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Look, not all tasting notes are highfalutin. One of my prouder moment in college was assessing the aroma notes of different vanilla beans- the person from Very Large Vanilla Supplier That Has Since Been Acquired said no one had identified the specific note of the one bean. I took one whiff, said “oof, smells like Play-Doh”. I was the only one who identified it.

The important takeaway is that when it comes to sensory science, there’s no such thing as a dumb descriptor. If it tastes/smells like a thing, then it just does. (The follow up takeaway is that I’m very good and important at my job no matter what anyone says)

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Sir, I'm going to need you to roll up your sleeve.

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[sweats nervously] I’VE NEVER OWNED A TERCEL SCOTT

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In a wine tasting group I was once a part of, we had a friend who would provide a "gas station" tasting note (peach rings, Dr. Pepper, those hot dogs cooked on rollers) every time we met. Kept things from getting too full of themselves.

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Those people are a godsend in sensory groups.

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She was really good, too--as much as you wanted to argue with "banana Runts," you never could.

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Also, being a supertaster absolutely blows. I’m a supertaster for phenylthiocarbimide, which makes most green vegetables and certain hops in beers a complete nightmare.

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I understand. A large portion of the population are supertasters for a compound in Skyline Chili. It makes them think it tastes bad, and it's actually them that's the problem.

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