How to run a blind taste test at home
A blind taste test works with almost any food. Guests try numbered samples, rate each one, and learn at the end which brand won. This is how to set one up with snacks and drinks, no alcohol involved.
Pick something people can taste in one bite
I like foods where one bite tells you something and most people have a favorite brand. These themes suit a living room:
| Theme | Suggested entries | How to serve |
|---|---|---|
| Store brand against name brand | 4 to 6 of the same product | Salted potato chips, vanilla cookies or crackers. Pour into identical bowls. |
| Chocolate | 4 to 6 bars of similar cocoa percent | Break into squares at room temperature, on numbered paper plates. |
| Hot sauce or salsa | 4 to 5, from mild to hot | A dab on a plain cracker or tortilla chip. Taste the milder ones first. |
| Sparkling water or juice | 4 to 6 | Same temperature, same cups. Orange juice and lemonade work well. |
| Plain vanilla ice cream | 3 to 5 | Tiny scoops, served together and fast, so none melts first. |
| Cereal, popcorn or pretzels | 4 to 6 | Dry bowls, a handful at a time. |
How many items
I suggest four to six. Fewer than four gives little to compare, and tasters tend to tire after six or seven. For more, run two rounds with a break. A scorecard holds up to 20 entries.
Keeping it blind
- Remove the packaging before guests arrive and put each item in an identical bowl, cup or plate.
- Number the items in random order, for example by drawing numbers from a hat, so the order is not alphabetical or by price. Keep the key on paper, out of sight.
- One person prepares and does not vote, or votes last.
- Same portion, same temperature. Warm items tend to lose to cold ones.
- Water and plain crackers between items.
- Keep scores private until voting is closed. Faces and comments give answers away.
Rating and tallying
Rate each item from 1 to 5 on a phone or a printed card. Ask people to rate every item, including the ones they are unsure about. The average decides the rank. If two items have the same average, the one with more ratings ranks first, and items with the same average and the same number of ratings share the rank.
Small groups give noisy results. With six guests, one person who loves spicy food can move a hot sauce a long way. Read the ranking as what this group liked on this day. A second round with fresh pours shows whether it holds.
The reveal
Close voting, then read the ranking with the names shown. Sometimes the favorite turns out to be the cheapest one. If you like, ask everyone to guess beforehand which entry is the name brand and give a point for each right guess.
Allergies
List the ingredients and ask guests about allergies before you buy. Keep the original packaging in another room, so you can check an ingredient list without unblinding anyone.
Running it with the scorecard
Type the items in the numbered order, with the real names. Guests only see Entry 1, Entry 2 and so on. After you close voting, the ranking appears with the names.
Start a blind taste test scorecard. Add the items in random order and share the link.
Create a scorecard