Why the same food can be a 9 for you and a 3 for someone else
A Taste10 score predicts how much you personally will enjoy something. It is not a verdict on its quality. People's taste differs for many reasons, from their genes to the food they grew up with. So the same chocolate can honestly be a 9 for you and a 3 for the person next to you, and both scores are right.
A star rating and a personal score answer different questions
| Average star rating | Personal taste score | |
|---|---|---|
| The question | What did other people think? | Will I enjoy it? |
| Based on | Many strangers with many different tastes | Your own taste |
| A divisive food | Ends up in the middle, telling you little | Lands high or low, depending on you |
| Something new to you | Says what fans think | Says whether it is likely to be your kind of thing |
Averages work well for things most people agree on. Food is not one of them. Think of coriander, blue cheese, liquorice or durian: many people love them, many cannot stand them, and the average describes almost nobody.
Why people's taste differs so much
- Genes. Some people are born more sensitive to certain bitter tastes than others. Variants of one taste receptor gene, TAS2R38, largely decide whether a person finds certain bitter compounds strongly bitter or barely notices them (Kim and colleagues, 2003). Genes also play a part in whether coriander tastes fresh or soapy (Eriksson and colleagues, 2012).
- Experience. Liking grows with tasting. In a classic study, young children came to like unfamiliar foods more after tasting them repeatedly (Birch and Marlin, 1982). That is why coffee, olives or strong cheese often become favourites only later in life.
- Culture and habit. The food you grew up with sets what feels comforting, what feels exciting and what feels strange.
- Texture and intensity. Some people love crunchy, chewy or creamy food; others avoid one of them completely. Some want bold, spicy, fermented flavours; others prefer gentle ones.
How Taste10 gets to know your taste
- A short setup. You tell Taste10 what you like, from flavours to textures and cuisines.
- Quick questions. Short rounds about individual foods, from "Love it" to "Can't stand it", or "Never tried it".
- Your ratings. When you rate something you actually ate or drank, your scores become more personal.
- Your taste portrait. A picture of your palate that shows what Taste10 has learned about you, and changes as it learns.
Then you photograph a product, a dish or a whole menu, and Taste10 predicts how much you will enjoy it, with the reason why.
What a high and a low score mean
- A high score means the food fits what you tend to enjoy. It is a good bet, not a promise.
- A middle score means it fits in some ways and not in others. The reason tells you which.
- A low score means it is likely to clash with your taste. It says nothing about how well it is made: an excellent product can honestly score 3 for you.
Find out what fits you
Taste10 learns your personal taste and gives you a score from 0 to 10, with the reason why, for any food, drink, dish or menu you photograph.
Taste10 is in testing. Want to try it early? Get in touch.
Questions and answers
Does a low Taste10 score mean the food is bad?
No. A low score means the food is likely to clash with your taste, not that it is badly made. An excellent product can honestly score 3 for you and 9 for someone else.
Can my Taste10 scores change over time?
Yes. Taste10 keeps learning from your answers and from your ratings of things you actually tried, so its predictions become more personal the more you use it.
Why does Taste10 explain its score?
Because a number alone is hard to trust. Every score comes with the reason why, for example that a dish is sweet and creamy, the kind of food you rate highest, so you can judge it for yourself.
More about taste
- What is umami? The fifth taste explained
- What does durian taste like?
- 15 Thai dishes explained, before you order
Sources
- Kim, U. and colleagues (2003). Positional cloning of the human quantitative trait locus underlying taste sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide. Science, 299, 1221–1225.
- Eriksson, N. and colleagues (2012). A genetic variant near olfactory receptor genes influences cilantro preference. Flavour, 1, 22. doi.org/10.1186/2044-7248-1-22
- Birch, L. L. and Marlin, D. W. (1982). I don't like it; I never tried it: effects of exposure on two-year-old children's food preferences. Appetite, 3(4), 353–360. doi.org/10.1016/S0195-6663(82)80053-6