A discerning tongue: On being a first-time judge at the Worldwide Mustard Competition

Last weekend, Erika, Cliff and I drove to Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, home of the Mustard Museum. There, we were greeted by shop owners Barry and Patty Levenson, and immediately put to work. You see, Barry is in charge of overseeing the Worldwide Mustard Competition (sponsored by the Napa Valley Mustard Festival), and he's willing to include a few amateur tasters in the first round of the competition. (Note: I don't think Erika, a full-fledged foodie, is counted as an amateur in that crowd.)

We sat down at one of the four tables set up for judging. At the center sat a tray of 20 or so plastic condiment containers filled with different mustards. The common denominator: they all contained some kind of herb or veggie flavors. It was our job to taste them and score their "mustard quality," "category fidelity" (how well did the herb/veggie flavors stand out and taste) and overall "yummy-ness factor." So, armed with bottled water, a bowl of pretzels, a bowl of tiny plastic spoons, pencils and score sheets, we set out to just that. 

Judging took a surprisingly long time, probably about an hour to finish that first round. I was taken aback by all the different flavors represented within this one category. There were a couple of smooth and delicious dill mustards. On the other end of the spectrum, there were a few disgustingly sweet-and-sour-y ones that reminded me of that nasty taste you get in your mouth after you vomit. There were many good mustards in between. 

We finished the second round (mustards with "spirits" in them), took a lunch break, and then headed into rounds three and four. Sometime mid-third round (dijons), I started feeling queasy from mustard. I finished, but that was it for me! I wondered around the museum and store during the fourth round (Cliff: hot pepper mustards; Erika: ???). 

From what I understand, all the scoring we and others did that day was used to help narrow things down for a second round and then, ultimately, a final round of judging. Winners of the various categories--there's a gold, silver and bronze--are entitled to put little "medals" on their product labels to help boost sales. It's pretty cool to be a part of this. 

I highly recommend visiting the Mustard Museum, and, if you get a chance, asking Barry or Patty a question or two about mustard. It's always wonderful to interact with people who feel passionately about something. If you're lucky, Barry will be wearing his mustard-on-a-hotdog tie that day, too!