Charles and I both really like to TASTE things. For quite some time, he's insisted that I must be a supertaster because I pick up so many intricate flavors in wine, coffee, and beer. I thought, hey, why not be a little more scientific about it?

So I purchased a test off of supertastertest.com. (Don't worry, they use paypal.) I watched some YouTube videos of other food bloggers trying out the test, and while some people said that it was unpleasant, it didn't seem like too bad a thing to do.

We received the test strips tonight, and I being someone who wants to do everything right away, immediately grabbed one for myself and gave one to Charles. Those strips are DISGUSTING! I had to spit mine out almost the minute I put it in my mouth. Charles kept his in a couple seconds longer but had the same reaction. The worst part is that the nasty, bitter taste just kept on going -- for both of us. Even drinking some wine hasn't gotten all of the flavor out of my mouth.

The good news about this suffering is that it shows that yes, indeed, I am a supertaster -- and so is Charles! A supertaster couple? No wonder our favorite thing to do is to go wine tasting on our days off! And no wonder we're so picky about what restaurants we'll go to.

The test itself (other than being extremely gross) is pretty simple. You take a strip, hold it on your tongue for a few seconds, and then remove it. If you don't taste anything, you're a non-taster. A taster will experience a mildly bitter or bland taste. A supertaster will find the test extremely bitter, and as in my case, will have to restrain herself from writhing on the floor because of the over-the-top flavor.

So there you have it -- I am a supertaster. Aren't you impressed?

“Good food should be a right, not a privilege,” said Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in the documentary, “Food Fight.”

“Food Fight” is the exploration of food politics at its best – it gives the viewer tools to be proactive in the food movement.

It analyzes the history of food, from the beginning of the Farm Bill to the overabundance of processed food. It talks about the movement to use organic, local produce, meat, and dairy – how it started, and how it is currently. It delves into how the Farm Bill is used today and the people trying to move it back to its original role of supporting the farmer.

“Food Fight” is beautiful. It shows green, growing plants, down-to-earth farmers, and gorgeous food. It emphasizes the pleasure that food can bring and all of the sensory experiences that go along with it.

Maybe most importantly, “Food Fight” is inspirational. You’ll want to do more after watching this film. This documentary emphasizes good food so poetically, how can you not feel inspired to shop at the Farmer’s Markets, create your own garden, and purchase as much fresh, wholesome food that you can?

Currently, I'm head-over-heels in love with Barefoot Coffee. Not only do they roast some incredibly complex beans, they also are amazingly ethical. They operate as green as they can, focus on the farmers first (!), and pay their employees a living wage (!!!). I've written a couple of blogs about them for work, but since I'm oh-so in love right now, I thought I'd share them here, too.

Bewitching Beans
I’ve found that I’m not completely happy unless my skin smells like coffee. Yesterday, I was completely happy.

The afternoon involved a cupping of Barefoot coffees, the same that you can find on our coffee bar beginning today. As the cupping commenced, I was transported to a glorious realm of smells, tastes, and textures.

As with all excellent coffees, with my first slurp, my mind’s eye also conjured up images. The first bean on the list was Chiapas Otilio Decaf from Mexico and the UDEPOM Co-op. It didn’t taste like a decaf! Instead, it was like an old friend sitting across the table, familiar and comforting. The nose was full of dark chocolate. I tasted orange blossoms and night jasmine with just enough acidity to tease the tongue.

Barefoot’s cupping notes are below:

Sweet and smartly bright. Touches of orangey citrus highlight the light dustings of chocolate and spice. Light and bright with nice medium body. Surprisingly sweet and involved for a decaf. Retains almost all its warm chocolate and citrus flavors and has a warm clarified butter finish and mouthfeel.

Next up was the Nueva Granada from El Salvador, producer Gloria Rodriguez. This time I was sent to a spring meadow. A breeze caressed my face with smells of damp grass and green growing things as I watched fat bumblebees spill out of buttercups. The taste of golden raspberries followed by meyer lemons caressed my tongue. I wanted to consume every last drop.

