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Of course, my inital goals of all six of us tasting each salt in turn, making trenchant observations, and moving on, collapsed early in the tasting when everyone went for the flavored salts and then started tasting randomly. In another life, I will be able to grill chicken thighs and try them with table, kosher, maldon, and sea in order to really taste the differences. I provided a tasting sheet, with a description and places for notes on each salt.

For much much more on salt, see The Meadow.

Thanks again to Cinda and Jonathan, Cocoapelli Chocolates. I especially loved the soft and runny caramels.

Here are some random comments from the tasting:

Ille de Re Sea Salt:

A little bite. “Salter” on tomato than on cuke.

Maldon:

Very powerful flavor.
Smoother, more subtle than the Ile de Re.
Best on tomato. I guess he’s [Mark] right. Strong flavor.

Sel Gris de I’lle de Noirmoutier:

Sharp. Salt with teeth. Stands on top of the cuke. 
Warm, gentle flavor.

Fleur de Sel de Guerande:

Well rounded-all different flavors.
Smoother. More a part of the base than Sel Gris. [melts into it more]

Coarse Hawaiian Red Salt:

More subtle than Alaea. 

Turkish Black Pyramid:

More mono-flavored but quite tasty.
A little sweet.

Halen Mon Gold:

Milts Mild to strong. Develops on the tongue. 

Iburi Jio:

Good on Cucumber. Gets lost on bread.
Smokey and fish overtones

One question still not answered: which is the best salt for a margarita glass? I’m thinking a sel gris, something with a softer crystal and not overly large or coarse grains.

For a more detailed description of the Greenbrier salt tasting, see Ellisa Altman’s piece on Huffington Post.

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