Blind taste test: can you tell the difference?

Why blind?

When you can see the brand, you taste with your eyes too. The packaging, the price and what you usually buy colour the experience before you’ve tasted a thing.

A blind test takes all that away. All that’s left is what’s in the glass or on the plate. That’s where the surprises come: the favourite nobody recognised, or the cheap one that won.

How to host a blind taste test

1. Pick one thing to test.

   Three to six versions of the same thing: cola, crisps, chocolate, coffee or water. The more alike they look, the more fun it gets.

2. Find someone to serve.

   One person pours, writes down which number is which and keeps it secret. If the host can’t resist tasting along, let someone else mix them up.

3. Hide the brands.

   Pour into matching glasses or bowls and give them numbers or letters. The packaging stays in the kitchen.

4. Rate on your own.

   Each sample is a round. Everyone scores from 1 to 10 without saying anything out loud.

5. Reveal at the end.

   Save the reveal until every sample has been rated. That way nobody can work backwards from the first answers.

Make it fair

• Same temperature, same glass and same amount for every sample.
• Pour just before, so the fizz and crunch are the same.
• Mix up the order, so the favourite doesn’t always come first.
• Put out water and a little plain bread between rounds.
• To be really sure, serve the same sample twice under two numbers. Did you give it the same score both times?

Guess the brand

The best twist is guessing what you’re tasting. Write your guess in the comment for the round when you rate it. Comments stay hidden just like the scores, so nobody can peek at the others, and at the reveal you’ll see who got it right.

Tip: keep the score and the guess apart. You can easily give your own favourite a 4 when you don’t know it’s yours.

Ideas for blind taste tests

• Cola taste test: can you tell Coca-Cola from Pepsi and own-brand?
• Crisps taste test: ready salted side by side.
• Chocolate tasting: milk, dark, and the pricey bar against the cheap one.
• Own-brand versus branded: from ketchup to cornflakes.
• Water taste test: tap, bottled and sparkling.
• Blind tasting of wine, beer and coffee: when you want it a bit more serious.

Score sheets or phones

On paper you need a score sheet and a pen for everyone. Make your own score sheet with the criteria you want to use.

In Jury everyone rates on their own phone. Scores stay hidden until they’re revealed, the average is worked out straight away, and you can see how much you agreed on each sample. More on rating together.