January 25

We started today with three type of El Ray Chocolate. The Bucare was a 58% dark chocolate that was sweet, milky, and fatty, with not much overall taste. Then we moved onto the Mijao (61%) which, again, did not have much taste at all. Then we moved onto the Gran Suman (70%) which was chalky but sour, nutty, earthy, and bitter. I honestly could not say which one I liked the most.

We then move on to tasting different kinds of cinnamon. We started with Ceylan which is technically the truest form of cinnamon. It tasted a little bready and burnt but with spice and smoke. The next three types are actually cassia which is technically not even cinnamon. However, it is what most Americans are most familiar with as cinnamon. The Chinese cassia was milder with less overall flavor. The Saigon Cassia was more spicy, but with the same fundamental cinnamon taste. Finally there was the Korintje cassia which was sweeter and the closest to what I am used to. To test out tasting ability, we were given a Cinnabon cinnamon roll and asked to guess what kind of cinnamon/cassia was used to make it. My guess was the Kointje which seemed to be consistent with most of the class (although I’m sure we will never find out what it really is).

Finally, we moved on to Blue cheeses which I can say, with all honesty, that I didn’t like. The Valdeon was musty, smoky, possibly herbaceous, and lasts an extremely long time on the palate. Then there was the stilton which was extremely salty and chalky. In my personal opinion, it tasted exactly like drywall. Then there was the American which was not bad and had the same fundamental flavor as the stilton, but without the salt or the chalk. If I had to choose a favorite out of the four, this would probably be it. And finally, there was the Cambozola which was creamy, smoky, and musty, but not as intense as the Valdeon.  

January 23

Today's chocolate tasting featured four chocolates from around the world. The first was a Caracan chocolate made from Trinitarian beans and smelled much different from  the others. Even when I was chewing on the chocolate, I could smell in my nose at the same time. The taste itself was slightly bitter and fruity but not acidic. The second type was a Venezuelan Trinitarian which smelled like a floor cleaner. It too tasted fruity but more acidic with a grassy and earthy tone. The third type was the Indonesian Criollo which was acidic and sour but was notably minty and fruity. It was also acidic to the point of astringency. Then there was the Madagascar which was very sour. The wrapper said that it was supposed to taste like wood and mushroom, but I never got those. Instead I got a strong p-nutty flavor. The final chocolate we tasted was a mystery chocolate. It was extremely bitter and astringent but had a coffee flavor to it. We found out later that it 100% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs added . . . . That explained a lot! Even though this class has taught me not to be afraid of (and even to like) some dark chocolates, I still can't handle 100% dark.

The next test was olive oil, of which there are four types: delicate/mild, olivey/peppery, leafy/green/grassy, and fruity/fragrant. We were given four different cups and told to match each with the category to which it belonged. I found that the Bertoli was olivey and peppery, the L'Estornel was leafy, green, and grassy, the Masserie di Sant'eramo was delicate and mild, and the Badia a Coltibuono was fruity and fragrant. We were then told by the teachers that the Bertoli was actually fruity and fragrant, the L'Estornel was actually olivey and peppery, and the Badia a Coltibuono was actually leafy green and grassy. I personally think that I was right. The only conclusion that I can reach is that my cups must have gotten mixed up. I tried each cup several more times, and each time I became more certain that my answers were right.

After the olive oil tasting, we went straight into tasting olives themselves. We started with the Kalamate which was salty and olivey. The next was a ripe black which was slightly bitter and salty but more mild than the first. Next, we moved on to the Nicoise which was just plain olivey. The Queen Olive was salty and sour to the extreme! And finally there was the Manzanilla which was just salty. They were all olivey and salty, but I could taste individual differences between each. After we had tried them all, someone pointed out that most of them tasted like boiled peanuts, and I could definitely taste some truth to this claim. While I could taste the differences, I had no way of describing those differences. Personally, it didn't bother me too much anyway because I didn’t like any of them anyway. So its not like I'm about to go out and buy them. Even though I didn't like them, I am glad to say that I tried them in the spirit of being adventurous. Besides now I can explain my reason why I don't like olives instead of just saying "I don't like them".

After the olives, we moved on to tasting different types of Cheddar cheese. The Vermont, I thought, was the driest and had the least taste. Then there was the Boar's Head which was bland but was slightly fruit. My second favorite was the Kerry Gold which was astringent and sour/bitter but good with a sharp taste. Finally my favorite was the Cabot which was smooth with a mild, but unique taste. It was a little sour but also had hints of wood and butter. A fact to part with is that apple cider is the traditional drink match for cheddar. I just thought that was interesting.

