Preference distribution
The hedonic histogram that shows how many panelists gave each score on the 1-9 Peryam scale and where the mean falls.
What it is
The Preference distribution is the histogram that goes alongside hedonic tastings. While the spider chart and the table summarize the profile through means, this chart answers a different question: how is the panel's liking spread out?
A mean of 5 can hide two very different realities: a panel that is uniformly lukewarm, or a polarized one where half the panel loves the sample and the other half rejects it. The histogram lets you see this at a glance.
How to get there
- URL:
https://app.areacacao.com/sensory-analysis/evaluations/<id> - How to reach it: open the hedonic tasting under Evaluations and scroll down to the Results section, below the spider chart (and the PCA map, if shown) and above the results table.
Pro plan or above, or a tasting pack with credit left.
What the chart shows
The block is titled Preference distribution and, below it, shows the helper text "How many panelists gave each score. The red line marks the mean; the spread reveals consensus or polarization."
- There is one bar per score on the scale. The height of the bar is the number of panelists who gave that score; the count appears on top of each bar.
- A dashed red line marks the panel's mean.
- The horizontal axis carries a summary with the scale range, the number of responses, and the mean (for example, "Score 1–9 · n = 12 · mean 7.3").
- There is one histogram per sample, headed by its blind code.
Peryam 1-9 scale
Hedonic tastings use the 9-point Peryam scale, with a verbal label for every point, from one end of liking to the other:
| Score | Label |
|---|---|
| 1 | Dislike extremely |
| 2 | Dislike very much |
| 3 | Dislike moderately |
| 4 | Dislike slightly |
| 5 | Neither like nor dislike |
| 6 | Like slightly |
| 7 | Like moderately |
| 8 | Like very much |
| 9 | Like extremely |
Business metrics
Beyond the histogram, the report summarizes the hedonic test with the business metrics the industry uses to decide whether a product is liked enough. On screen this is the Consumer acceptance indicators table, with one row per sample and the columns Mean (1-9), Std. dev., n, Top-2-Box (≥8), Acceptance (≥6), and Bottom-2-Box (≤2); samples with fewer than 60 responses carry the Insufficient panel (n < 60) badge:
| Metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mean | The panel's average score on the 1-9 Peryam scale. The overall liking score. |
| Standard deviation | How far the scores spread from the mean. A high deviation warns of a divided panel. |
| n | Number of panelists who scored the sample. |
| Top-2-Box | Percentage of the panel scoring ≥ 8 ("like very much" or "like extremely"). It is the measure of enthusiasm: how many people love the product, not just tolerate it. |
| Acceptance % | Percentage scoring ≥ 6 (any degree of "like"). The share of the panel that would accept the product. |
| Bottom-2-Box | Percentage scoring ≤ 2 ("dislike very much" or "dislike extremely"). The measure of active rejection. |
With n < 60 the sample is hardly representative of real consumers (ISO 11136). Hedonic tests measure consumer liking, not trained-panel liking, and they need many tasters for the business metrics to be reliable. With fewer than 60 responses, read Top-2-Box and Acceptance % as indicative, not as a market verdict.
How to interpret it
- A single dominant bar points to a panel in agreement: liking is consistent.
- Two separate peaks (bimodal) reveal polarization: the product appeals to one segment and is disliked by another. The mean alone would hide this.
- Compare the position of the red mean line with the shape of the histogram: a high mean with widely spread bars means you should qualify the conclusion.
- Use Top-2-Box for launch decisions: a mean of 7 with a low Top-2-Box describes a product people "don't dislike" but nobody loves; a high Top-2-Box flags a product with advocates. Always cross-check Top-2-Box against Bottom-2-Box: a product can be loved by some and actively rejected by others at the same time.
Next steps
Statistical aggregation
What AreaCacao computes from a tasting's responses — mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, and Tukey HSD — and how to read it in the results table.
Discriminative report
The statistical verdict of the triangle, paired comparison (2-AFC), and duo-trio tests: how many correct answers it takes to confirm a difference.