Super Taster

Was just discussing ability to discern flavors in cigars and Bourbon with my son-in-law John the other day as we smoke 2 of the Davidoff cigars he got me for Christmas. Why can he taste the fine subtleness of pepper in a bourbon, while I do not. The question I have is can you develop or train your taste buds to detect flavors. I came across this article that may say it is genetic based on how many taste buds you have. There is a test at the end I will have to try.

Being a supertaster is no piece of cake
By Diane Mapes
Being a "supertaster" may sound like a foodie’s dream come true, but in reality, it’s no picnic.
Coffee and alcohol are unpalatable – along with tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, strawberries, condiments and most sweets.
"I can’t stand cake," says Michelle Triplett, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mom and supertaster from Olympia, Wash., who spoke, coincidentally, on her birthday. "It’s too sweet for me. And when I drink beer, I gag. It’s like drinking urine."
Supertasters detect components – like salt or bitterness -- in food that others can’t, says Dr. Alan Hirsch, founder and neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.
"[Supertasters] have densities of taste buds that are 10 to 100 times greater than the normal population," he says. "As a result, supertasters are much more sensitive to spicy foods and they can taste … very mild flavors."
Triplett, whose favorite meals are turkey sandwiches and macaroni and cheese, says the blander the better, since most everything else is, as They Might Be Giants put it in their song "John Lee Supertaster," simply "too much."
The condition is genetic, tends to affect women more than men and affects 25 percent of the U.S. population; non-tasters (people with a reduced ability to taste) make up another 25 percent with the rest of the population described as medium or normal tasters.
While there are some benefits -- supertasters tend to avoid sugars, salts and fats, so they suffer less from obesity and cardiovascular disease – there’s a potential downside. Supertasters often avoid green vegetables because of their bitter taste, so they miss out on cancer-fighting flavanoids and other nutrients.
"Many vegetables have bitterness in them -- like green pepper – so a supertaster may avoid [them]," says Hirsch. Other problem veggies include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, olives and spinach.
"When I get Brussels sprouts on my tongue, I immediately want to pull that whole patch of tongue off," says Triplett. Tomato-based foods, apples and blueberries are also too potent for her.
Supertasters are also more prone to burning mouth syndrome, a condition in which a person’s tongue or mouth feels like it’s on fire.
"It’s horribly disabling," says Hirsch. "You can’t eat food, you can only drink water and it can be quite painful.
If you think you’re a supertaster, a five-minute survey developed by Cornell University can help. There’s also a home test involving blue food coloring. Or a simple taste test – available for a small fee -- that uses a filter paper impregnated with a chemical known 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Non-tasters won’t taste anything on the paper; medium tasters will taste a small amount of bitterness. Supertasters, however, will find the chemical "stomach-wrenchingly bitter." If the thought of veggies makes you cringe, you may be. Around one in every four people are born with thousands of extra taste buds, which enable them to more acutely detect sweetness, sourness, and bitterness in foods. Think you fit in this category? Try this test (it's a little odd, yes, but experts stand by it):

What you'll need: A hole punch, a one-inch-square piece of waxed paper, blue food coloring, and a cotton swab.
What to do: Punch a hole in the waxed paper; set it aside. Dab a little blue food coloring on your tongue. It should turn blue, with the exception of tiny pink circles. (These are "fungiform papillae," and each contains six to 15 taste buds.) Place the waxed paper over the blue area of your tongue and count the pink circles in the hole that you punched out. More than 25 circles? You're a supertaster.

FDA Wants to Regulate Cigars

Gary Manelski at about.com had this article on his site:(If you have not subscribed to his regular emails, I would highly recommend you do this).
Monday May 3, 2010
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will soon issue a notice that it is proposing a rule that would make cigars subject to the Tobacco Control Act, and include provisions to address public health concerns raised by cigars. If the proposed rule becomes law, expect more regulations, restrictions, etc. to affect cigars, in addition to higher prices/taxes on cigars to pay for the additional government oversight. Here's the legalize, published in the semiannual regulatory agenda of the Department of Health and Human Services, to which the FDA reports:
Source: gpo.gov
147. CIGARS SUBJECT TO THE FAMILY SMOKING PREVENTION AND TOBACCO CONTROL ACT
Legal Authority: 21 USC 301 et seq, The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; PL 111-31, The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
Abstract: The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (the Tobacco Control Act) provides FDA authority to regulate cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco. Section 901 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended by the Tobacco Control Act, permits FDA to issue regulations deeming other tobacco products to be subject to the Tobacco Control Act. This proposed rule would deem cigars to be subject to the Tobacco Control Act and include provisions to address public health concerns raised by cigars.

La Aurora 107 86.75

Here is pic from Kentucky Oaks showing my twin 107's and the famous twin spires at Churchill Downs. I have smoked 3 of these now. Two torpedo's and one robusto.

These were an OK smoke but nothing exceptional.

Here is the review from the stogie guys at www.stogieguys.com website.

I maintain that La Aurora is an underrated cigar maker. Headed by Guillermo León and José Blanco, La Aurora doesn’t chase trends, but seems to produce solid, tasty smokes year after year, with Preferidos and Cien Años as classic examples.
Speaking of years, this year La Aurora—the oldest Dominican cigar company—celebrates its 107th anniversary. Like so many cigar companies, its celebrating with a new cigar. “We had defined our goal early on,” said León, La Aurora VP, “and that was to bring the smokers a medium-bodied, richly flavored smoke with a fair amount of spice at a very attractive price.”
Leon and Blanco created the La Aurora 107 blend with an Ecuadorian wrapper, a Dominican binder, and a combination of Dominican and Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. The Robusto (4.5 x 50) retails for $6.50. Other sizes of the cigar, due out only in brick and mortar cigar shops, are a Toro (5.5 x 54) and a Belicoso (6.25 x 52).
The Ecuadorian wrapper is oily and rough with plenty of veins. The cigar is slightly spongy to the touch but even throughout. Upon clipping the head, an easy draw is apparent which is maintained throughout the short robusto.
Upon lighting, I find a hint of bitterness in the first few puffs, which soon gives way to toasty flavors with a hint of spice. There’s also a nice bit of sweetness that I commonly associate with maduro smokes.
The 107 is medium-bodied and balanced. As it evolves, a burnt chary flavor emerges, along with more woody spices, and even a hint of Bordeaux-like wine notes. Construction is flawless with a solid ash and even burn producing thick, lush smoke.
I’m always a big believer in the idea that smoking slowly brings out the best in a cigar, and that is especially true in the La Aurora 107. When smoked too quickly, the 107 develops a slight bitterness. However, with enough patience (by limiting the 107 to no more than two draws per minute) it can be a smooth, subtle smoke.
So while you may have to work at it, the La Aurora 107 has a lot to offer. Given some aging time I think it might turn out even better. Even so, right now the La Aurora 107 Robusto earns a rating of three and a half stogies out of five.