Author and Certified Taster Mandy Naglich discusses the power of flavor and sensory experience. Topics include becoming a 'Taster', supertasters, expanding notions of flavor, craft beer, cider, and chocolate, and the impact of taste and smell on individuals and culture.
Flavor encompasses more than just taste and includes aroma, mouthfeel, and flavors that transport us through time and space.
Anyone can become a skilled taster with practice and familiarity with different flavors.
Building a shared vocabulary to appreciate and describe flavor is essential, along with exploring unexpected combinations within context.
Deep dives
The Power of Flavor in Creating a Sensory Experience
Flavor encompasses more than just taste, including aroma, mouthfeel, and flavors that transport us. While flavor is unique to each person, it is a universal human experience. The book emphasizes the importance of appreciating our senses and delves into the concept of flavor. It explores how anyone can become a skilled taster and the role familiarity plays in expanding our notions of flavor. The author shares her own journey in the world of flavor and discusses the differences between craft beer, cider, and chocolate in terms of existing guidelines and critical analysis.
Becoming a Certified Taster and Exploring Different Mediums
The book features an interview with Mandy Neglich, a certified taster and author of 'How to Taste.' Mandy discusses her certifications, including becoming an advanced cicerone and certified beer taster. She shares her journey of discovery in the world of flavor, starting with home brewing. Mandy explains how studying taste and flavor became her passion and led her to explore various mediums such as cheese, honey, and sake. She emphasizes that tasting is a skill that can be developed and improved through practice and curiosity.
The Intersection of Taste, Memory, and Experience
The book highlights the connection between taste, memory, and personal experiences. It explores how our senses of taste and smell are tied to our memories and emotions. Mandy discusses how certain flavors can evoke memories and create emotional connections. Through comparative tasting and employing a variety of flavors, individuals can train their palates and expand their appreciation for different tastes and experiences. The book encourages readers to take a moment and truly savor the flavors they encounter in their daily lives.
Building a Shared Vocabulary and Appreciation for Flavor
The book discusses the concept of building a shared vocabulary to better appreciate and describe flavor. While guidelines and frameworks exist in certain industries like beer and cider, the author challenges the notion that every style must adhere strictly to these guidelines. Instead, she advocates for appreciating flavors within their contexts and exploring unexpected combinations. The book aims to provide readers with the tools to appreciate flavors on a deeper level and encourages them to engage in their own flavor journeys.
The Science of Flavor: From Aromas to Terroir
The book explores the science behind flavor, including the role of aromas in shaping our perception of taste. Aromas make up a significant portion of our flavor experience, with estimates ranging from 80% to 92%. The author emphasizes how our olfactory receptors color in the basic tastes, highlighting the importance of our sense of smell. The book also delves into the concept of terroir, explaining how flavors are influenced by factors such as geography, environment, and even visual cues. By understanding the science of flavor, readers can develop a greater appreciation for the complexity and interconnectedness of our senses.
Flavor is much more than what something tastes like. It’s aroma, mouthfeel, and flavors all mixed together to create a sensory experience that has the power to transport us through time and space. It’s unique to each person, yet universal in scope; shared on some level by every human who ever existed.
In this episode, my guest is Mandy Naglich, a previous Good Beer Hunting contributor and author of “How To Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life.” She’s an Advanced Cicerone, a Certified Taster—yes, that’s a real thing—and drinks educator who helps people dig into flavor to discover just how far our senses can go. Mandy says that anyone can be a capital-T “Taster”, explains what “supertasters” really are, and describes how familiarity with things like wine, beer, cider, or even sake can expand our notions of flavor through practice and group discussion.
You’ll hear what drove her to dial into the world of flavor, when and why her book came to be, and the differences between craft beer, cider, and chocolate as they relate to existing guidelines and critical analysis. She won’t teach you how to taste like her—simply, how to taste like you. With her guidance, we can all appreciate our senses a little bit more. So let’s hear from her.
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