Taste Expert Answers Flavor Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

Beth Kimmerle is an author and taste expert, and she's here to answer the internet's burning questions about all things food, tongues and taste. What does Coca-Cola actually taste like? What makes someone a "supertaster"? Why does gum only seem to last for 5 minutes? Beth answers all these questions and much more!
Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Josh Herzog
Editor: Lika Kumoi
Expert: Beth Kimmerle
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White
Production Manager: Eric Martinez
Casting Producer: Nicole Ford
Assistant Camera: Lauren Pruitt
Audio: Gabe Quiroga
Post Production Supervisor: Nicholas Ascanio
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
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[@EpicNerdsWithCameras]

It still blows my mind that companies have entire teams deciding whether or not a flavor is going to appeal to the masses, and yet somehow Swedish Fish flavored Oreos were still greenlit.

[@bloodgain]

I like both, but it's hard to imagine the flavors together, and I have an excellent flavor/scent imagination. Cherry and chocolate go together quite well, but that would make me think Black Forest Cake Oreos, not Swedish Fish Oreos.

[@timetravelsnail7198]

A lot of the time companies do themed or crazy flavours so that people: >Buy it because it looks ridiculous and they want to try it >Think it tastes weird and that the original is tastier >Then go and buy the original flavour even though they wouldn't have bought the product at all normally It's pretty smart!

[@ElliotGindiVO]

Are those still out? I wanna try it.

[@johndododoe1411]

@@timetravelsnail7198 Yeah, I recall a potato chip flavor named "Epic Beef". The flavor was not that special, but the packaging was a collection of early Internet memes. Product didn't last.

[@zeke1220]

@@johndododoe1411 Meat-flavored chips are amazing though!

[@paulmarden3301]

This lady is awesome. Her voice makes my throat hurt but I could watch her for hours.

[@LucretiaBorgia]

I had to turn her off. That growl sets my teeth on edge.

[@z-beeblebrox]

@@LucretiaBorgia dare I ask - on...on the edge of what D:

[@patty15631]

Same, loads of knowledge but I HAD to pause :'( .. I'd like an explanation though, like is she sick or does she always sound like this? Could it have been an injury of some sort?

[@hugoclarke3284]

@@patty15631 She's the top of her field so, she's obviously tasted the top-secret stuff...

[@samarakirkk]

@@patty15631 it’s just her voice chill out

[@VarickPrium]

As she repeatedly points out how colour plays a role in how our brains interpret flavour, I can't help but wonder what sort of impact that might have for people who are colour blind. Do some foods taste different, or more muted? Would those colour correcting glasses alter what foods they like because the brain is getting new input? Imagine liking, or not liking, a type of food, and then putting on glasses that change how it tastes, or making it more intense?

[@andressavefo]

Wow! That's an interesting question!!

[@formes2388]

It's not just colour blind people - you will run into people that have a straight up better ability to differentiate colour and it certainly has an impact. Something lightly coloured to enhance it's colour and how appetizing to an average person might trigger the "that is a fake thing" response. Same thing can happen with sound - where say you might find nails on a chalk board annoying, but another person beside you thinks it's whatever - but turn on certain compressors and such and they will get that same agitated response where you don't even notice the sound that is causing the irritation. So yes, it is reasonable to assume that things like colour blindness may have an impact on how people taste and appreciate different foods.

[@rikki1764]

Good question

[@s.alpinus8395]

That's a super interesting question, which also makes me curious of how blind people will taste the same food as someone with normal vision. In the enjoyment of food it is no longer the presentation that does it for them, unless a memory before going blind I suppose(?), so I guess they'd emphasize more on the texture, odours and so on. By the way, I'm red green colour vision impaired. I can't see lingonberry in the bushes when standing up, but I see them if down on my knees. I have an extremely keen sense of smell though, at a point where people are often taken aback at how I can notice something minutes before them (eg fires). Not sure if its related to my colour vision in May sense though 😛

[@livingglowstick1337]

No because the colour would be the same for them. They experience everything with the colour differently so for them it would be the same for them. There's no way to measure if it's the same as ours because taste doesn't exist same with colour or smell we can all be tasting seeing and smelling entirely different things and we will never know because we all have the same experience with said thing

[@legionaireb]

7:09 - I have a crystal-clear memory of being in school and learning about flavors. The teacher had an experiment where they had cotton swabs with different flavor types on them and they would touch the flavors to different parts of the tongue and say 'you see how you can taste this here and not there?' I have never been more vehemently told I was wrong by an authority figure than when I said to them 'It tastes the same to me at all those points.' On a related note, people treat Umami like it's a 'new' flavor, but I remember learning about flavors as a child and being taught about 'savory' as a flavor, which judging by the way people talk, other people weren't taught about.

[@bluelagoon1980]

Yeah, I remember my 1st grade teacher in 1992 having to teach us a unit about the senses, and she had to include the tongue regions part (but savory wasn't mentioned). And then when she was done, she told us that scientists didn't agree with that concept anymore, but she still had to teach it to us. That was when I learned that teachers often know they are teaching untruths, but they have to follow the curriculum, even if it is 20 years out of date.

[@vlowolvtake1797]

Umami is not considered a new flavor but a flavor bud? People used to believe the taste of savory was a mix of all the other flavors, I think.

