The straw question

I have to agree with Bigbrotiki. After much testing of different straw types and diameters, I have found that the taste of the cocktail is more pronounced with a long sipping straw. The diameter of the straw allows the muth to fill slowly with the precious cocktail.

Cheers

The trick is to find the right diameter straw. Too wide, and it's gushfest on your palate...but too narrow and very often the sipping is marred by fruit bits or ice shards impeding flow.

Just one man's opinion,

On 2009-03-15 00:25, bigbrotiki wrote:
I apologize if I did not make myself clear in that I was talking about the DIAMETER ..., not size as in length (and not color).
Again I am surprised that some folks seem to feel that bringing up this subject is being too pedantic.

Sven, what the Hell are you talking about?

On 2009-03-22 11:41, bigbrotiki wrote:

I bet that subjective view has to do with early childhood experiences, and how one was nursed... :)

Sven, are you sure you are posting on the right area of Tikicentral?

Whoa! :lol: ...is this a case of "Don't drink and post!" ?

Are you referring to that I even seem surprised that folks think that, or...

In any case, in the spirit of continued clarification:

I was/am very specifically talking about the possibility that the rate of release of a concoction on the tongue has an effect on one's ability to savor all its flavors. And that the "thinking too much about details like this spoils all the fun!" crowd might deem musings such as this too pedantic - while to me and others, they are just as fun as simply drinking, partying and collecting Tiki, which I enjoy also.

Kon Hemsby, I am happy to hear about your findings, and do not only include the LONG sipping straws, but also the short, Mai Tai glass sized stirrers especially.

And jokeiii: Thinking about it now, most Tiki concoctions really should not have fruit chunks in them anyway...or has that effectively changed in the "New Cocktailian" era? - Hey!, let's start a thread about that! :)

The fact that you are drinking from a straw will have an effect on your drink.... the straw allows the drink to enter your mouth and hit the middle of your tongue first which gives the sour-taste-buds first crack at the drink instead of the sweet-taste-buds on the front of your tongue. Try it, you'll be surprised how you perceive the drink and what order the flavors come up.

Actually, this information is outdated:
http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/sciencegeekgirl/2009/05/05/myth-your-tongue-has-a-taste-map/

But the article does note that temperature can affect taste, and there's no doubt flooding the tongue with ice-cold liquid is likely to fall into that category!

It is fascinating to see from how many angles "the straw question" can be viewed and interpreted. My initial post was ignorant of the receptor location theory to begin with, I was simply talking about QUANTITY in relation to TIME, the fact that a wide party straw FLOODS the mouth in a gushing manner, while the thin straw allows for a SLOWER spreading of the joy juice, which in my mind lets one savor the taste longer.

This has been the era of the Big Gulp, the bigger is better portions in restaurants, resulting in an unprecedented rise in obesity not present in the mid-century. It is that change in attitude towards food and beverage consumption that I was detecting in the change of straw diameter from the 50s to the 80s.

First I would like to point out and give thanks to all the past tikiphiles to make this site so amazing. You literally can find any topic. Here I am at the house looking at my straws thinking there must be a better way. Plastic bendy party straws feel wrong, paper seem weak and water logged, bamboo feel like I'm hiding underwater from the VC. Just when I thought I had this all down, and the home bar looking good. Off to find NOS straws on the interwebs. :)

Freeland, Ace Mart Restaurant Supply has a couple locations in Austin. That's where I get my straws, good and cheap.
The top black ones are 7", and are sold as "sipper stirrers", 5000 in a box, at Sam's. I've used them for an event with an open bar - worked well. Ace Mart has the same thing, only 5" long, 1000/box for $1.95.
The thin red ones are 500/box for $2.68. They're the ones I like most, and I cut them down for shorter glasses.
The clear and black are 250/box, for $1.58 and $1.68. My second favorites.
The wrapped red one is 10-1/4", and I think they came from Sam's. Ace Mart has the same in clear, 300/box for $4.48. They're good for tall glasses and mugs.
All those straws are thinner than, and can slip inside, the bendy party straw.