A Clearwater man wants you to drink with your brain, not just your mouth, with his new invention called the sensei taster.
"It's a simple device that fits onto the top of a beverage container that goes under your nose when you're drinking," said inventor Gavin Haengel, 25. "It actually provides scent, like a strong sweet scent, to influence your taste perception of whatever you're drinking."
The sensei taster has three flexible scent pods with an elastic grip, made to fit the majority of bottles, according to Haengel. The inventor said he got the idea when he washed out an old sports drink bottle, refilled it with water, but could still taste the sports drink.
"I came to find out that some of the drink had dried on the rim," he said. "So, every time I was drinking I would smell the drink from before and it would actually make me think that there was something in there."
Haengel hopes a lot of people will think he's on to something with his invention. That's why he created a video and pitched his product on the crowd funding website Kickstarter. Haengel's goal is to raise $4,000 to bring the sensei taster to market. So far, he's raised about $900 and has a few weeks left to raise the rest.
"Definitely something that I care a lot about," he said. "I hope it does well."
The sensei taster comes in 26 different flavors and can be used on any drink from soda to beer. The inventor predicts dieters and people who don't like the taste of water will be his biggest customers.
"Anytime that you want to cover the taste of something or just improve the taste of something, like say water, it adds a little fun aspect of drinking anything," Haengel said. "75 percent of our taste perception is actually through our olfactory."
Haengel has some prototypes made up and said the scent should last for about six months if properly stored. He expects to initially sell the sensei taster for between $10 and $12.