[@lesliealas3385]

Reminds me when I told my teacher in 5th grade that millipedes didn’t have a million legs and she replied “no that’s wrong because why would it be in the name?” Idk Mrs. Morrison, I just read it in a big bug book in the library

[@legionaireb]

@@lesliealas3385 The answer to her question is 'Because 'milli-' is the Latin prefix for One Thousand, not One Million.' Of course, there's always the chance that she asked you that question to make you think about it, but I wasn't there so I can't know.

[@lesliealas3385]

@@legionaireb I wish it were the case but she was adamant it was a million legs.. I assumed it wasn’t a subject brought up around her much and she just assumed it was literal in the English sense

[@lovepilie]

For all people after Covid who want their smell back : I did exactly what she described BUT went a step further and tried to smell back first SMELLS I USED TO HATE or made me want to puke. I feel that it trully helped getting my smell back faster !!! The hate in our brain is a true booster, it just triggers something XD Please let me know if it worked for you too! Wishing all a speed recovery

[@SJ-qf2tz]

Ooooo that sounds like a good idea

[@Sp3ctralI]

The smell doesn’t come back over time?

[@user-ey6ew3dn5o]

@@Sp3ctralI Literally me and my husband got our smell 100% back after losing it in December 2021/January 2022. It does come back slowly but surely, some far or slower than others. Don't spread lies to dishearten people who are still healing

[@Sp3ctralI]

@@user-ey6ew3dn5o I meant to add a ‘?’ Sorry, thanks for letting me know my mistake

[@lovepilie]

@@Sp3ctralI well... when you feel like you are eating cardboard everyday, you kinda feel the urge to speed up the process ;)

[@YiLunMusk]

The amount of people Wired gets to interview is amazing.....all of them has the passion of the kinds of job they r doing.... idk if "job" is the right word to use when ua doing something what u love.

[@profealrescate-negocios9092]

The craft is more accurate.

[@ryanh361]

Hobby

[@rain0344]

vocation 🤔

[@carsonroyal7948]

I think Profession is the word you're all looking for.

[@michaelhake2291]

Kind of the point

[@kittykat490]

Whoever's aunt she is is the luckiest person alive she has such intense "cool aunt" vibes

[@AngelofAmbrosia]

She just explained to me why I’m addicted to salt and vinegar chips. I can’t just eat some, it’s the whole bag. 😩

[@thebrittbratt4641]

Hi! I have ADD and have this problem too. I found pouring myself a bowl (or two bowls) and putting the bag out of sight like in a cupboard will usually help you limit intake and still feel satisfied when you finish, and helps you moderate if you want to! Just something i learned, hope it helps 🥰

[@DuchessofEarlGrey]

@@thebrittbratt4641 I have issues with eating too much chocolate (chips are a problem too). I find drinking water after a treat cuts the craving.

[@JZJ7777]

I love that flavor of chips and Cana lot at a given time, but I’m definitely not going to down a whole container at once.

[@ExarchGaming]

that's me and sour cream and onion chips.... lol

[@Abelhawk]

I KNEW it! I KNEW that tongue-dividing thing was bullcrap, ever since I was a first-grader! I even did my own scientific experiments, tasting sugar with the side of my tongue and sour things with the tip and it was all the same. How on earth did that hypothesis get into textbooks?

[@Blinkisageek]

It's disgusting how much outdated info is taught to kids for no reason

[@Ninjalectual]

How many kids got flunked for not knowing wrong information...

[@Moaaaaaabunniestay]

Yup I'm today years old when I realised it was all a lie 🥲

[@MrSteveGrey]

@@Blinkisageek It's outdated NOW. It wasn't then. They were teaching what they had available at the time.

[@gabrielantos4144]

@@MrSteveGrey You're making a lot of assumptions on how old @Blink! is

[@KeaLynn]

That “section of the tongue” theory is so funny to me because it’s what I was taught as a fact in my high school anatomy class and I was trying to test that out on my own and never could, I would always taste every flavor no matter where it was in my mouth. I have never heard anyone say it wasn’t true so it’s cool to hear now

[@iesika7387]

I had the same experience. We even sat around with weird stickers on our tongues in an elementary school science class to separate the areas and "prove" that only one part of the tongue detected each flavor, and I was convinced I was doing it wrong or some kind of mutant because nope, sugar was still sweet in the bitter location, citric acid was still sour in the sweet spot, etc. There was a time when natural philosophers spent a lot of it me arguing over whether all the fish in ponds that freeze over die due to cold or due to being smothered by the ice. Nobody ever thought to check if the ponds froze all the way down or if fish actually died over winter, they just assumed that because they couldn't see fish in the winter all the fish were obviously gone, and the fish in spring were therefore entirely new fish that had generated somehow. That seemed simpler to then than the idea of fish just continuing to live their fishy lives under an inch of ice. The idea stuck around for hundreds of years. I think about that a lot. Humans are just really bad at actually designing experiments and accepting experiemental results, sometimes.

[@sufficientphrase7769]

Same kind of people that came up with phrenology xD

[@KeaLynn]

@@iesika7387 oh my gosh that’s kind of funny but so sad that you thought YOU were the issue! I’m surprised no one said anything.. either a lot of placebo effect in one room going on, or no one was brave enough to question their teacher.

[@TheParadiseParadox]

Very interesting. I've tried it and I can notice the difference putting salt on different parts of my tongue. The flavour doesn't go away in any part, but it does have a different intensity and sensation in different parts of the tongue. Maybe people have different tongue types and tongue science is still in its infancy

[@Mimi-jl5ci]

Yeah I remember that too

[@_am.ber_]

As a mom, I must comment on the Sharkleberry Fin. We currently have 3 boxes in our pantry, it's my daughter's favorite. The box says they're "strawberry and orange" flavored. They have updated the artwork, but it still is the KoolAid man on a shark 🦈

[@WeatherManToBe]

Where did you buy this?!?! I haven't seen in decades!!

