It's all about taste

[Silver]

Lets face it, vaping has a lot to do with our sense of taste

What makes one juice great and another dismal is oftem the way we perceive or taste the juice.

So how does taste work? Physiologically?
And why does something taste good to one person and horrible to another person?

For example, I love my menthols but my mom (@Poppie) absolutely hates them. Maybe her taste buds are perceiving it differently to me. Or is it that her association with that flavour is different?

These questions have intrigued me for quite some time and I think it would be interesting to try learn bit more about this. After all, taste is one of our main senses and a very important one in vaping!

Will follow up with some info I have found...

Lets all try contribute to this fascinating topic over time

 

[Silver]

Lets start with Wikipedia and a general discussion on Taste:

Taste, gustatory perception, or gustation[1] is one of the five traditional senses that belongs to the gustatory system.

Taste is the sensation produced when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically withtaste receptor cells located on taste buds in the oral cavity, mostly on the tongue. Taste, along with smell (olfaction) and trigeminal nerve stimulation (registering texture, pain, and temperature), determines flavors of food or other substances. Humans have taste receptors on taste buds (gustatory calyculi) and other areas including the upper surface of the tongue and the epiglottis.[2][3]

The tongue is covered with thousands of small bumps called papillae, which are visible to the naked eye. Within each papilla are hundreds of taste buds.[4] the high exception to this is the filiform papillae that do not contain taste buds. There are between 2000 and 5000[5] taste buds that are located on the back and front of the tongue. Others are located on the roof, sides and back of the mouth, and in the throat. Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.

The sensation of taste includes five established basic tastes: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness, and umami.[6][7]Scientific experiments have proven that these five tastes exist and are distinct from one another.[citation needed] Taste buds are able to differentiate among different tastes through detecting interaction with different molecules or ions. Sweet, umami, and bitter tastes are triggered by the binding of molecules to G protein-coupled receptors on the cell membranes of taste buds. Saltiness and sourness are perceived when alkali metal or hydrogen ions enter taste buds, respectively.[8]

The basic tastes contribute only partially to the sensation and flavor of food in the mouth—other factors include smell,[2]detected by the olfactory epithelium of the nose;[9] texture,[10] detected through a variety of mechanoreceptors, muscle nerves, etc.;[11] temperature, detected by thermoreceptors; and "coolness" (such as of menthol) and "hotness" (pungency), through chemesthesis.

As taste senses both harmful and beneficial things, all basic tastes are classified as either aversive or appetitive, depending upon the effect the things they sense have on our bodies.[12] Sweetness helps to identify energy-rich foods, while bitterness serves as a warning sign of poisons.[13]

Among humans, taste perception begins to fade around 50 years of age because of loss of tongue papillae and a general decrease in saliva production.[14] Also, not all mammals share the same taste senses: some rodents can taste starch (which humans cannot), cats cannot taste sweetness, and several other carnivores including hyenas, dolphins, and sea lions, have lost the ability to sense up to four of their ancestral five taste senses.[15]

 

[incredible_hullk]

@Silver I wonder sometimes if the distaste of menthol vape juice comes from the analog days ...back then u either loved menthol or hated it with no in between

 

[Silver]

Very interesting - following on in Wikipedia - a discussion about five basic tastes:


Basic tastesEdit

Taste in the gustatory system allows humans to distinguish between safe and harmful food. Digestive enzymes in saliva begin to dissolve food into base chemicals that are washed over the papillae and detected as tastes by the taste buds. The tongue is covered with thousands of small bumps called papillae, which are visible to the naked eye. Within each papilla are hundreds of taste buds.[4] The exception to this are the filiform papillae that do not contain taste buds. There are between 2000 and 5000[5] taste buds that are located on the back and front of the tongue. Others are located on the roof, sides and back of the mouth, and in the throat. Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.

