Well if you’re reading this, you’ve either stuck through Part 1 and Part 2 or are looking for 'em:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/a-matter-of-taste-%E2%80%93-part-1-what-is-taste
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/a-matter-of-taste-part-2-what-is-flavour
Hopefully, you're ready and raring to go with our continuing exploration of tasting.
Here is a quick recap of the first two posts:
1) ‘Taste’ refers to one of the five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salt, bitter or umami.
2) Tastes are the foundation of flavours.
3) We detect tastes, largely, with our taste buds.
4) ‘Flavour’ for our purposes refers to the distinctive character of a food, drink, tobacco (or anything you put in your mouth)
5) Olfactory senses are critical to identifying flavour(s), the sense receptors in your nose are what allow you to differentiate flavour(s) from taste(s)
So let’s get on with Part 3, exploring the mechanics of tasting.
In coffee cupping, we have a defined set of protocols which are (generally) universally adopted to ensure that wherever a coffee is being cupped, it is being prepared and evaluated using the same process. This series of protocols also exists in the world of tea. Consistency of preparation in both these instances is absolutely critical to ensuring that the coffee or tea is consistent in flavour profile regardless of where it is being evaluated, and by whom.
What’s a flavour profile?
This, truly, is what we’re all trying to define when we try to relate what we taste to someone else. Whether you’re writing a tobacco review for a forum post, or an online site, or simply trying to describe the awesome new craft-beer you had to your best friend, what you’re ultimately trying to describe is the flavour profile of that product.
In coffee and tea, we break the flavour profile down into four components: Aroma, Flavour, Acidity and Body. We begin defining the flavour profile by examining the product with our nose first, assessing aroma. We try to assess the presence of primary tastes using our nose, and then look to determine flavours.
I find that at this point, it’s best to start asking questions:
1) Does the coffee/tea smell sweet/sour/salty?
2) Is the aroma simple (meaning only singular taste or flavour present) or complex (meaning multiple tastes or flavours present)?
3) If I can smell primary tastes, then can I begin to discern flavours?
a. Ie. The coffee smells sweet. Is it fruit sweet, nutty sweet, caramelly sweet, floral?
After checking aroma, we then slurp the coffee or tea and look to confirm the tastes and flavours identified when checking the aroma.
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified in the aroma present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified in the aroma?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
The last two things we look for are acidity and body. To be clear, these are NOT tastes or flavours. We’re not looking for ‘sour’ when we are looking for acidity. We’re trying to assess the presence of acidity in the coffee or tea by the intensity of a physical sensation on the sides of the tongue (the same sensation you get when you bite a lemon and your tongue curls/puckers up!). The greater this sensation the higher the acidity level in the coffee or tea. With body, we’re measuring the feeling of weight/mass/viscosity of the beverage on the tongue. The heavier or more viscous the beverage feels, the greater the body.
By defining these four elements; aroma, flavour, acidity, and body, we define the flavour profile and overall character of the coffee or tea.
Now for the tricky bit… What should we be evaluating to define and objectively measure the flavour profile of a tobacco?
In exploring some of the different tobacco review sites, I’ve noticed a semi-consistent approach to attempting to identify flavour profile. Most review sites ask the reviewer to identify these three elements of a tobacco’s flavour profile: tin note, flavour, taste and room note.
I think that this is a good place to start, but want to suggest that these characteristics are probably a little too broad for us to define without breaking them down even further. So what about this?
Tin Note: Aroma
1) What primary tastes are present in the aroma?
2) Is the aroma simple or complex?
3) What individual tastes, and flavours, are present in the aroma?
Charring Light: Aroma, Flavour
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified in the aroma present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified in the aroma?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
True Light: Aroma, Flavour
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified in the aroma still present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified in the aroma or charring light?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
The Smoke: Aroma, Flavour & Body
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified earlier still present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified earlier?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
4) What is the mouth-feel of the smoke like?
You’ll notice that I’ve intentionally left out Room Note. I just don’t think that any of us can objectively measure the room note of a tobacco after having smoked a bowl of it. The aromatic elements present in a bowl of tobacco are so intense that our palate and olfactory chamber will become inured to room note well before we finish a bowl. For this reason, I think that room note feedback needs to be anecdotal and third party.
I guess I should include one additional thought, before asking for your feedback… Please, please, please, don’t think that this level of process is something I’m recommending be done for every smoke. Shit, if I did this for every coffee or tea I drank I’d never enjoy a cup again! This level of process is important for objectively measuring the flavour profile of tobacco, but is needless for simply enjoying a bowl and relaxing.
So, tobacco tasters, what do you think? What needs to be added? What needs to be stripped away?
Look for Part 4 – Defining Flavour Families
I look forward to your comments.