[@_am.ber_]

@WeatherManToBe it is at our Walmart in the pouches with the straws!

[@bartwilson2513]

I was a taste tester for a Food Science Lab that contracted out to various companies. It paid and well, and if you get the chance to do wine/alcohol, they have to legally feed you. The months and months we spent on mayonnaise was taxing.

[@catsseighteen4365]

Cool!

[@TheWildSlayer]

She was absolutely lovely, I don't know how WIRED does it, but seeing the cast so comfortable means that the team makes sure their voice is really heard, and I thank you for it!

[@calisongbird]

In this case, I wish her “voice” wasn’t heard, it’s incredibly damaged-sounding and grating.

[@vetlerradio]

@@calisongbird Yeah, she should absolutely get an appointment with a ORL as soon as possible, she's gonna be mute in 10 years...

[@kaileena7]

@@calisongbird Thank you for your incredibly "well-informed" opinion, Mr. Doctor. I am sure she very much cares about the ramblings of a rando on the internet. Some people just have raspy voices (similar to ScarJo) or they have been previously damaged and can't really do much about it. Way to be rude about it, kiddo.

[@superbleifrei5882]

@@vetlerradio how do you know it's not just a cold?

[@vetlerradio]

@@superbleifrei5882 I don't, but if it persists for months, go see a doctor. She might have some damage to her vocal chords or small bumps or her chords.

[@napoearth]

I like how she reads the questions with the emotions of the writer.

[@catsseighteen4365]

Right! And she says the usernames correctly lol

[@steener5884]

This woman is incredible, I could listen to her explain the science behind food any day. I hope she came back for a part 2. You rock, Beth!

[@DrawnByDandy]

I like how she puts emotions into the tweets she reads

[@cavvvvv]

10:16 i did a science project in elementary similar to this! i got lemon lime soda (since it's clear) and put different food colorings in each one. then i had my classmates and other students taste-test each flavor and mark on a piece of paper what flavor they thought it was. almost every single person (i tested about 70+ kids) thought red was strawberry, orange was orange, purple was grape, etc. it was really interesting!

[@Serena-or7sl]

Some food colorings have different tastes integrated in them. Did you get unflavoured ones?

[@parryyotter]

@@Serena-or7slit is true that people associate color with certain tastes.

[@themoonsevilsister1561]

I love the idea that sour candy is the only food that eats you back

[@zhazhagab0r]

Also pineapple does this

[@Freya778]

@@zhazhagab0r And kiwi and some other fruits.

[@shandya]

@@zhazhagab0r I knew this the hard way, once I ate so much pineapple that my tongue hurt afterwards :)))

[@riosmax4317]

@@shandya That's why I have to avoid it sometimes. I ate 8 cross-section slices on my own, and my tongue felt rough and scalded (but not burnt).

[@LeoMidori]

@@Freya778 It's for different reasons, though both of those have a lot of vitamin C: they contain enzymes that break down proteins in your mouth, which is why you can have that "spongy" feeling in your mouth afterwards. It's literally breaking you down a little bit in your mouth!

[@daisyweber6047]

The guy who made the flavor for hot Cheetos literally wrote a book about how he made the flavor. He was a Hispanic janitor who worked his way up at Frito Lay.

[@ShonnDaylee]

I literally came here to say this. When she said "It wasn't a person. It was a team of people". I was thinking, ummmmm, in this case, it literally was "a person". Still, she's not wrong about the 99% of other cases. So, it's a moot point, really.

[@laurenroper3917]

I vividly remember being taught in school that the tongue had "sections" which detect different tastes. 😅 How far we've come!

[@NakitaCherie]

And I was today years old when I figured out that’s not the theory anymore 😂

[@ForumcoldiArchon]

There were "more" receptors of a certain taste, but its not that many to say its exclusive and i always knew it was a fake theory when it was taught in school as when we were supposed to test it - it never worked. Its probably still taught somewhere though

[@dav]

Watched the whole thing while eating my lunch. The way she described it changed the taste of my salad in real-time.

[@MichaelOKC]

Maybe you stumbled on a new profession!?! Perhaps Michelin Restaurants can hire people to describe the reasons why you are tasting what you are eating while you eat it! Lol 😆

[@ladymistik2930]

This is amazing lol! 😂

[@aquajosh]

Bring Beth back for a round two! She has a great energy and explains things passionately and clearly.

[@thefattesthagrid]

And let her talk more about "Sharkleberry Fin" lmao

[@Cat_Woods]

@@thefattesthagrid I wanted her to taste it and tell us.

[@iisnothere]

So if anyone is still curious about blue raspberry, I’ve researched this in depth because I was too some time ago. Beth describes the labs that create the flavors. After the flavor was developed, the industry needed a color to go with it. There are a *lot* of flavors associated with the color red, so they wanted something different. There is one species of wild raspberry that is blackish-blue (I have some in my garden), and the only other major contender for the color blue at the time was blueberry, so they ran with it.

