Tastebuds

So about 2 months ago, I noticed that I wasn't really drinking my coffee. I'd pour a cup, sip on it, and then it would go cold with neglect and I'd dump it out.

I recently started realizing that I didn't drink it because I didn't like the way it tasted anymore.

I was familiar with this scenario from my trips to visit dad, because he always makes really strong coffee and I didn't enjoy drinking it. What sucks is that it was undrinkable no matter how you doctor'd it up. Too much sugar made it taste like syrup, and too much creamer made it taste like cream. I want it to taste like coffee, but I want it subtle and mellow and smooth - not kick-me-in-the-face flavor.

So anyway, I've been experimenting with weaker coffee. Adding less scoops to the pot. It's amazing how weak I like it nowadays. I used to add one scoop for every cup of water. Now it's less than half that. All I can come up with as far as a reason why this change has occurred is that I quit smoking 6 months ago and my mouth has healthy, sensitive taste buds with different, refined preferences. Which is kind of cool. I like to think that I am recovering from the crap I sucked up into my system daily for 5 years.