Bitter foods are generally found unpleasant, while sour, salty, sweet, and meaty tasting foods generally provide a pleasurable sensation. The five specific tastes received by taste receptors are saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and umami, which means "delicious" in Japanese and may be thought of as savory. As of the early twentieth century, physiologists and psychologists believed there were four basic tastes: sweetness, sourness, saltiness, and bitterness. At that time umami was not proposed as a fifth taste[16] but now a large number of authorities recognize it as the fifth taste.

According to Lindemann, both salt and sour taste mechanisms detect, in different ways, the presence of sodium chloride(salt) in the mouth, however, acids are also detected and perceived as sour.

The detection of salt is important to many organisms, but specifically mammals, as it serves a critical role in ion and waterhomeostasis in the body. It is specifically needed in the mammalian kidney as an osmotically active compound which facilitates passive re-uptake of water into the blood.[citation needed] Because of this, salt elicits a pleasant taste in most humans.

Sour and salt tastes can be pleasant in small quantities, but in larger quantities become more and more unpleasant to taste. For sour taste this is presumably because the sour taste can signal under-ripe fruit, rotten meat, and other spoiled foods, which can be dangerous to the body because of bacteria which grow in such media. Additionally, sour taste signals acids, which can cause serious tissue damage.

The bitter taste is almost universally unpleasant to humans. This is because many nitrogenous organic molecules which have a pharmacological effect on humans taste bitter. These include caffeine, nicotine, and strychnine, which respectively compose the stimulant in coffee, addictive agent in cigarettes, and active compound in many pesticides. It appears that some psychological process allows humans to overcome their innate aversion to bitter taste, as caffeinated drinks are widely consumed and enjoyed around the world. It is also interesting to note that many common medicines have a bitter taste if chewed; the gustatory system apparently interprets these compounds as poisons. In this manner, the unpleasant reaction to the bitter taste is a last-line warning system before the compound is ingested and can do damage.

Sweet taste signals the presence of carbohydrates in solution. Since carbohydrates have a very high calorie count (saccharides have many bonds, therefore much energy), they are desirable to the human body, which evolved to seek out the highest calorie intake foods. They are used as direct energy (sugars) and storage of energy (glycogen). However, there are many non-carbohydrate molecules that trigger a sweet response, leading to the development of many artificial sweeteners, including saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame. It is still unclear how these substances activate the sweet receptors and what adaptational significance this has had.

The umami taste, invented by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University, which signals the presence of the amino acid L-glutamate, triggers a pleasurable response and thus encourages the intake of peptides and proteins. The amino acids in proteins are used in the body to build muscles and organs, transport molecules (hemoglobin), antibodies, and the organic catalysts known as enzymes. These are all critical molecules, and as such it is important to have a steady supply of amino acids, hence the pleasurable response to their presence in the mouth.

In Asian countries within the sphere of mainly Chinese and Indian cultural influence, pungency (piquancy or hotness) had traditionally been considered a sixth basic taste.[17] In 2015, researchers at Purdue University suggested a new basic taste (of fats) called oleogustus.[18]

 

[Silver]

@Silver I wonder sometimes if the distaste of menthol vape juice comes from the analog days ...back then u either loved menthol or hated it with no in between

I agree @incredible_hullk !
But I always wonder whether we perceive tastes in the same way

 

[Silver]

Continuing on - still in Wikipedia - about measuring taste
I can just imagine trying to calibrate our taste buds to reference how much menthol taste is in Menthol Ice versus XXX for example.... Lol


Measuring relative tastesEdit
Measuring the degree to which a substance presents one basic taste can be achieved in a subjective way by comparing its taste to a reference substance.