[@irrationalmoon]

The colors and tastes mental association is an interesting experiment. I used to make hard candies for xmas every year and I deliberately changed some of the colors around. Red was cinnamon. Blue was mint. Those were easy. Green on the other hand, was orange flavored. Orange was coffee flavored. The one that no one ever got right, that confused everyone who tasted it was purple lemon. Yellow cherry also gave a bit of trouble, but never as much as purple lemon. And it's funny, because I knew what flavors they were. I very carefully added flavoring to 300°F+ molten sugar and every time the flavors hit that sugar it steams up and you KNOW because your entire being is suffused with that flavor for about 5 intense seconds. If I looked at a candy and ate it, my brain would do a bit of a "...what?" but if I wasn't paying attention to things and just grabbed one and opened the wax paper wrapper and ate it without looking, I could tell that I'd gotten lemon or orange or coffee and make a face (not flavors I like).

[@evad.2747]

I like how she handled the question about the lack of taste post Covid-19

[@lizs5435]

I know it was really interesting because I never thought about it like that. But if you want to taste notes in wine for example when it just tastes like alcohol to you, it’s basically the same process she described.

[@capuchinosofia4771]

Ikr? Super cool

[@dontaccoll]

i didnt like it instead because she lied, and gave false hope

[@magk2524]

@@dontaccoll??

[@Firestormlover]

Also, the amount of carbonation to syrup isn't set in the soda machines, and can be changed. A soda with more carbonation is a 'dry' soda. A restaurant I loved would mix their own rootbeer syrup, and you could ask for it to be a dry or sweet, whichever was your preference.

[@515aleon]

I thought of that. Also syrup is really sweet so if they set it up (which they often do--more syrup to carbonated water) it's going to be way sweeter than the bottled/canned soda.

[@lindboknifeandtool]

My conspiracy theory is that McDonald’s has the best syrup mixture and pays coke to keep other restaurants “dry”

[@niraea]

that was always what i assumed having worked in a kitchen before - mcdonald's uses more of the syrup in their sprite (or maybe the other way around, tbh never had a mcdonald's sprite). i'm also triggering my own restaurant ptsd about changing the syrup bags and tripping over the fking lines all over the floor.

[@Bruhtatochip742]

I feel like that's how they made canada dry bold.

[@lordofentropy]

Yep, a big chunk of the taste difference between fountain and cans/bottles, is simple the calibration of the machine and the ratio of syrup to water. One thing fast food franchisees and other places that have soda fountains don't do is spend the money to have their machines properly maintained and calibrated. And most will intentionally use less syrup, since syrup is way more expensive than the CO2 tank refills for the carbonated water.

[@arraine]

My best friend loves sour stuff so much that when I introduced her to bulk citric acid, she started putting it in her lemonade all the time. For a while she thought she was getting sick because her throat hurt all the time, but it turns out she had to lay off the citric acid 😭

[@daniellemartin9896]

Most people in the US have never had real wasabi, it loses its snappy flavor very quickly and has to be grated off the root fresh and served immediately. What we really have here in the US is green dyed horseradish paste. They are very similar in taste

[@CineSoar]

Our local Asian market has wasabi root. In my experience, real wasabi doesn't have nearly the burning 'sinus attack' of the imitation. All of the flavor, without having to alter the way you breathe, in order to enjoy it.

[@SavageGreywolf]

when I was a kid in kindergarten we did an experiment with that old fake 'five flavors' taste zones thing and I never got it. I could always taste everything on every part of my tongue. I felt vindicated like two decades later when it came out that that was horsecrap but I can't exactly go rub it in my kindergarten teacher's face can I

[@viviannguyen4226]

I say you go find that teacher and do it anyways!

[@Nukaturtle]

Don’t have to “go” anywhere, find her on Facebook and tell her she taught BS!

[@ilarious5729]

Not with that attitude smh

[@raka1996]

to anyone else... please don't rub your tongue to your kindergarten teacher's face

[@shawnsg]

@@raka1996 unless you ask first

[@drnosy]

Omg. She literally gave us the scientific answer to why a garlic a day keeps the vampire away (6:15).

[@Relyx]

Yeah but everyone knows the whole garlic thing is a trick that vampires spread, as it's a natural blood thinner and makes drinking easier!

[@drnosy]

@@Relyx And very sulfur infused like French cuisine. 😂

[@jklfds85]

It does keep all the mosquitoes away, that's for sure! Nature's BEST mosquito repellent.

[@Dizma_Music]

🤣

[@SilverDreamweaver]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@electrojones]

This was really, really fascinating. Have Beth back again soon and often!

[@angelamitchel3984]

this opened a whole new world to me. I didn’t think about taste experts - even though I knew they existed, never thought about it like this.

[@karlymorgan6011]

This woman is unbelievably amazing - I want a PhD in taste and I want her to be my professor - I’m a lawyer and after this ONE video I’m prepared to quit and pursue taste 😂

[@thandeka5924]

I double dog dare you. Do It!

[@alonelyshrub]

Why not start a side hustle?

[@shannenflores9456]

out of all the experts so far, her and the funeral director are my favorites. i didnt realize how intricate the taste sector really is and how so much thought and science goes into it. so fascinating!

[@SuperLocrian]

Agreed - This was great and the Funeral director is fantastic - I love those episodes!

[@jessicabraithwaite5822]

The funeral director was bomb!

[@pinokodayo]

The world of fragrance is very similar too! A lot of flavor manufacturers also produce fragrance and vice versa

[@simonanderson5241]

This has been one of the most informative and entertaining ones I've seen so far. She's brilliant.

[@TotemoGaijin]

This was actually pretty fascinating.

[@tylercooper9090]

I actually read that McDonald's straws are a specific diameter & length, it makes it hits your tongue differently, it makes it taste sweeter & more "bubbly".

