Edward Eisler Wins Battle of the Senses

The article concluded:

"The first thing to note is that all three of our experts found the nosing an exhausting test, both of their ability to detect aromas and their capacity to describe them. Much to their surprise – most of the time – they succeeded in correctly analysing the samples, sometimes precisely, sometimes in
broad brushstrokes. You might expect the complex layers of a perfume would pose a challenge to those inexperienced in unravelling its composition, but sommelier Mathieu Gaignon said he found analysing them easier than performing the same exercise with the teas. His descriptions of both came
close to those of the makers, but he nudged ahead in points on the teas, scoring the same as his wine analysis.

Tea expert Edward Eisler may say he’s ‘just not that into perfume’, but he managed to find a way to define their overall aromas with an excellent degree of proficiency – a perfect score, just as with the teas. He also scored the highest with the aromatherapy oils and Nez du Vin samples. He didn’t have quite such an easy ride with the wines – not surprising given that he’s allergic to them so could only nose the samples, without tasting them.

Perfumier Linda Pilkington’s descriptions of the wines were also off-base, although she found nosing
them ‘an interesting experience’. Like Gaignon, she felt that the aromas of the teas were hardest to capture and describe, due to their subtlety, but again, she managed to analyse them with a greater degree of proficiency than she had expected.

It’s difficult to draw any firm conclusions from an experiment on such a small scale (particularly since
we haven’t tested someone whose job isn’t in the wine, tea or perfume industries) but it seems clear that those people who have taken the time to hone their sense of smell are more sensitive than the average person to aromatic complexities, even when it comes to aromas outside the scope of
their particular experience.

It’s probable that a sommelier who decided to learn about the complexities of tea or a perfumier who wanted to delve into the world of wine would find that they could pick up the necessary analytical and descriptive skills with a relative degree of ease."