sensory background in professional tasting. The company I worked for would go to companies and do a spec speak. It was to get say a cookie company’s R&D on the same page as they discussed flavor, what do we mean when we say pepper? Red pepper, hot pepper bell pepper and the way to do that was everyone had a small cup of that product in front of them to taste. So there could be 50 -100 cups of prepped foods in front of them. If you think about color if I see red you might really be seeing another version than me and theres no way to tell that but we have been taught when I see that color I call it red so we are on the same page. It’s similiar to flavor like you said we are all individuals. When I would train my panelists we would do a thing like a spec speak, but it would be intensive for months and our panelists data was not really great till about 2 years in. When you taste this way I would describe it as a little thread goes from your olfactory bulb and tongue to your brain and says red bell pepper. When you have those very firm you can rattle off flavors and the group is all on the same page its a beautiful thing to see happen. I would tell them in training because it seemed like an insurmountable task to learn that right now you have a big pile of books on the floor and you are creating places for each one to be put on the shelf, there will come a day where you just take one out when you need it and thats an awesome day. Even with wine which i have studied, when you understand what you like and can have the words to describe it you can get a wine for a moderate price that may taste like a bottle twice the price. Some of the hardest things to taste and learn is coffee, wine and chocolate and I have taught all three and trained panelists for coffee and chocolate. The reason is the loudness of some of the notes over shadow some of the lower notes. Like sitting next to a band playing loud music while trying to speak to someone next to you. You have work really hard and practically read their lips to understand what they are saying. I remember the first time I tasted peach in a coffee I was over the moon that I could finally “hear” it. It can hurt your brain. LOL. Flavor and texture is a huge thing and in the food industry they pay a lot of money to get it right to make the masses buy their product. Not always the best food for you I will say that. Some of the beautiful things in life is a well chosen bottle of wine with the people you care about. ❤️ Thanks for taking the time to write this, it was thought provoking for me.
Wow! Thank you for this thoughtful response and sharing your experience as a person who does flavor profiling as a professional! I loved this - “The reason is the loudness of some of the notes over shadow some of the lower notes. Like sitting next to a band playing loud music while trying to speak to someone next to you.” I wrote a more scientific piece for a magazine pitch where I talk about the faintness and repetition improves the ability to retain that perception in that person.
You’re very welcome I appreciate you reaching out, it’s a treat to discuss things of this nature with others that have a similar interest. Sounds like another interesting article you wrote! Where could I find it?