[@Freya778]

They also add more carbonation than store-bought soda.

[@redpepper74]

Imagine your job is to tweak the parameters to get the best trajectory into people’s mouths

[@robbiecope4042]

@@redpepper74 yup R&D food scientists/ product development teams are magic. how fun

[@lucillebennet4233]

After 8 long years of battling with insecurities, low self-esteem, with constant fear of the knowledge I could infect someone with HSV 1&2 was a nightmare to me. I'm so glad/grateful that I am over Herpes and its stigma! All thanks to Dr. Aloha kzbin.info/door/_YFEEZEr1BxGkNg1d4vqww ❤️🇺🇸🗣

[@lucillebennet4233]

@@sdrawkcabmiay After 8 long years of battling with insecurities, low self-esteem, with constant fear of the knowledge I could infect someone with HSV 1&2 was a nightmare to me. I'm so glad/grateful that I am over Herpes and its stigma! All thanks to Dr. Aloha kzbin.info/door/_YFEEZEr1BxGkNg1d4vqww ❤️🇺🇸🗣

[@crystaledwards8854]

What she said about the packaging affecting the taste is so true! I always think delivery pizza smells so good, and it’s the pizza in the cardboard box that makes it smell amazing. Just not the same without the box 😆

[@z-beeblebrox]

You can even try doing a taste test with cans vs bottled. It's not super obvious, but the difference is there.

[@ianknightley938]

She was talking about the taste of the bottle, but I personally think that the cardboard cup at McDonald's is what makes the drinks taste special :3

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

@@z-beeblebrox yeah the can is definitely better but next time you open a can look at the weird oily film on top of the soda inside the can 🤢

[@tomatootamot]

@Obscura wdym? There is milk in plastic bottles, and canned milk drinks also exist (e.g. canned capuccino and korean Milkis)

[@Master_Yoda1990]

I think the pizza box and smell correlation has more to do with the scent particles being trapped in the box slowly leaking out as opposed to the scent particles being exposed and drifting freely in the open air.

[@jbotts1316]

This was actually super informative! Thank you!!

[@geewilikers9780]

A fun experiment I did working in a shop was to fill a 16 oz cup, 15oz soda water, and 1oz CocaCola, or Rootbeer or whatever. You can really taste the flavor nuances a lot better!

[@shahs1221]

This is one of the most interesting episodes so far! I could watch a bunch of these on this particular subject alone since taste/food is endlessly varied and broad.

[@ryanjohnson4565]

Especially if you eat a lot

[@gunkip608]

The one about the hot cheetos, to answer it, it was supposedly thought of by one person, a Mexican-American man by the name of Richard Montanez, who was a maintenance worker/janitor in one of Frito Lay's factories, coming up with the idea and presenting it to a board, he's now a company executive. However, there's a lot of controversy over whether he actually did, or if he made it up, or whatever the case may be, thought it was worth mentioning

[@XxXShevampXxX]

This is the comment I was looking for cuz I could've swore I read this somewhere.

[@Iotuseater]

This is false it was just a marketing tactic

[@nickcobb7253]

Sadly it was just made up.

[@matthewsawczyn6592]

I was crushed to find out this story might not be true :(

[@themarquis336]

If you suspect what you’re saying may not be true, why do you share it? LOL At least do a quick Google search to confirm before posting…

[@nikkiewhite476]

This was awesome! I love the flavor house industry... Well when they get it right. So many people don't know how to develop their pallet, I don't know how I learned I just could do it. I trained my son early so that he will always know how to season his food. For my birthday this year he made me the most incredible lemon cupcakes with blueberry butter cream cheese icing; the thing is when you are the cupcake in the correct proportion with the icing it tasted just like blue raspberry. It was an absolute shock to taste the transformation.

[@missy_lynn333]

i wanted to bring attention to the fact that she also narrated the pictures and context for inclusivity and to dissect the context, i love her

[@Hungry_Hufflepuff_]

Blue raspberry, I’ve heard, had become a thing because red/pink can be many different flavors(strawberry, watermelon, cherry, cotton candy, fruit punch) so they wanted raspberry to be identified as blue, since blue is mostly blueberries, blackberries, maybe grape with only a little red color. Blue raspberry is a flavor so it can be identified as blue raspberry flavor, plus they will likely remember a blue raspberry flavored candy compared to a red one.

[@chook5143]

Blue raspberry is based on Rubus occidentalis or Rubus leucodermis, blackcaps! The taste expert doesn't seem to have known this. I learned this while working in a botany lab, though, so I doubt it's common knowledge.

[@kosmique]

all i can say is i love the living heck out of blue raspberry flavor. its the best!

[@Tardisntimbits]

With regards to fountain pop vs bottle pop: the franchise has control over the carbonation and the syrup ratio, so often that can skew the flavour of the pop as much as any packaging. Another, less appetizing answer, is that the equipment hasn't been cleaned properly. The nozzles on a standard soda dispenser can really easily get slimy and mouldy, which alters the flavour to varying degrees. Some places don't take them apart to clean them nearly enough.

[@dandantsm6560]

This is one of the BEST ones! I love this video So interesting So fun So full of information Loved it!

[@joelbell6075]

I brought my sense of smell and taste back 2 days after I lost it to COVID-19, and I used a very similar technique! It was also more of a subconscious process, because I was so desperate to return my sense of smell and taste that I would imagine the flavors exactly until I actually started tasting them, again!

