Any suggestions to explain shifts in taste historically? Recently I read Rod Phillips, A Short History of Wine, which emphasized shifts in taste (literally for wine). Obviously, this is true for other alcoholic beverages Think of the problems for Scotch whiskey in recent decades. It is also true for many other of the consumables studied by ADHS. A related topic is the problem of a glut in production or at least ability to produce, and the response of producers: sell more high quality, high price product to compensate for less volume. This seems to be the case today for producers of coffee and tea and, for different reasons, tobacco. I know less about illegal drugs.