cool diagram from www.raymondsbrain.com
This is the beginning of my endeavor into The World of Taste. I’m going to embark into the world of coffee tasting. No doubt enjoying coffee is all about taste along with the buzz factor from the caffeine. I have a hunch that becoming better tasters just requires a little education and practice. So to be able to take the enjoyment of coffee up another notch, I think getting our taste buds in shape is in order.
I found an interesting site about the science of taste. With a little consideration, I think most people would say that our taste buds can distinguish four things: sweet, sour, salty, bitter. The Taste Science Laboratory claims that there are actually two more tastes: fat and something called umami (pronounced oo-mah-mee). I never thought fat was a taste, but it does make sense – this sense of taste is probably stronger for me than my wife – she is Jack Sprat who can eat no fat, I am Jack Sprat’s wife who can eat no lean. The big surprise is that our taste buds recognize something that the Japanese discovered and called, umami – that delicious flavor in meat. This taste bud is actually stimulated by MSG. That is why you’ll find MSG listed in the ingredients on your Doritos bag.
So you got that? There are six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, fat, and umami. Is your mouth watering for a nice piece of steak or a juicy hamburger? Mine is.
Tags: Coffee Tasting, science of coffee