Sweetness is subjectively measured by comparing the threshold values, or level at which the presence of a dilute substance can be detected by a human taster, of different sweet substances.[53] Substances are usually measured relative tosucrose,[54] which is usually given an arbitrary index of 1[55][56] or 100.[57] Fructose is about 1.4 times sweeter than sucrose;glucose, a sugar found in honey and vegetables, is about three-quarters as sweet; and lactose, a milk sugar, is one-half as sweet.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste#endnote_bnone[53]

The sourness of a substance can be rated by comparing it to very dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl).[58]

Relative saltiness can be rated by comparison to a dilute salt solution.[59]

Quinine, a bitter medicinal found in tonic water, can be used to subjectively rate the bitterness of a substance.[60] Units of dilute quinine hydrochloride (1 g in 2000 mL of water) can be used to measure the threshold bitterness concentration, the level at which the presence of a dilute bitter substance can be detected by a human taster, of other compounds.[60] More formal chemical analysis, while possible, is difficult.[60]

 

[Rob Fisher]

No argument there Hi Ho @Silver! It's been about taste for me almost from day one... Menthol Ice started me off and gave me the satisfaction I used to get from my Menthol Blue Ball breaking ciggies... I have always loved things menthol and eucalyptus and I guess that's why it's always been about menthol juices for me... even my chewing gum (when I used to chew it to hide the stick of stinkies) was always power menthol versions.

I have tried many, many, many times to find a juice other than menthol derivatives to vape and while I have a few that I keep for the occasional vape 98% of the time it's a strong menthol juice. I know the spiel says taste buds are not so great after ones 50th birthday but mine are in better shape than they have been in 40 years and I guess that's why I'm so picky about juices... after 40 years of smoking I now really taste things...

But it's a really interesting discussion on vaping because there are a bazillion juices and someone somewhere likes each one... and man o man have I tasted some kak juices in my time... well that's the point... kak for me and great for someone else!

 

[Silver]

Ok, gettimg a bit more technical now (still from Wikipedia)

Sweetness

Sweetness is produced by the presence of sugars, some proteins, and a few other substances.[citation needed] It is often connected to aldehydes and ketones, which contain a carbonyl group.[citation needed] Sweetness is detected by a variety of G protein-coupled receptors coupled to a G protein that acts as an intermediary in the communication between taste bud and brain, gustducin.[61] These receptors are T1R2+3 (heterodimer) and T1R3 (homodimer), which account for sweet sensing in humans and other animals.[62]

Sourness
Sourness is acidity,[63][64] and, like salt, it is a taste sensed using ion channels.[65] Hydrogen ion channels detect the concentration of hydronium ions that are formed from acids and water.[citation needed] In addition, the taste receptor PKD2L1 has been found to be involved in tasting sour.[66]

Saltiness
Saltiness is a taste produced best by the presence of cations (such as Na+
, K+
or Li+
)[65] and, like sour, it is tasted using ion channels.[65]

Other monovalent cations, e.g., ammonium, NH+
4, and divalent cations of the alkali earth metal group of the periodic table, e.g., calcium, Ca2+
, ions, in general, elicit a bitter rather than a salty taste even though they, too, can pass directly throughion channels in the tongue.[citation needed]

Bitterness
Research has shown that TAS2Rs (taste receptors, type 2, also known as T2Rs) such as TAS2R38 are responsible for the human ability to taste bitter substances.[67] They are identified not only by their ability to taste certain bitter ligands, but also by the morphology of the receptor itself (surface bound, monomeric).[68]

Umami
The amino acid glutamic acid is responsible for umami,[69][70] but some nucleotides (inosinic acid[45][71] and guanylic acid[69]) can act as complements, enhancing the taste.[45][71]

Glutamic acid binds to a variant of the G protein-coupled receptor, producing an umami taste.[51][52]

 

[incredible_hullk]

I agree @incredible_hullk !
But I always wonder whether we perceive tastes in the same way

@Silver I do think we all process taste the same way but our experience as a person (ie personality, preferences, past experiences of similar taste profiles etc) alters our brains reaction to the sensation ie. we perceive it differently. A classic example is that my 14 month old loves pasta but she hates veggies (and we vegetarian go figure) so tonight for dinner I made pasta out of zucchini and she loved it because it looks and feels the same as pasta

 

[Silver]

No argument there Hi Ho @Silver! It's been about taste for me almost from day one... Menthol Ice started me off and gave me the satisfaction I used to get from my Menthol Blue Ball breaking ciggies... I have always loved things menthol and eucalyptus and I guess that's why it's always been about menthol juices for me... even my chewing gum (when I used to chew it to hide the stick of stinkies) was always power menthol versions.