[@Relyx]

I know one of the flavours in cola is actually lavender. I learnt that on this show that aired in the UK many years ago. It was called Jimmy's Food Factory, where the host, Jimmy, basically tried to recreate supermarket staples like cornflakes, cola etc. in his barn.

[@lillianfolsom6741]

That sounds awesome 😂

[@giadelrio]

@@MusicHouse46 it was jimmy doherty

[@batsaikhansandagdalai3717]

I always thought it was cocaine and sugar 😂

[@BansheeVanRaven]

I remember that episode!

[@Tiabliaj1989]

Like Neil Armstrong Art Attack vibes or just some guy way ahead of youtube?

[@mmin_4]

I always said I liked cocacola more bc it’s spicier/Pepsi is too sweet, and was always met with condescending looks because “they’re the same thing”. I feel so validated now!!

[@lowochi]

Pepsi is indeed more sweet, I like Pepsi Max over Coca Cola Zero since it's sweeter too ✌️

[@sadflix8754]

This is why i prefer Pepsi over cola, I just don’t really like to taste something thatsmsort of spicy when drinking

[@EVMjimmy]

If you like "spicy" you'd love Dr pepper,

[@IceMetalPunk]

Anyone who says they're the same has not drunk enough of either 😂 I prefer Pepsi precisely because it's sweeter, and I have a major sweet tooth. That said, Orange Coke is delicious, even though I don't usually like orange flavored things... go figure 🤷‍♂

[@LuceroAlvarado]

@@IceMetalPunk which I think is good! Sodas are really bad for us lol

[@Usag1_04nn]

So interesting! I enjoyed every question and answer in this video

[@sefyravelvetpaw8166]

The field of flavorology is fascinating to me. I'm glad you told us what you could, it's great stuff!

[@spegnagmaglorious3590]

So I’m standing there, drooling blue food coloring, the paper coming apart in my hand, and my billion dollar phone won’t focus and I’m like why did I even try

[@kellyanncastillo8779]

Omg y'all you can literally see her happiness fade reading a tweet saying someone can't taste or smell. My heart 💔

[@HeronCoyote1234]

Delightful and very informative. Thank you!

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I'm thinking that maybe improving your sense of smell/taste might not exactly be down to your taste-buds, but the neural connections your brain makes when tasting these things now, as opposed to the way you did so, before. I think the key is repetition, to strengthen neural connections and thereby improve the 'taste.' Lots of flavours, both enjoyable and repulsive, as often as you can.

[@jaytravis2487]

I used to juice ginger root. Not many people realize smell can change when you have different concentrations in the air. Cashews smell exactly like fried fish in high concentrations for instance. When you juice lots of ginger it smells exactly like the base smell of Fruit Loops/Fruity Please.

[@seitanbeatsyourmeat666]

Weird… Sometimes when I eat cashews, I get a hint of a matcha smell, and I hate matcha/green tea because it smells like fish to me

[@jaytravis2487]

@@seitanbeatsyourmeat666 I don't know if you're familiar with the laborious process it takes to make cashews edible but it's worth a look. Cashews have to be chemically treated because they are toxic. I'm sure that introduces some "off" flavors.

[@sharroon7574]

Fresh dill smells like gasoline to me, my sense of smell has other quirks but that's the strangest.

[@jaytravis2487]

@@sharroon7574 Yeah me too. I notice a certain waxy smell in dill that you can find in Coca Cola, though I only notice it in bundles that are 1 pound/2 kg and up.

[@gizachick]

When I worked at Starbucks and had to grind all the coffee for the day, the darkest roasts smelled kind of fishy when ground.

[@chevgage6210]

Food presentation makes a huge difference, and so does texture. Anyone who's a big latte person will talk your ears off about foam texture.

[@freechilli8755]

So true and rightly so! Bad foams won't be as smooth or silky as a good one - so remember to tip a good barista well!

[@XSemperIdem5]

Yes! A bad foam can make a latte so disappointing. If they haven't had a coffee expert on here or a barista, they should.

[@ZipperZsquared]

Correction: Flaming hot cheetos was allegedly created by Richard Montanez who was working as a janitor at Frito-Lays at the time. So if the person who tweeted wants someone to talk to about that flavour, he's the guy. He actually writes about it in his book.

[@leoneljaramillo6710]

Was looking for this, good job bro

[@Alex632]

It's not even possible for him to create the flavour. He worked at a production plant as a cleaner, flavours are created at the Frito-Lays laboratory.

[@amanofcultur9903]

That was a publicity trick by the company

[@jankbunky4279]

How did he "create" it though? Did he break into the lab?

[@skunkie110]

@@jankbunky4279 true. It may have been his idea. But like she said, it takes teams of people to bring it into fruition.

[@CookinginRussia]

At around 8:30, her definition and explanation of a supertaster is incorrect. It is NOT about having more tastebuds. It has to do with genetics and how signals get processed by the brain.

[@gabbyruiz2517]

tip for anyone dealing with loss of taste/smell! i had the same issue and read that you should pick a savory smell (peanut butter/soy sauce), sweet smell (vanilla/florals), and a sour smell (lemon/like juice). just keep smelling those and do what she said and it should help!

