[beager]

It may be that the zesty quality of pepper outpaces any taste. I’m curious to put it on something bland now to see if I can taste it, but my original comment was meant to convey that I might be blind to the actual taste of black pepper as a result of its cultural omnipresence.

[dgacmu]

It also loses some of its flavor - but keeps its bite - as it ages too much. Particularly after grinding. Try it with freshly purchased, fresh ground.