I have tried many, many, many times to find a juice other than menthol derivatives to vape and while I have a few that I keep for the occasional vape 98% of the time it's a strong menthol juice. I know the spiel says taste buds are not so great after ones 50th birthday but mine are in better shape than they have been in 40 years and I guess that's why I'm so picky about juices... after 40 years of smoking I now really taste things...

But it's a really interesting discussion on vaping because there are a bazillion juices and someone somewhere likes each one... and man o man have I tasted some kak juices in my time... well that's the point... kak for me and great for someone else!

Lol @Rob Fisher , you read that part about taste declining after 50 - hehe
Im still safe!

But seriously, I think the comment about 50 may need to be modified in the case of those that quit stinkies and turn to vaping. I am assuming that stinkies line the taste receptors with gunk and when we stop smoking we get an improved taste anyway - despite our age...

Menthol rocks by the way

 

[Silver]

Ok now this is very interesting - further sensations - (still from Wikipedia)
Check out coolness. I need to study that part more
Also check out heartiness below (mouthfulness)


Further sensations and transmissionEdit
The tongue can also feel other sensations not generally included in the basic tastes. These are largely detected by thesomatosensory system. In humans, the sense of taste is conveyed via three of the twelve cranial nerves. The facial nerve (VII) carries taste sensations from the anterior two thirds of the tongue, the glossopharyngeal nerve (IX) carries taste sensations from the posterior one third of the tongue while a branch of the vagus nerve (X) carries some taste sensations from the back of the oral cavity.

The trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V) provides information concerning the general texture of food as well as the taste-related sensations of peppery or hot (from spices).

Pungency (also spiciness or hotness)Edit
Main articles: Pungency and Scoville scale
Substances such as ethanol and capsaicin cause a burning sensation by inducing a trigeminal nerve reaction together with normal taste reception. The sensation of heat is caused by the food's activating nerves that express TRPV1 and TRPA1receptors. Some such plant-derived compounds that provide this sensation are capsaicin from chili peppers, piperine fromblack pepper, gingerol from ginger root and allyl isothiocyanate from horseradish. The piquant ("hot" or "spicy") sensation provided by such foods and spices plays an important role in a diverse range of cuisines across the world—especially in equatorial and sub-tropical climates, such as Ethiopian, Peruvian, Hungarian, Indian, Korean, Indonesian, Lao, Malaysian,Mexican, New Mexican, Singaporean, Southwest Chinese (including Szechuan cuisine), Vietnamese, and Thai cuisines.

This particular sensation, called chemesthesis, is not a taste in the technical sense, because the sensation does not arise from taste buds, and a different set of nerve fibers carry it to the brain. Foods like chili peppers activate nerve fibers directly; the sensation interpreted as "hot" results from the stimulation of somatosensory (pain/temperature) fibers on the tongue. Many parts of the body with exposed membranes but no taste sensors (such as the nasal cavity, under the fingernails,surface of the eye or a wound) produce a similar sensation of heat when exposed to hotness agents. Asian countries within the sphere of, mainly, Chinese, Indian, and Japanese cultural influence, often wrote of pungency as a fifth or sixth taste.

CoolnessEdit
Some substances activate cold trigeminal receptors even when not at low temperatures. This "fresh" or "minty" sensation can be tasted in peppermint, spearmint, menthol, ethanol, and camphor. Caused by activation of the same mechanism that signals cold, TRPM8 ion channels on nerve cells, unlike the actual change in temperature described for sugar substitutes, this coolness is only a perceived phenomenon.

NumbnessEdit
Both Chinese and Batak Toba cooking include the idea of 麻 (má or mati rasa), a tingling numbness caused by spices such as Sichuan pepper. The cuisines of Sichuan province in China and of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra often combine this with chili pepper to produce a 麻辣 málà, "numbing-and-hot", or "mati rasa" flavor.[72] These sensations although not taste fall into a category of Chemesthesis.