[@gostovahs8121]

I feel so dumb not knowing coke was a tiny bit 'spicy'... I've always called it the slight 'sting of coke' not thinking about a spice. And yeah, pepsi is nearly twice as sweet and far less satisfying to my brain, it's why when I gave up sodas years ago i made exceptions for an occasional coke

[@pinokodayo]

Spicy doesn’t just mean like chili hot pepper spicy- spicy can refer to the spice of cinnamon for example, cardamom, nutmeg, anise seed, etc. Think of spiced cider :) (Not saying these are in coke but you get the idea)

[@sal0mea]

6:07 OH MY GOD,,, a week or so ago I was going absolutely crazy because I kept smelling garlic and it intensified when I laid down with my boyfriend to sleep. I literally smelled everything in my vicinity and thought I was going insane. We ate buns stuffed with cheese, ham and LOTS of garlic butter for lunch that day,,,now it all makes sense. Thank you for bringing my sanity back 😭❤️

[@sunnyday6133]

11:41 that tone change in mimmicking the sounds was such a satisfying detail to add 😩👌🏻

[@obsessedcore4519]

She is so well-spoken and intelligent. I wanna be like her

[@robertoXCX]

Find your passion, learn your craft, and master your presentation skills. You'll get there!

[@obsessedcore4519]

@@robertoXCX thanks for the advice 🥰

[@ShoteQsx]

14:15 coca cola question. You are welcome

[@deanlittle6480]

You're a blessing

[@veronicaelliott5769]

Love this series! They find the most interesting people

[@AT-yz4eo]

Amazing video. Can we get a part 2???

[@GabdeVue]

I was always embarrassed about being extremely picky and also worried so much about being a bad role-model to my kid. To a point that i avoided visiting people if a meal was included, because i always feel so rude not being able to eat something i do not like. Discovering, what a super taster is and making the test explained so much. Everything tastes neon when for others it seems to taste pastel. I really wish it wasn't like this, because I hate feeling so rude, setting a bad example and there is so much food that smells amazing, that i cannot taste - like coffee. Luckily, my kid doesn't seem to have this and eats a lot of different things (not coffee!), which i encourage and there is still my partner who is much more adventurous.

[@altersami9660]

Have you done the test and counted how many palps you got?

[@dad6873]

@@altersami9660 Yeah, she implied it when she said “discovering what a super taster is and making the test- explained so much”

[@badlyplanned9259]

i share the exact same problem! the test really enlightened me, maybe i'm also a supertaster

[@uhohhotdog]

Coffee tastes terrible even though I do enjoy the smell.

[@Serena-or7sl]

for a less bitter coffee (if you like the smell) you can try a cold brew, unsweetened. It's surprisingly everything but bitter

[@Noneofthedays]

She’s so much fun, and she has such a unique expertise! Keep these videos up!

[@seanA416]

Her personality is great! I could hang out with her all day

[@calisongbird]

@@seanA416 seriously? With that voice?? I can barely get 5 min into this video

[@rlh1984]

I ate 4 Warheads within a couple of minutes, and it made my mouth hurt. Only after that did I see the warning on the package that said not to do that very thing.

[@nicolelavigne1700]

The tongue isn’t divided into different taste zones but I do notice for me that some areas are more sensitive to specific flavours. Sour candies are a little more intense on the tip of my tongue than elsewhere, and I had a sour crabapple cider once that really activated the sides of my tongue and it felt like they wanted to curl in.

[@XSemperIdem5]

I would love for her to explain how companies try to recreate dairy product flavors in vegan versions. For example, Daiya has been improving the flavor and texture (consistency?) of their products to taste more like the dairy versions. On the pink Starburst topic, the Starbucks pink drink flavor is a bit like that candy so I buy it when I'm craving a candy flavor. I consider it my dessert drink.

[@KlearlyIMme]

Fun fact the Starbucks dragon fruit and strawberry is grape juice based

[@mikamoschella3410]

I always just assumed "blue raspberry" was just because typically red is used for cherry or strawberry in most fruit flavored candies/drinks, and since nothing else really fills the blue color, they just colored raspberry flavored things blue.

[@ameliarosesheppard9007]

That's exactly what happened! They used red for cherry, pink for strawberry, light pink for watermelon, but nothing was blue (blueberry isn't a good candy flavor, ig), so they decided rather than using another shade of red, they'd make raspberry blue!

[@blaketankersley2449]

YEAH THIS LADY IS DUMB

[@Mermedon24]

I just read article that says, blue raspberry it's - Rubus leucodermis.

[@chook5143]

This isn't actually true. Unfortunately, the taste expert was wrong! Blue raspberry flavor is based on Rubus occidentalis or Rubus leucodermis, blackcaps. I think you would need a botanist to tell you that, though!

[@danielleking262]

But I'm pretty sure raspberry flavored things taste DIFFERENT than Blue Raspberry flavored things. It's its own flavor!

[@ephemerabluetit335]

Thank you! I learned so much. More like this, please.

[@maxmouse3]

The video I didn’t know I HAD to watch. Love it ❤

[@UR_behAviOr_iS_so_tch_hairband]

As an 80s baby, Sharkleberry Fin was the sh*t! We always got that flavor. I love lemon-lime and was very sad when it was discontinued a few years ago. We always collected the Kool Points and turned them in for whatever sweet swag they were hawking that year.

[@carochan86]

I have a few of the Kool aid cups still.

[@aquajosh]

Purplesaurus Rex and Berry Blue were my JAM!

[@khalilahd.]

This much be such a cool job. I love how she explained everything💛

[@KaylaThePisces]

You’re everywhere! 😂 hey girl hey!

