Burnt Tounge

They will regenerate, but if you burn them repeatedly you can damage the cells which could dull your taste. It has been cited as one of the possible reasons as to why as people get older, their taste sensitivity decreases; cell damage.

And a follow up to that, a reason why kids are fussy about food. They are dealing with senses and experiences that are very 'sharp' or extreme.

Ah, the bell curve of enjoyment, that fat middle ground were your senses and your tastes combine to provide the biggest bang for the buck.

btw- there are (at least) two things to worry about with repeated burning of the taste buds; one is the regeneration issues already discussed. Another might be the psychological trouble you might create, Pavlovian style with pain and reward or lack of.

It would be a drag to train oneself to fear tea.

TBerk

Adding milk to tea usually removes the danger of burning one's tongue. It might be worth looking into the situation of regular skin damage and the onset of cancer. After all, all that cancer is is the uncontrolled multiplication (or division, in biology this is the same) of cells.

JB

If you burn your tongue, put some sugar on it. Don't know why, but it helps. Then wait a few minutes for your taste to return to normal and for your tea to cool a bit, and try again.

Dave snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com

Don't take a sip right away. You might burn your toungue. hth Toci

Actually that's right...I seem to remember reading somewhere that repeatedly burning the inside of the mouth with hot food is something that encourages cancer. I can try to look it up if people would like...I think it had something to do with one of the green tea studies they were doing in Japan awhile back and they found that while green tea seemed to help stave off cancer, those who drank their tea scalding hot didn't have any advantage. Or something like that (my apologies to the real scientists in the group for my being so sloppy...)

Melinda

If you're burning your lips or tongue you might change cups. Even just waiting a minute will lower the temperature 5 degrees. There is no reason to scald any membrane. This is common with coffee drinkers switching to tea use too that first big swig. When you sip be sure to smack to spread and aerate the hot liquid. Some teas are noted for tastng better at lower temperatures. I always boil water and use glass for pot and cup which radiates heat efficiently. Others prefer insulative properties of pot and cup such as porcelain and lower brewing temperature.

Jim

tim snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:

Not disagreeing at all, but I would expect that more studies would revolve around eating pizza. Been there, done that, more times than I care to remember! :)

Resa

Good point...molten cheese....

Melinda

Peanut butter on bread toasted in oven. That one gets you on the gumline above the incisors.

Jim

Mel> Good point...molten cheese....

Yes, cancer can be caused by mechanical means, this isn't thought of as likely by most people who consider chemical exposure, radiation, and genetic 'tricks' but don't realize it can come from something physical.

btw- tea & milk. A whole 'nother thread topic.

For me milk in tea and/or coffee makes for a pastel flavor I don't care for.

TBerk