Tasting journal

1. Nose first. Smell it before the first bite.
2. The first bites are the most honest. I decide "do I like it" at the start and work out "how it's made" to the end.
3. Taste and aroma are separate. The tongue gives five tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami. Vanilla, smoke, citrus are the nose from the inside.
4. Texture and temperature. Crunch, juiciness, fat. Warm food seems sweeter.
5. Balance. What dominates and what's missing.
6. Aftertaste. What stays after 10 seconds.
7. Idea and execution. "Well made" and "I like it" are different verdicts.

Not "tasty" but "creamy, smoky, lemon acidity at the end".