WHAT KIND OF TASTER ARE YOU?
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Which best describes you?
- I eat to live
- I live to eat
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What is your preference when it comes to chocolate?
- The darker the better
- Dark (but not extreme)
- I’ve never met a chocolate I didn’t like
- I prefer milk chocolate
- Milk chocolate ONLY
- White chocolate
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How do you drink your coffee?
- Give it to me black and strong: espresso, French roast, you name it!
- I drink my brewed coffee black
- I add a small amount of milk/cream and/or sugar
- I add a good amount of milk/cream and/or sugar
- It has to be flavored and creamy for me: vanilla, hazelnut, etc.
- I don’t drink coffee because I don’t like the taste
- I don’t drink coffee for health or religious reasons
- I don’t drink coffee but I drink tea
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How do you drink your tea?
- like strong tea: English/Irish Breakfast, Orange Pekoe, etc
- I drink bold tea (but not extreme) without milk/cream or sugar
- I add a small amount of milk/cream and/or sugar
- I add a good amount of milk/cream and/or sugar
- It has to be creamy and/or flavored: chai, peppermint, lemon, etc.
- I don’t drink tea because I don’t like the taste
- I don’t drink tea for health or religious reasons
- I don’t drink tea but I drink coffee
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How do high-intensity sweeteners (such as Stevia, Splenda, Equal, Sweet ‘n Low, etc.) taste to you?
- They taste fine to me
- I don’t know / I have never tried them
- Extreme sweetness with a bitter aftertaste: I don’t use them at all
- Extreme sweetness a bitter aftertaste: but I use them to save calories
- They taste fine but I don’t use these types of things in general
- They taste different than sugar but I’ve learned to like them and even prefer the taste now
- They taste different but I learned to put up with the taste
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How do you feel about vegetables?
- Love them: all types!
- I eat them but there are a few types I don’t like
- I eat them but only because I know they’re good for me, I don’t really enjoy them
- Hate them: all types!
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What type of wine do you prefer (on its own, assuming you’re not trying to pair it with a particular food)?
- I don’t drink wine because I don’t like the flavor
- I don’t drink wine for health or religious reasons
- Sweet whites such as Riesling, Moscato, Prosecco
- Tart whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Albariño
- Oaky or earthy whites such as Chardonnay, White Burgundy, Viognier
- Light reds such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Chianti
- Medium-bodies reds such as Shirah/Syrah, Burgundies
- Big, bold reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, some Zinfandel
- Yes
- No
- I don't know
- Yes
- No
- I don't know
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Tolerant Taster
Congratulations! You’re officially declared a Tolerant Taster. That means your taste buds are tolerant of very bold, very strong tastes. You can handle the big Cabernets from California’s Napa Valley. You can find complexity in single malt scotch. And you mostly likely drink your coffee black. Dammit.
You probably don’t mind eating your greens: vegetables, that is, because they don’t taste so bitter to you.
You and your brethren Tolerant Tasters are the most fun to cook for: you’re the most broadly accepting of all foods.
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Taster
Congratulations! You’re officially declared a Taster. This means that you fall somewhere in the middle of the bell curve of the tasting population. You are likely accepting of a broad range of foods.
You can learn to like foods you hate… with enough exposure. You can become an aficionado of foods with the proper training.
You’re game, even better: you’re excited. Bring it on!
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Hyper Taster
Congratulations! You’re officially declared a Hyper Taster. This means you’re extremely sensitive to many strong foods: Salt to you is saltier. Sweet to you is sweeter. And bitter! Well, let’s not even talk about bitter.
You’re so sensitive to bitter that you probably don’t drink big Cabernets from California’s Napa Valley or single malt scotches. You’re probably picky about what you eat. If you’re at the far end of the Hyper Taster spectrum, you may limit your food choices, having been “burned” one too many times by foods that are simply too intense for you.
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Mouthfeel Afficionado
Because you suffered serious ear infections, it’s likely that the chorda tympani branch of your facial nerve has been damaged. It runs right through the middle ear and is vulnerable to infection.
The counter-intuitive result of this type of taste nerve damage is that your trigeminal nerve is released from inhibition. The trigeminal nerve carries information about texture. When this nerve gets released, the result is that creamy, fatty, silken foods are even more so to you. It’s likely that you love ice cream, butter, and creamy desserts and sauces like crème brulee and hollandaise. Sure, everyone loves these foods, but you! You wanted to marry them.
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Salt Seeker
Since your mother had morning sickness when she was carrying you, it’s highly likely that she was dehydrated. Sick mothers-to-be lose fluids when they vomit, which means that you were dehydrated in-utero. Dehydration results in a craving for salt.
We now know from research that this salt-seeking behavior that you developed in the womb sticks with you for life. Think about it: do you have a heavy hand with the salt shaker? Now you know why!