AstringencyEdit
Some foods, such as unripe fruits, contain tannins or calcium oxalate that cause an astringent or puckering sensation of the mucous membrane of the mouth. Examples include tea, red wine, rhubarb, some fruits of the Syzygium genus, and unripepersimmons and bananas.

Less exact terms for the astringent sensation are "dry", "rough", "harsh" (especially for wine), "tart" (normally referring to sourness), "rubbery", "hard" or "styptic".[73]

When referring to wine, dry is the opposite of sweet, and does not refer to astringency. Wines that contain tannins and so cause an astringent sensation are not necessarily classified as "dry," and "dry" wines are not necessarily astringent.

In the Indian Ayurvedic tradition, one of the six tastes is astringency (kasaaya).[74] In Sinhala and Sri Lankan English it is referred to as kahata.[75]

MetallicnessEdit
A metallic taste may be caused by food and drink, certain medicines or amalgam dental fillings. It is generally considered an off flavor when present in food and drink. A metallic taste may be caused by galvanic reactions in the mouth. In the case where it is caused by dental work, the dissimilar metals used may produce a measurable current.[76] Some artificial sweeteners are perceived to have a metallic taste, which is detected by the TRPV1 receptors.[77] Blood is considered by many people to have a metallic taste.[78][79] A metallic taste in the mouth is also a symptom of various medical conditions, in which case it may be classified under the symptoms dysgeusia or parageusia, referring to distortions of the sense of taste,[80] and can be caused by various kinds of medication, including saquinavir[80] and zonisamide,[81] and occupational hazards, such as working with pesticides.[82]

CalciumEdit
The distinctive taste of chalk has been identified as the calcium component of that substance.[83] In 2008, geneticists discovered a CaSR calcium receptor on the tongues of mice. The CaSR receptor is commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, and brain. Along with the "sweet" T1R3 receptor, the CaSR receptor can detect calcium as a taste. Whether closely related genes in mice and humans means the phenomenon exists in humans as well is unknown.[84][85]

Fattiness (oleogustus)Edit
Recent research reveals a potential taste receptor called the CD36 receptor.[86][87][88] CD36 was targeted as a possible lipid taste receptor because it binds to fat molecules (more specifically, long-chain fatty acids),[89] and it has been localized totaste bud cells (specifically, the circumvallate and foliate papillae).[90] There is a debate over whether we can truly taste fats, and supporters of our ability to taste free fatty acids (FFAs) have based the argument on a few main points: there is an evolutionary advantage to oral fat detection; a potential fat receptor has been located on taste bud cells; fatty acids evoke specific responses that activate gustatory neurons, similar to other currently accepted tastes; and, there is a physiological response to the presence of oral fat.[91] Although CD36 has been studied primarily in mice, research examining human subjects' ability to taste fats found that those with high levels of CD36 expression were more sensitive to tasting fat than were those with low levels of CD36 expression;[92] this study points to a clear association between CD36 receptor quantity and the ability to taste fat.

Other possible fat taste receptors have been identified. G protein-coupled receptors GPR120 and GPR40 have been linked to fat taste, because their absence resulted in reduced preference to two types of fatty acid (linoleic acid and oleic acid), as well as decreased neuronal response to oral fatty acids.[93]

Monovalent cation channel TRPM5 has been implicated in fattiness taste as well,[94] but it is thought to be involved primarily in downstream processing of the taste rather than primary reception, as it is with other tastes such as bitter, sweet, and umami.[91]