January 20

Today we started by tasting three different types of Santander dark chocolates. The first type was a 70% dark chocolate which had a bit of a burnt taste. However, the smell was much closer to the 53% which also smelled dark and rich in cocoa. The difference was that the 53% tasted very milky and sweet; very close to a milk chocolate. On the other hand, the 65% dark chocolate smelled like shaving cream and was more sour and fruity than the others making it more astringent. Others in the class said that it tasted like raisins, but I was never able to pick up on this.

After the chocolates, we moved into cheese tasting. The first type was parmesan which was super intense and astringent. But really, it was just a drier and more intense parmesan. The second type was pecorino which tasted like some sort of pepper or spice (I never could put my finger on what kind). And finally, there was the Myzithra which both tasted and felt like cardboard with a rancid aftertaste. These are three cheeses that I have no desire to ever try again.

Then we moved on to the vinegar tasting. We started with a red-wine vinegar which had a very pickly taste. Just like all the others, I was able to taste the sourness and acidity which are characteristics of vinegars. The second type is Balsamic Vinegar which was more mildly acidic but had a bolder flavor. The third type we tried was a cider vinegar which tasted almost exactly like green apples, but with a little more of a pickly taste. When we started the tasting I was sure that I was not going to like vinegar. i had tried it so many times in the past that one more time wasn't going to change my preference. And I was right.

After the vinegar tasting, we put a small pill of miracle fruit extract on the tongue and let is dissolve there. It was amazing the effect that it had on taste perception! It made eating lemons and limes taste like plain candy (like a gummy bear or something). I also tried the vinegar, and the acidity was gone, but I still didn't like it. This told me that it was the taste of the vinegar, and not the vinegar sting that I didn't like. I noticed that the taste difference seemed to be a little more pronounced in some of my classmates than myself, and I started to wonder if I had gotten the full effect. I do know that I was experiencing at least some difference, because my lips and the back of my mouth, where the pill had not reached, were tingling as if getting the full effect of the sourness. When I tested its effects again at lunch 20 minutes later, I found no effect at all. Our conclusion was that the bread of the sandwich had wiped the extract off of the taste buds.  At least it was really cool while it lasted.

January 19

Today I was one of the lucky class members who got to show up at noon and eat the great lunch that had been prepared for us. I had no idea what to expect because we didn't know what dishes were being cooked. However, I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! The dish I was probably the most skeptical about was the eggplant parmesan. As you might guess, it was because of the eggplant. As it turns out, the eggplant parmesan was delicious! I was delightfully surprised that you couldn't even taste the eggplant. The texture of the eggplant was kind of weird mixed with the fried part and the marinara sauce, but all of the flavors mixed really well. Another great dish was the four cheese lasagna. I am used to eating lasagna with meat in it, but this lasagna was so good, that I found myself not even missing the meat. The cheese buns were another favorite. They were so good, that I almost couldn't put them down. If I hadn't left when I did, I might have exploded because I couldn't get myself to stop eating the rolls. I was also skeptical about the fried goat cheese salad because we had had a sampling of goat cheese in a previous class, and I had not liked it. This time, I did like it, but it was not my favorite. It did make it better that the cheese was on a salad, but I found that the sourness of the goat cheese stood out too much and overpowered everything in the salad. Finally, there was the tiramisu. It was really good, but I think someone might have added a little too much rum. Don't get me wrong, it was still really good! However, we were supposed to concentrating on the blending of the different ingredients, and this was made much harder because there was so much rum that it overpowered everything else. Overall, this was a great meal, and I enjoyed all of it! 

January 18

This was yet another day packed full of tastings. I was so distraught the whole class because all of my tastings were off. This was because I burnt my tongue so bad on the soups yesterday. I can, however, say that I learned something very valuable from this: because my tongue was burnt, I had to move the substance around to all areas of my mouth to find the taste buds that weren't as affected. Even if you can only taste with the back of your tongue, then you may learn even more because, at least with me personally, I never concentrate on the tastes on the back of my tongue. Overall, because the front of my tongue was burned, I found that I was able to pick up more subtle tastes, and agree with the rest of the class more because I was forced to use more regions of my mouth, and concentrate more on the flavors that I was able to pick up. 

