Which practice should be avoided during a tasting session?

Revealing brand names to tasters during a tasting session can significantly bias their perceptions and judgments. When tasters know the brand, their preconceived notions and expectations about that brand can influence their tasting experience, leading to a lack of objectivity. This can skew the results of the tasting, as individuals may associate the flavor profile and quality of the sample with their previous experiences with that brand rather than the actual characteristics of the sample being tested.

In a proper tasting session, it is essential to maintain objectivity to assess the samples accurately. Ensuring that tasters do not have preconceived expectations helps in obtaining authentic feedback about each sample's sensory attributes. Other practices, such as sampling in a controlled environment, randomizing the sample order, and documenting taster feedback, are all aimed at enhancing the quality and reliability of the tasting session. They contribute to minimizing external variables and facilitating fair and unbiased evaluations of the sensory characteristics being tested.