Sweet on You?

When choosing a gift of alcohol, it is sometimes difficult to know the recipient’s tastes. One idea would be to give something that you think tastes good. However, everyone’s sense of taste is different. What about taste differences from a scientific point of view? 

Research at Yale University shows that women have more taste buds on their tongues than men. There is a 35% “supertaster” population of women, compared to 15% of men, who are more sensitive to bitter, sweet, sour, and other tastes than normal people. Which means men tend to prefer stronger tastes. If somebody sprays pepper on your food, please do not get upset and take a chill pill.

Amylase, one of the enzymes, is essential for sake-making and breaks down starch into glucose. When you eat rice and chew it in your mouth for a while, you feel a faint sweet taste, which is the function of amylase in saliva. Since rice, the raw material for sake, is mostly starch, amylase also produces many types of glucose, including oligosaccharides, contributing to sake’s complex sweet-tasting qualities. Women tend to have more amylase enzymes in their saliva, which allows the starch to be broken down more quickly in the mouth, and thus may contribute to the sweet taste. 

Of course, this is not true for all people, and there are individual differences. 

This time we talked about the taste buds. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner,

DC Sake cō has some sweet sake that would make the perfect gift!

FEBRUARY SPECIAL: LOVE SAKE TRIO

Tsuru-ume Kanjuku is for a person who is working hard. When plum wine is mixed with hot water, it warms the body and makes it easier to fall asleep.

Oze x Rosé is for the cute one in your life? This sweet pink is made from red

yeast and is a pure heart with no coloring.

Tedorigawa “U” is for the unique person, the one and only. “U” means “You”! This Yamahai Junmai Sake has a gentle pear-like sweetness. 

(Source: Yale School of Medicine, https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/accounting-for-taste/ )