[@sabrinaleedance]

My husband and I both had COVID. I never lost my taste or smell outside of what congestion normally does. But for him for about 6 months things tasted really weird too him. Things he loved he couldn't stand and he said a lot of things had a weird soap taste. I havent heard him say it in awhile tho so I imagine his taste is back to normal

[@yelhsasokolova8561]

I could listen to this lady explain stuff all day. She's awesome

[@betteryourlife865]

I used to eat sour skittles constantly in high school and they tore my mouth apart! They were so good though. Loved the Covid question and interesting to learn!

[@TheGrades90]

Really use those covid remedies to bring back taste and smell. Mine were: Lavender (paired with the memory of my girlfriend spraying some before going to sleep), Lemon (paired with the memory of making tzatziki), cinammon (paired with the memory of putting cinnamon on oatmeal) and oregano (paired with the memory of sprinkling some on my pizza at the pizza place down the street.) twenty seconds for each smell and memory. One minute off between smells.

[@littlecookie12]

such sweet memories!!

[@LH-nd9qg]

I hear deficiency in things like zink could be a reason. Not expertise , just a thought

[@BusterKitten]

love the green nail polish. I could listen to this lady speak all day, I'm a foodie and this is a total learning experience for me

[@wt_9026]

at 10:05, thank you for this information! This is why I (a early 70s baby, member of gen-x) thinks all green candy should be lime and green apple is disconcerting / bad to me! My brain is trained that when I see green, it should taste one way and reject when it does not!

[@Kanelle88]

I went to this little hometown supermarket that sold their own recipe chicken nuggets... They made it out of dark meat and actually put a visible amount of pepper into it. Dear God, it was the most delicious chicken (Not just nuggets) I have ever tasted. Yeah, it was frozen and I had to deep fry them myself but it was so worth it. I was so upset when I found out they stopped selling them. Now that I think about it... I should experiment and try and recreate them...

[@robertoXCX]

Drake's Crispy Frymix is the way to go for your breading, and a good buttermilk eggwash. I'd recommend going dry-wet-dry-fry with your chicken for optimal results. Season however your heart desires ✨

[@honeybriecharcuterie4693]

I never knew there was or thought about “taste experts” this is really interesting.

[@lmMentallyIll]

Same 🧍🏻‍♀️

[@terrancebrown87]

The things I wish I knew were jobs in high school are in the hundreds lol

[@Marsthe_1]

@@terrancebrown87 if you're interested in the job just look up "sensory panelist" for your local area. That's usually what the position is called.

[@DonDeLem]

That Sprite segment actually makes so much sense because I've always thought soda tasted better when it's in a can, but I always get bottles simply because it's a higher quantity.

[@AuntieVeraCharles50]

I LOVE this lady. Entertaining and very informative and fun.

[@shireendhar7120]

I have done a crash course in all sorts of things because of these interviews. I LOVE them so much! I love learning new things and this is filling my soul with all things good. Thank you.

[@Patricia-b]

I love that she brings up the wine and food coloring experiment bc since i was shown that in one of my college classes i will NOT shut up about it every time wine comes up.

[@DuchessofEarlGrey]

Reminded me of a cartoon on a gag birthday card, some guy holding up a glass of wine and saying, "This is red wine. You can tell by its red-ness." It was given to a "wine-snob" and was not well received xD

[@aewtx]

I love this lady! She's so cool and definitely knows her stuff!

[@mimsydreams]

Sharkleberry Fin was one of my faves, when I was younger! It's something berry but the pink is almost like a kiwi strawberry color. I wouldn't be shocked if it was a blue raspberry, but dyed pink.

[@fredradon2484]

I didn't think this would be interesting but WOW I really enjoyed it. Love how you speak and explain.

[@moha1935]

Bring her back again! I still don't know why I know the taste of things I've never eaten, even industrial materials.

[@aud7925]

wow! I’ve never thought of that before. Sometimes I do think about how I can look at something (like a wall, basket, lightbulb, or windowsill) and know exactly what it would feel like on my tongue

[@MH-wj3mx]

Cause you know what they feel like

[@MH-wj3mx]

Previous comment was about the feel, and about the taste, ive understood that smell and taste are tied together, so when you smell something you also partly taste it. Would like to hear her educated answer tough

[@stormtempterf8058]

Fountain drinks also taste different because the mix might not be the same. I noticed that in Europe alot of their sodas have alot more of a carbonaation mix, and when I was stationed in the middle east, the coke fountains had theirs set way low, it was almost just sugar water with nary a fizz. Stateside, individual places might have bad regulators or set the ratio different on purpose. Lots of things happen to get you a soda, lol.

[@granny-nyan]

Super interesting thank you ma'am !

[@tylercooper9090]

Also, fun fact, most Wasabi in the U.S. is just horseradish dyed green. Because true Wasabi is very expensive.

[@jukeboxxgamer]

True! Part of that expense and exclusivity is also because the real plant requires very specific farming techniques and they too parishable for easy commercial transport.

[@TheAndroidBishop]

Although expensive, there are domestic producers (in Oregon I believe?) if you ever want to try the real thing

[@JZJ7777]

You’re right, and authentic wasabi being expensive is why it’s not used in a lot of restaurants.

[@rebekahyoder9335]

I truly love the fact that Coke is less sweet compared to Pepsi. I like unsweetened iced tea and I think that the bitterness is part of the appeal...so knowing the reason behind the little bit of bite in Coke is wonderful.

[@ArrenHidalgo]

I learned a lot. Thank you!

[@abigaileg7345]

OMG! I ❤️ this lady!!! She totally just made my life more understandable! Never knew I was a super taster!!!💕❤️