A 2015 study, proposed naming the taste of fat as "oleogustus".[18][95] The main form of fat that is commonly ingested istriglycerides, which are composed of three fatty acids bound together. In this state, triglycerides are able to give fatty foods unique textures that are often described as creaminess. But this texture is not an actual taste. It is only during ingestion that the fatty acids that make up triglycerides are broken apart and the taste of fat is revealed. The taste is commonly related to other, more negative, tastes such as bitter and sour due to how unpleasant the taste is for humans. Richard Mattes, a co-author of the study, explained that low concentrations of these fatty acids can create an overall better flavor in a food, much like how small uses of bitterness can make certain foods more rounded. However, a high concentration of fatty acids in certain foods is generally considered inedible.[96] To demonstrate that individuals can distinguish oleogustus from other flavors, the researchers separated volunteers into groups and had them try samples that also contained the other basic tastes. Volunteers were able to separate the taste of fatty acids into their own category, with some overlap with umami samples, which the researchers hypothesized was due to poor familiarity with both. The researchers note that the usual "creaminess and viscosity we associate with fatty foods is largely due to triglycerides", unrelated to the taste; while the actual taste of fatty acids is not pleasant. Mattes described the taste as "more of a warning system" that a certain food should not be eaten.[18]

There are few regularly consumed foods rich in oleogustus, due to the negative flavor that is evoked in large quantities. Foods whose flavor to which oleogustus makes a small contribution include olive oil and fresh butter, along with various kinds of vegetable and nut oils.[97]

Heartiness (kokumi)Edit
Some Japanese researchers refer to the kokumi of foods. This sensation has also been described as mouthfulness,[98]:290and appears to be related to a number of γ-L-glutamyl peptides, which activate a calcium-sensing receptor which is also sensitive to glutathione.[98]

TemperatureEdit
Temperature can be an essential element of the taste experience. Food and drink that—in a given culture—is traditionally served hot is often considered distasteful if cold, and vice versa. For example, alcoholic beverages, with a few exceptions, are usually thought best when served at room temperature or chilled to varying degrees, but soups—again, with exceptions—are usually only eaten hot. A cultural example are soft drinks. In North America it is almost always preferred cold, regardless of season. In South America soda is almost exclusively consumed lukewarm in winter[citation needed], though not in Brazil, where it is only consumed cold.

StarchinessEdit
A 2016 study suggested that humans can taste starch (specifically, a glucose oligomer) independently of other tastes such as sweetness. However, no specific chemical receptor has been yet been found for this taste.[99][100]

 

[Silver]

Just thinking - all this info needs to be digested carefully
Might be useful in juice reviews. Lol

 

[incredible_hullk]

Geez..thats alot of research into such a small part of our body...the human body is truly amazing...

 

[Johan9779]

Lets face it, vaping has a lot to do with our sense of taste

What makes one juice great and another dismal is oftem the way we perceive or taste the juice.

So how does taste work? Physiologically?
And why does something taste good to one person and horrible to another person?

For example, I love my menthols but my mom (@Poppie) absolutely hates them. Maybe her taste buds are perceiving it differently to me. Or is it that her association with that flavour is different?

These questions have intrigued me for quite some time and I think it would be interesting to try learn bit more about this. After all, taste is one of our main senses and a very important one in vaping!

Will follow up with some info I have found...

Lets all try contribute to this fascinating topic over time

Taste. My passion. I cook for fun. My garden is full of herbs, my pantry full of spices, my man cave full of flavors. My friends hate stinky cheese, the more runny and revolting, the more I love it. I believe its related to interest and passion to some degree. Some of us push the envelope, looking for new tastes, others are comfortable with what they know.

Then physiologically, we are different. Some of us hear or see better. Some of us taste more strongly. Google "supertasters".

And there is emotional connotations. http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-t...ng-and-memory/articles/2015/taste-and-memory/
Tastes and smells brings strong memories of very happy times, even decades later. I should know, I'm old. Perhaps the smell of butterscotch reminds me of school.

Then just stimulation. Eating a chilli, the rush of endorphins.

I suspect, that anyone seriously vaping with a cupboard full of juices regards food and taste important in their lives.

