Tea Study: Connecting Taste Buds & Personality
It’s true that taste is very personal, but did you ever stop to think about how your taste buds relate to your personality? Heidi Kyser, Editor of the World Tea News, recently chatted with Virginia Utermohlen, Associate Professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, to learn more about her “extensive work on taste and personality in the wine industry, and [how] she’s turning her unique skill set on tea.”
WTN: How did you get interested in tea?
Utermohlen: I got interested in it when I gave a talk at a Slow Food event. I was talking with a tea expert there, and I started thinking, “I don’t really know a thing about tea.” Then I went to Vancouver, where my daughter introduced me to Mariage Frères teas, and it blew my mind. I bought books on tea and realized I’d been missing a whole segment of this taste universe. I’m interested in all these tastes and smells.I’m not a complete novice – my favorite tea in the past has been lapsang souchong. I’ve been to Japan and had green tea there. I’m a highly sensitive taster, so things that are really flavorful are nice, because they give me so much of a kick.
Read the rest of the article to learn more about the taste experiments that she’ll be performing at the World Tea Expo next month in Las Vegas.