ok the bitterness question. is the grayanotoxin what im actually tasting there or is the rhododendron nectar just like that on its own, because i keep catching myself reading the the sharp edge as information
Its generally put down to the nectars own flavour compunds *compounds, not the grayanotoxins. theyre not flavour active the way people assume. bitterness and potency just aren't the same signal.
one more for the taste-tells-you-everything pile. bitter means strong is the one i hear most.
never questioned it once, which reading this thread back is a bit mad. had a jar with a proper sharp edge on it and i just.. decided that was the serious one, off nothing but the taste. couldnt tell you why i'd done that.
Worth keeping two things apart. Describing a taste is fine, people should describe it. It's when the words start coming off a pharmacy label that a taste note gets read as a claim.