Roughly 35% of women are classified as supertasters in comparison to only 10% of men. Being a supertaster is not considered a positive trait, however. Often supertasters live in such a vivid and neon world of flavor impression that some flavors are often too intense to enjoy. According to Dr. Hildegarde Heymann, professor and enologist at University of California Davis supertasters usually dislike the taste of broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and sprouts; hot curry and chili; grapefruit and lemon; cigarettes; coffee; and (oh no) alcohol. Good-bye wine. Whether or not one is a supertaster can be determined through a simple test where researchers administer a small sample of the nontoxic compounds 6-n-propylthiouracil (known as PROP) or phenylthiocarbamide (known as PTC).
