supertasters
Extreme flavor perceivers
Supertasters are people with an unusually high number of taste buds, making them exceptionally sensitive to bitter, sweet, and fatty flavors.
What tastes mildly bitter to most people can be intensely unpleasant to a supertaster.
The trait is genetic and more common in women.
Supertasters often dislike coffee, dark chocolate, and certain vegetables like Brussels sprouts.
Sharp, unpleasant taste
capsaicin · quinine · tannins · alkaloids · pungency · astringency · mouthfeel · gustation
Keen perception and judgment
- palateOral cavity ceiling
- connoisseurExpert in matters of taste
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
- complexityState of being complicated
sommelier · chef · degustation · flavor · foodie · discriminating · refined · epicure
Sharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- intensityStrength or force level
- overwhelmedDefeated by sheer volume
- aversionIntense dislike or repugnance
- hypersensitivityExaggerated response to stimuli
reactivity · threshold · detection · amplified · heightened · acute · overpowering · intolerance
Small tissue protrusions
- inheritedReceived from forebears
- traitDistinguishing personal quality
- polymorphismMany forms, one interface
- alleleGene variant at one locus
variation · chromosome · hereditary · DNA · genotype · phenotype
bitter
Sharp, unpleasant taste
umami · capsaicin · quinine · tannins · alkaloids · pungency · astringency · mouthfeel · gustation · cruciferous
discernment
Keen perception and judgment
- palateOral cavity ceiling
- connoisseurExpert in matters of taste
- nuanceSlight shade of difference
complexity · sommelier · chef · degustation · flavor · foodie · discriminating · refined · epicure · culinary
bitterness
Sharp, unpleasant taste or feeling
- intensityStrength or force level
- overwhelmedDefeated by sheer volume
- aversionIntense dislike or repugnance
hypersensitivity · reactivity · threshold · detection · amplified · heightened · acute · overpowering · intolerance · repulsion
papillae
Small tissue protrusions
- inheritedReceived from forebears
- traitDistinguishing personal quality
- polymorphismMany forms, one interface
allele · variation · chromosome · hereditary · DNA · genotype · phenotype
- chemical sensessmell, olfaction, gustation, tongue, nose
- sensory testingsensory thresholds, flavor profiles, mouthfeel, rating scale, sweetness
- tastebitter, salty, sour, sweet, spicy