We started the class with a tasting of four different types of pralus chocolates. The first type we tried was the pralus fortissima made of criollo and trinitarian beans from Ecuador. It tasted strongly of chocolate, but was also very sweet for a dark chocolate. It also had a bit of a sour taste. The second type we tried was the prelus Chuao made from criollo beans from Venezuela. It was a little more bitter and sour, but not as sweet. I did like it, and would describe the overall taste as quality. It just had a richness, and elegance about it. The third type we tried was the chuao Brasil made from forasterio from Brazil. This chocolate had more of an earthy tone with the most acidity and fruity taste of the three. The final type we tried was the mystery chocolate. It came off as immediately familiar. I knew that is was an herbal taste, but I couldn’t place it. We were then it was peppercorn (which we tried last week) and I had a resulting duuhh moment. While some people really liked it, I had one bite, and that was more than enough. 

After the chocolates, we had a salt tasting. I was extremely disappointed that I couldn't taste well today because salt and bacon are my favorite flavors of all time! Making do with what I had, we tried the Maldon first. To be honest, it just tasted like regular salt. The black diamond also tasted like plain salt. This was very disappointing for someone who loves salt so much. But I could tell a bit of difference in the Kavai Guava Smoked. The only difference was that it was a little smoky, as the name suggests. I feel confident that I would have been able to place this flavor better with a full set of taste buds. These first three were tasted off of cucumber. Although peculiar to me at first, I found this to be a good medium for tasting. The second three salts were tasted off of buttered bread. Surprisingly, I didn't think this to be a good medium because it was harder to separate the three flavors. To me these three flavors just naturally go together, so it is harder for me to separate them. With that being said, the next salt we tasted was the Fleur de Sel which tasted like plain salt, but more intense than the first three. The next type was the Mololeai Red, which knocked me on my but. Up until this point in my life, I thought there was no such thing as too salty. However, I learned at this point that I was wrong. The final type of salt we tried was the Sel Gris. I would say that it had a bit more of a spicy taste. This gave it a little more individuality over the other types. After multiple tastings, I couldn't narrow down the flavor any more than that. One thing that I did notice is that the size of the grain had a lot to do with the taste. Simply put, the larger the grain, the more salty it tasted. Hopefully someday I will get the chance to try these again with a chance for more discriminability. 

Finally, we couldn't leave without trying some more cheeses. The first type we tried was the Asiago Fresio. It was very cheesy and sweet, and could possibly be my favorite of all the cheeses we have tried so far! I am most definitely going to wait four or five days, and then go get some to confirm this. The second type we tried was the Raclette Raw. This type was good, but not as much as the Asiago. It had more of a smoky taste to it. And finally there was the Borough Market Cheddar. It started off tangy and then got really sharp. It was sour and had a consistency that I can't quite put my finger on. I would definitely give it a second chance though.

January 17

Today was another kitchen day for Team A. We started out learning how to make stocks, broths, and soups from the stocks. The first step was to cut up the chicken. This is something that would be easy enough for me to do on my own but, personally, I'm going to get out of it if at all possible. For some reason, I have no idea why, I have an aversion to fat on my chicken. This is a very weird quirk on my part, but it has bothered me since childhood. With this being said, of-course it was me that got selected to strip the fat off the chicken and stuff the seasonings in-between the fat and the chicken . . . . Thanks Dr. Nowatka! Joking aside, it really wasn't as bad as I thought. And it tasted great at the end! The fat was so crispy and flavorful that I really couldn't tell that it was fat. Furthermore, the meat under the fat was juicy and tasty as well. I am glad that I learned that technique because I am so picky about chicken that it is hard for me to find new dishes. 

The second pair of chickens were cut up and thrown into hot water to make the stock. We started the clear stock but never finished it because it would have been many more hours before it was finished. But the other stock was used to make the chicken and dumplings and chicken and rice soups. Even though I am from the south, I think this was my first experience with chicken and dumplings. It is my grandmother's favorite dish and the world, but I have always refrained from trying it. However, this time I tried it and loved it. The liquid part of it was thick and tasty (almost like a gravy) while the dumplings were both tasty and had a great texture that I can't even describe. I am so excited to go home and make this recipe for my grandmother! The chicken and rice was very good too. This was a dish that Anson and I made, so I'm a little biased, but I thought it came out really well. It was a very simple dish were we added rice, stock, chicken, carrots, and celery, and let it stew until the rice was done. The final dish was the beef and barley stew. I had no idea what barley was until I tried this dish but it was really good! I'm not sure how barley is supposed to taste, but it was a little crunchy (I think it was just served early because of the time restraints). The soup overall was really good because of the blend of flavors and the flavor of the beef. 

