Are You What You Say You Are, A Supertaster?

According to an assistant professor of food science at Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, there are supertasters and non-tasters.

"Supertasters live in a neon taste world - everything is bright and vibrant," says Dr. John Hayes.  "For non-tasters, everything is pastel. Nothing is ever really intense."

What separates superstar tongues from the insipid existence of the masses?

This CNN article explains:

Experts aren't sure what makes some people supertasters. Taste sensitivity is believed to be genetic, and it may partly depend on the number of tiny bumps on your tongue (known as papilla) that house taste buds. "When you have more of these, you have more taste nerves that send a stronger signal to the brain," Hayes explains.

But, like a supersmeller dog poking his head out a car window to get away from your stinky backseat, supertasters are sometimes overwhelmed by offenses like bitterness that others can tolerate.  Their version of panting out the window, Hayes' new study suggests, is to prefer foods with higher amounts of salt that block flavors that would otherwise be too strong.  Supertasters in the study perceived, for example, "low-sodium cheddar cheese to be twice as bitter as the Cracker Barrel, and liked it far less than the other study participants did."

Sounds like supertasters might be destined for super high blood pressure.  But don't call your tongue surgeon for that papilla-ectomy just yet.  There's also some good news:

Previous research has suggested that supertasters need less fat and sugar to satisfy their taste buds (and food cravings).