Sensory evaluation methodology and tasting technique
This domain tests whether you can assess chocolate the way a trained panel does - controlled, reproducible, descriptive rather than personal - and whether you understand the methods behind sensory claims.
Test types
Analytical tests measure differences or attribute intensities; hedonic tests measure liking. Discrimination tests such as triangle, duo-trio and paired comparison answer the question: is there a difference? ISO 4120 sets the triangle protocol. Descriptive analysis (ISO 13299, QDA) trains assessors on defined attributes and intensity scales, and panel selection follows ISO 8586. Consumer tests use 9-point hedonic scales and require many more people, because liking is not a measuring instrument.
Sample control
Standardise piece size (3-5 g), shape and temperature (20-22 degrees C), use blind codes and randomised order, provide water and plain bread or apple as cleansers, avoid coffee and perfume before a session, and rest between samples. Include blind replicates to check your own consistency.
The tasting sequence
Look at gloss, colour and snap; smell the broken piece before and after warming; place it on the tongue and let it melt without chewing while noting the sequence of aromas; assess texture (smoothness, waxiness, grittiness), basic tastes and trigeminal sensations (astringency, pungency, cooling); then record length and aftertaste. Skilled practice separates what you perceive from what you like.
Scales and language
Use intensity scales (0-5 or 0-15) with defined anchors. Bitter at 7/15 is data; too bitter is a judgement. Calibrate bitterness, sweetness and astringency against reference solutions or agreed chocolates.
Worked example. Two 70% bars from the same origin taste different. Before claiming a process difference, check sample temperature, piece size, time in mouth, blinding and presentation order. Then run a triangle test with at least 12 tasters to establish whether the difference is detectable at all.
Traps. Chewing instead of melting; tasting after coffee; letting the first sample set the scale; using hedonic words on a descriptive sheet; concluding from a single taster; ignoring order and carry-over effects.