It all came together nicely into a great meal. It was almost a shame that no one from team B showed up to sample our work. But then again, it didn't bother me much because there was more for us! The only downside to today was that I was stupid and burnt my tongue really bad on the soup. This must say something good about our food if I still thought it was outstanding despite the fact that I couldn’t feel my tongue! I learned a lot from today and thought than these were definitely dishes that I plant to make again, and that I can make my own variations to them.

January 16

Today we started by tasting four different varietals of dark chocolate from different regions of the world. The first type was the Ambanja from Madagascar, which is made from Criollo beans. Its flavor seemed to be combined of elements of milk chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and cocoa. I also thought it tasted fairly bitter and fruity with a strange resemblance to apricot. The second type we tried was Chicuri which is from Columbia and made from the trinitarian bean. It was milky and smooth with a bitter/fruity taste. More specifically, it had hints of banana with a more mild intensity, while maintaining a stronger flavor. The third type was the Sur del Lago from Venezuela which is made from a blend of trinitarian and Criollo beans. Most notable was the strong presence of the cocoa, while also tasting flowery and fruity with a smooth texture. The final type we tried was the Quevedo made from the Forasterio bean. The nuttiness jumps out the most, but equally present is the pound cake like taste. It also had slight hints of vanilla.

We followed the chocolate tasting by cupping coffee, a process of tasting that I had never heard of before. The first step is to put the beans in a cup and pour boiling water over them. As the steam diminishes, a crust will form at the top. The crust is broken is with a spoon. WHILE breaking the crust, keep the nose close to the top so that your nose can catch the steam. You have to make sure that the beans are ground into large enough pieces so that they sink to the bottom of the cup. After breaking the crust and smelling the steam, use the spoon to skim the crust off the top. While cupping someone asked if there was a perfect temperature at which to brew coffee. We were then told that there was no perfect temperature to brew it; it all depends on preference. If cooked too hot of too long, it may develop a burnt taste, but then again, some people prefer that taste. I just thought this was an interesting tidbit worth mentioning. The next step of the cupping is to forcefully slurp the coffee off the spoon. The first thing that one tastes, when coffee tasting, is the fruitiness or acidity (if there is any) and then the body (if there is any).

After watching a video on this whole process, we tried the Sumatran, Guatemalan (Antiguan), and Kenyan blends. The Sumatra was very mild and had a little bit of an earthy, smokey, and especially herbal flavor. The Kenya has more of a chocolaty smell but a nuttier-earthier taste. It was a little sour and light, but could best be described as Juicy. Finally, the Guatemalan is almost the same as the Sumatran, but more intense, with a peppery and burnt, and spicy flavor. The smell of both the Sumatran and Guatemalan drove me crazy for at least 10-15 minutes. The smell was very nostalgic, and I finally placed it. These coffees smelled almost exactly like my friends beach house. Very Weird.

The next test was the PCT test. This was also weird for me because I had never been able to taste the PCT test for myself. This time, I could actually taste the PCT, and it was extremely bitter and sour at the same time. The other odd part is that, while I could definitely taste it, it didn't seem as intense for me as as it did for those around me. The other odd part is that the "taster" gene is only prominent in 4-5 percent of the population. But only about 4-5 percent of the class were "non-tasters".  One possible reason for my being able to taste this time, and not last time, is because this time, I had a blank strip to compare it to.

Finally, we taste three different types of stinky cheeses. The first type was Fromage de Chavot which smelled exactly like a cheesy porta-potty. It was very salty and sour but overall, it was good. Based on the smell, I was thinking it would taste just as horrible,  but this was not the case. It is not a cheese that I would actively seek to taste again, but I am glad that I tried it. The second type of cheese we tried was the Fromage de Chavre which smelled exactly like a porta-potty. The texture was very powerful and felt like play-dough on my tongue. It has a cheesy aftertaste, but it doesn't taste very bad. Again, I was pleasantly surprised at the contrast to what I was expecting. The third type we tasted was that Ribola which smelled so bad I almost vomited. In this case, the taste actually was as bad as the smell. As vulgar as this may sound, it tasted almost exactly like vomit. unlike anything else we had tasted in class, the sensation was so strong, I could not pick out any individual flavors. Not to mention that is was so bad, that I was unwilling to try another taste. Probably won't ever try Ribola again.