How to Taste

Praise for How to Taste“Have you ever had that “aha!” moment when you take a bite of, say, pesto pasta, fragrant with basil, or a sip of flinty sauvignon blanc, and all of the flavors not only sing in your mouth but envelop your senses? That heightened awareness doesn’t have to be an isolated incident. According to certified taster Mandy Naglich, who is also a drinks educator, advanced cicerone (the highest level of certification for beer), and author of How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life, you can taste food to its fullest extent, gaining more of an appreciation for what you eat with just a few simple steps.” —Martha Stewart Living “With certifications in beer, wine, and cheese tasting, Naglich is (literally) an expert on identifying flavors and describing what she detects on her palate. Her recent release draws on this expertise, thorough research aided by her background as a journalist, and interviews with everyone from scientists to sommeliers to decode pretty much everything about taste. Naglich’s goal with How to Taste is to help you become a more active taster, someone who thinks about the way they savor anything on their tongue.” —Food & Wine “An important volume, giving casual readers access to the tasting techniques and methodology that master tasters (like advanced cicerones) gain through years of training and experience. Naglich goes beyond the science of taste and smell and gives us a road map to understanding what exactly we are experiencing when we eat… Important for anybody who loves food.” —Vice “Naglich isn’t shy about using big words from both biology and psychology to describe how this all works, but she’s also great at explaining these concepts in a way that’s clear, fun, and approachable. Naglich’s enthusiastic message isn’t that you should learn about the four different ways we chew our food—it’s that…well, why wouldn’t you want to?” —Apple Books “Fun, conversational, and thought provoking.” —All About Beer Mandy Naglich has written a book that explores how our senses interact with food and beverage, and how understanding our senses can help us better enjoy our favorite indulgences. How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life combines science and whimsy to teach us more about our sensory world and bring our favorite flavors to life.” —Bean to Barstool“The world of tasting and writing quality reviews with ornate language can often feel a bit mystical. Advanced Cicerone and Certified Taster Many Naglich attempts to demystify the world of tasting with her 2023 release How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life. Naglich takes readers through the realm of biology and psychology related to tasting, but does so in a manner that is entertaining, relatable, and far from snobbish.” —Drinkhacker

Mandy Naglich is a food and beverage journalist, beer educator, Advanced Cicerone, AROXA Certified Taster, Certified Cider Professional, National Homebrew Competition gold medalist, and has earned the certification of WSET Level 1 Spirits. She lives, writes, and brews in New York City with her husband, Wes and their dog, Chewy.