Barefoot’s notes:

Crisp and sweet at the same time. Nicely balanced stone fruits and rounded citrus flavors blossom and boogie. Butterscotchy middle layers with sweet finish. Very complex and sweet. More rounded stone fruits and syrupy thickness than Gloria’s other lots.

Finally, a Guatemalan from producer Edwin Martinez took me by the hand. The Honey Michicoy was like sitting in a warm, dark movie theater, snacking on candy bars that I had hidden in my pockets, sweeter and more satisfying than if they’d been eaten in the light of day. The cup sang of blood oranges and dark chocolate with a gloriously full mouthfeel and a honeycomb finish.

From Barefoot:

Crazy fruit bomb of honey & maple syrup with bing cherries, blackberries and apple. Rounds out with buttery caramel and cocoa. Succulent and juicy mouthfeel with crazy sweet fresh juice. A decadent, long lasting finish of apricot nectar and honey.

I am incredibly grateful that I got to experience this magical range of coffees. I feel even more grateful that we’re carrying these coffees in our deli. More information on this truly inspirational business (I didn’t even go into their kick-ass ethics!) can be found at Barefoot’s website. Make sure to come in as soon as you can so you too can be transported by these amazing, bewitching beans.




Coffee & Chocolate
I know, I know... sometimes my job is just too hard. I mean really, having to taste coffee and then chocolate all on the same day? The only thing that would have made this Saturday of tantalizing my taste buds any better would have been if I ended it with a wine tasting.

Once again, Barefoot Coffee delivers the goods. These coffees are so complex, my concentrated tongue bumps had difficulty picking everything up!

First was Sulawesi, Sapan Minanga. Roasted almonds, white bergamot, and a slight tease of white pepper gave way to sweet hay, Terry's Milk Chocolate Orange Ball, and finally, cashew. The soft and silky mouthfeel made me want to eat this coffee up.

Next up was El Salvador COE #27, La Montanita. Ruby grapefruit, apple blossoms, and jasmine caressed my nose as taffy and citrus notes followed. Velvet caressed my tongue as the flavors of Clementines and hazelnuts finished my bliss.

Finally I tried the Panama Casa Ruiz, Lot A. My olfactory senses were tickled by vanilla bean, warm chocolate chip cookies, and leather followed by white chocolate and spice. The bright, sparkling mouthfeel made my taste buds dance as the flavors of lemon, raspberries, mangosteen, and cranberries did the cha cha.

Hard on the heels of the coffee cupping came the Equal Exchange chocolate tasting and presentation on Social Investment. I learned how people actually invest and about shareholder activism. Basically, you can invest by saying what you don't want to put money into, i.e. weapons, cigarettes, oil, etc., or you can invest in a positive way -- by finding a company who's principles you believe in and investing directly with them. Then it was on to the chocolate!

Now, chocolate has a series of steps to taste as well, but the majority of these chocolates came pre-flavored, so a more informal sampling commenced. There was a dark chocolate mint bar of 37% cacao, a creamy milk chocolate of 38% cacao, an espresso bar of 55%, a sweet, soft dark chocolate almond that was also 55%, and a dark chocolate that was 71%. It was amazing how many different flavors could be picked up in the plain, dark chocolate bar. It smelled slightly spicy and carried fruit notes that resolved to a navel orange finish. It would have been fun to sample more plain chocolate to compare and contrast the different inherent flavors, but hey, there was chocolate to be had, and I definitely had it all.

It was a very fun day with plenty of caffeine. Hopefully, we'll do it all again soon.

To read Barefoot's even more super-fun tasting notes on the coffees listed above, go here. And to learn more about Equal Exchange and their chocolate, click here.

I've been blogging for my day job for almost a year now (check out briarpatch.coop). While I get to blog about the things I thoroughly enjoy -- food, wine, coffee, art -- this is a way for me to have ultimate freedom in what I write. Welcome to my blog!