The soapy perception of cilantro is strong enough (and prevalent enough) that if I'm doing a dinner party for a group of people, and I'm likely to use it, I ask - and leave it out or serve on the side if it is an issue. I don't want a guest to find my main dish disgusting and inedible. There are certain guests who I know have this "mutation" and I adjust the menu accordingly.

I personally don't have such an adverse reaction to cilantro, but if someone describes it as soapy, I could see a component of the taste that I experience that could be within some distance of a soapy taste. The fact that I experience cilantro differently would not invalidate any list of what herbs taste like, as reference for any chefs or foodies. Someone describing cilantro as soapy would net a non-negative contribution toward its taste for anyone else, whether they've experienced cilantro or not. I think we all understand the taste better once we piece together several descriptions of the same thing. The distance between these descriptions are never so large that they become entropy or noise.

One other way of looking at it is the nerve’s ability to heal. It is the only nerve that regenerates the way it does and it has a lot to do with its structure. The long receptors that are branched with cilia are easily broken and I know from a brief time boxing in college.

I had a friend with whom I sparred and he got himself in front of a very large man’s cross and his nose went flat. It was rebuilt and the plastic surgeon did a great job BUT he now smells a rose as garlic and wax smells like white chocolate...clearly, some mechanical pathways regenerated wrong but the receptor has not changed nor has the stimulus

Maybe your neighbor is comparing the Grand Duke Jasmine to other more fragrant sambac varieties (i.e. Belle of India, elongated form) or other types of jasmines. I have grown it in the past and didn't think it was as fragrant as some of the others.

---------- Post added at 01:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:37 AM ----------

What I am getting from this is that I need to add a violacea to my collection. I really love my bellina....

Boards don't hit back - in general. There might be one exception ..... that's the orchid one.

South Park, your bellina will eventually put out multiple new spikes each year and, if you can keep it warm all year, it will keep the old spikes. They can really put on a nice display. I cannot keep my home warm enough in winter to keep the old spikes past mid-November.

I think I also need to add an Encyclia cordigera. This thread is just awful for tempting me to buy new orchids. :)

Leafmite ----- thanks for mentioning bellina! I have only seen images online of that kind of wonderful orchid and their flowers. I will do some searching! Thanks LM!!

Two plants recently bloomed that I didn't even realize it at first, until I randomly smelled something and thought, that's delicious! What is it? It turns out I have a couple inconspicuous blooms tucked under a leaf from my Anachelium baculus 'SVO', which smells like milky, star jasmine, honeysuckle, like Encyclia cordigera, but less complex, more sweeter, and stronger and more stable. It fills the room for the entire day.

In the bathroom, because I don't know where else to hang a bare root Aerides houlletiana so I put it in the shower, the whole room smells like orange zest, or peeling an orange. It doesn't even need sunlight to be activated. I could just turn on my bathroom light.

I think these two could give the Sharry Baby a run for its money in terms of power and desirability.

Thank you for this post. It is exactly what I was looking for. As a beginner, I decided that I would concentrate my collection on fragrant orchids. There are lots of great ones to explore in that thread!
So far I have Phal. Sweet Memory 'Liodoro' which is delicious and wafts sweet candy and Prosthechea radiata which has quite a strong, savoury almost cinnamon-like smell.
I am going to get some Angraecums but I think will have to wait a while before I can enjoy their scent. I have elephantinum .
I am told Zygopetalums can be scented. I am waiting for the buds of mine to open.

As a new one to these forums, how do you save a thread so that you are kept up to date on it daily please?

hey liodoro, I really like the radiata. Never considered or spotted it before tbh. The cultural requirements are perfect.
Do you know where I could get one in the Uk by any chance?