 

[KZOR]

Tastes vary widely between people.
There are many factors that has a influence on taste of which some of the more common are age, pregnancy, obesity, meals, conditioning, temperature, allergies, common disease affecting respiratory passages and so on.
I was in a vape shop once and a guy next to me had an what seemed to me as a orgasmic experience when he vaped a certain juice. I just had to try it when he left but was not at all impressed.
This is the reason why I ask my wife and friends to test a specific recipe and if the majority likes it then I save it.
It is impossible to cater to the taste buds of everyone. One thing @Silver mentioned is the role olfactory cells in the nasal passages play in taste perception. It plays an immense role and that's why mom always told you to close your nose when taking bad tasting medicine or eating your cauliflower.
Hence we must try and refrain from being too critical when judging vendors juices.
I was one of the testers of the Loco range of concentrates and where most were agreeing on certain flavours others had different experiences for some of them.
Taste is as subjective as a English teachers mark for a composition or a oral.

 

[RichJB]

What I would like to know is why the perception of vaping flavours varies so drastically. Some taste pepper in TFA VBIC, or rubber/onions in FA Pineapple, or suntan lotion in TFA Coconut. These same types of flavourings are used in foodstuffs. If you give a packet of Simba Salt n Vinegar chips to 100 people to taste, I'm pretty sure you won't have 5 tasting rubber in the chips, another five pepper and so on. Sure, some will not like the chips because they are too greasy or salty or whatever. But I'm pretty sure everyone will agree at least that they are tasting salt and vinegar. Why does the taste sensation vary then in vaping? Is it because we are using the flavours at a much higher concentration?

 

[Silver]

Taste. My passion. I cook for fun. My garden is full of herbs, my pantry full of spices, my man cave full of flavors. My friends hate stinky cheese, the more runny and revolting, the more I love it. I believe its related to interest and passion to some degree. Some of us push the envelope, looking for new tastes, others are comfortable with what they know.

Then physiologically, we are different. Some of us hear or see better. Some of us taste more strongly. Google "supertasters".

And there is emotional connotations. http://www.brainfacts.org/sensing-t...ng-and-memory/articles/2015/taste-and-memory/
Tastes and smells brings strong memories of very happy times, even decades later. I should know, I'm old. Perhaps the smell of butterscotch reminds me of school.

Then just stimulation. Eating a chilli, the rush of endorphins.

I suspect, that anyone seriously vaping with a cupboard full of juices regards food and taste important in their lives.

Lovely post @Johan9779
Looking forward to hearing more!

 

[Silver]

Tastes vary widely between people.
There are many factors that has a influence on taste of which some of the more common are age, pregnancy, obesity, meals, conditioning, temperature, allergies, common disease affecting respiratory passages and so on.
I was in a vape shop once and a guy next to me had an what seemed to me as a orgasmic experience when he vaped a certain juice. I just had to try it when he left but was not at all impressed.
This is the reason why I ask my wife and friends to test a specific recipe and if the majority likes it then I save it.
It is impossible to cater to the taste buds of everyone. One thing @Silver mentioned is the role olfactory cells in the nasal passages play in taste perception. It plays an immense role and that's why mom always told you to close your nose when taking bad tasting medicine or eating your cauliflower.
Hence we must try and refrain from being too critical when judging vendors juices.
I was one of the testers of the Loco range of concentrates and where most were agreeing on certain flavours others had different experiences for some of them.
Taste is as subjective as a English teachers mark for a composition or a oral.

Agreed @KZOR
I like the comment about blocking the nose. So true!

 

[Silver]

What I would like to know is why the perception of vaping flavours varies so drastically. Some taste pepper in TFA VBIC, or rubber/onions in FA Pineapple, or suntan lotion in TFA Coconut. These same types of flavourings are used in foodstuffs. If you give a packet of Simba Salt n Vinegar chips to 100 people to taste, I'm pretty sure you won't have 5 tasting rubber in the chips, another five pepper and so on. Sure, some will not like the chips because they are too greasy or salty or whatever. But I'm pretty sure everyone will agree at least that they are tasting salt and vinegar. Why does the taste sensation vary then in vaping? Is it because we are using the flavours at a much higher concentration?

I agree with you @RichJB
It's very puzzling
I think some Vaping juices have less dispersion in the perceived taste but some are very wide and all over