-- Pat
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/a-matter-of-taste-%E2%80%93-part-1-what-is-taste
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/a-matter-of-taste-part-2-what-is-flavour
Hopefully, you're ready and raring to go with our continuing exploration of tasting.
Here is a quick recap of the first two posts:
1) ‘Taste’ refers to one of the five primary tastes: sweet, sour, salt, bitter or umami.
2) Tastes are the foundation of flavours.
3) We detect tastes, largely, with our taste buds.
4) ‘Flavour’ for our purposes refers to the distinctive character of a food, drink, tobacco (or anything you put in your mouth)
5) Olfactory senses are critical to identifying flavour(s), the sense receptors in your nose are what allow you to differentiate flavour(s) from taste(s)
So let’s get on with Part 3, exploring the mechanics of tasting.
In coffee cupping, we have a defined set of protocols which are (generally) universally adopted to ensure that wherever a coffee is being cupped, it is being prepared and evaluated using the same process. This series of protocols also exists in the world of tea. Consistency of preparation in both these instances is absolutely critical to ensuring that the coffee or tea is consistent in flavour profile regardless of where it is being evaluated, and by whom.
What’s a flavour profile?
This, truly, is what we’re all trying to define when we try to relate what we taste to someone else. Whether you’re writing a tobacco review for a forum post, or an online site, or simply trying to describe the awesome new craft-beer you had to your best friend, what you’re ultimately trying to describe is the flavour profile of that product.
In coffee and tea, we break the flavour profile down into four components: Aroma, Flavour, Acidity and Body. We begin defining the flavour profile by examining the product with our nose first, assessing aroma. We try to assess the presence of primary tastes using our nose, and then look to determine flavours.
I find that at this point, it’s best to start asking questions:
1) Does the coffee/tea smell sweet/sour/salty?
2) Is the aroma simple (meaning only singular taste or flavour present) or complex (meaning multiple tastes or flavours present)?
3) If I can smell primary tastes, then can I begin to discern flavours?
a. Ie. The coffee smells sweet. Is it fruit sweet, nutty sweet, caramelly sweet, floral?
After checking aroma, we then slurp the coffee or tea and look to confirm the tastes and flavours identified when checking the aroma.
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified in the aroma present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified in the aroma?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
The last two things we look for are acidity and body. To be clear, these are NOT tastes or flavours. We’re not looking for ‘sour’ when we are looking for acidity. We’re trying to assess the presence of acidity in the coffee or tea by the intensity of a physical sensation on the sides of the tongue (the same sensation you get when you bite a lemon and your tongue curls/puckers up!). The greater this sensation the higher the acidity level in the coffee or tea. With body, we’re measuring the feeling of weight/mass/viscosity of the beverage on the tongue. The heavier or more viscous the beverage feels, the greater the body.
By defining these four elements; aroma, flavour, acidity, and body, we define the flavour profile and overall character of the coffee or tea.
Now for the tricky bit… What should we be evaluating to define and objectively measure the flavour profile of a tobacco?
In exploring some of the different tobacco review sites, I’ve noticed a semi-consistent approach to attempting to identify flavour profile. Most review sites ask the reviewer to identify these three elements of a tobacco’s flavour profile: tin note, flavour, taste and room note.
I think that this is a good place to start, but want to suggest that these characteristics are probably a little too broad for us to define without breaking them down even further. So what about this?
Tin Note: Aroma
1) What primary tastes are present in the aroma?
2) Is the aroma simple or complex?
3) What individual tastes, and flavours, are present in the aroma?
Charring Light: Aroma, Flavour
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified in the aroma present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified in the aroma?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
True Light: Aroma, Flavour
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified in the aroma still present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified in the aroma or charring light?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
The Smoke: Aroma, Flavour & Body
1) Are the tastes and flavours identified earlier still present in the flavour?
2) Are there tastes and flavours present that weren’t identified earlier?
3) List all the tastes and flavours identified.
4) What is the mouth-feel of the smoke like?
You’ll notice that I’ve intentionally left out Room Note. I just don’t think that any of us can objectively measure the room note of a tobacco after having smoked a bowl of it. The aromatic elements present in a bowl of tobacco are so intense that our palate and olfactory chamber will become inured to room note well before we finish a bowl. For this reason, I think that room note feedback needs to be anecdotal and third party.
I guess I should include one additional thought, before asking for your feedback… Please, please, please, don’t think that this level of process is something I’m recommending be done for every smoke. Shit, if I did this for every coffee or tea I drank I’d never enjoy a cup again! This level of process is important for objectively measuring the flavour profile of tobacco, but is needless for simply enjoying a bowl and relaxing.
So, tobacco tasters, what do you think? What needs to be added? What needs to be stripped away?
Look for Part 4 – Defining Flavour Families
I look forward to your comments.
-- Pat
