Sensory module hub
The entry screen to the sensory module: the 8 areas, this month's metrics, and how it looks depending on your plan.
What it is
The sensory module hub is the entry screen to Sensory analysis. From here you navigate to the eight areas of the module (tastings, shelf life, batches, panelists, attributes, protocols, dossiers, and compound products) and, if you're on the Pro plan, you see this month's real metrics at a glance.
It's not a workbench: it's the module directory. Each area has its own screen and its own documentation.
How to get there
- URL:
https://app.areacacao.com/sensory-analysis - How to reach it: in the sidebar, click the SENSORY ANALYSIS header (it's clickable) or the More in sensory link at the end of that section.
Pro plan and above. The full sensory module requires the Pro plan. On the Starter plan the hub is still accessible, but it's shown as an aspirational showcase with a call to subscribe (it doesn't navigate to the areas).
When this documentation talks about the "hub," it means the entry screen at /sensory-analysis. Internally there's a /sensory-analysis/dashboard route (titled "Sensory dashboard"), but today it's a placeholder that isn't linked from the navigation or the sidebar, and its widgets appear empty. The operational directory for the module is this hub.
Sections
Header
- Eyebrow Sensory module.
- Title Sensory analysis.
- Intro paragraph: "The craft of chocolate, in data. Professional tastings, real sensory shelf life, compound products, and batch traceability — without turning into a lab."
Metrics band (Pro/Studio only)
A row with four real metrics from your account:
| Metric | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Evaluations this month | Tastings created this month. |
| Active batches | In use across evaluations. |
| Shelf life alerts | Studies being tracked. |
| Dossiers | Saved to date. |
If the metrics fail to load, each card shows a dash — instead of the number. It's not an error: the rest of the hub works the same.
This metrics band isn't shown on the Starter plan. It's exclusive to Pro and Studio.
Module areas
The Module areas section groups the eight areas as navigable tiles. Each tile carries a name, a subtitle, and, in some cases, a status badge (Live or New).
| Tile | Badge | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| My evaluations | Live | Descriptive, discriminative, hedonic, and compound sessions. Listed by status and type. |
| Shelf life studies | Live | Linear regression per attribute, 95% CI, and threshold crossing. Time-point calendar. |
| Batches | New | Traceability for cocoa batches and purchases; links each evaluation to its physical batch. |
| Compound products | Live | 5-level evaluation for filled bonbons, dragées, and bars. |
| Panelists | — | Panel catalog and calibration history (basic tastes, 3-AFC thresholds). |
| Attributes | — | Hierarchical attribute editor. Includes 46 System attributes (Sonia's signature) plus your custom ones. |
| Protocols | — | 18 editable System protocols (chocolate, ganaches, pralines, caramels, gianduja, creams). |
| Dossiers | New | Consolidated technical reports in PDF. Multi-evaluation by batch or recipe. |
Actions
- Click a tile to enter its area. On the Pro plan each tile is a direct link to its screen.
- Click the SENSORY ANALYSIS header in the sidebar at any time to return to this hub.
The hub no longer has a "Quick actions" section. To create a tasting, go to My evaluations and click New evaluation, or use the Descriptive tasting shortcut in the sidebar.
How it looks on the Starter plan
On the Starter plan the hub is presented as a showcase of the craft: a dark hero with a real example sensory radar (showing Madagascar 70%) and the footnote 11 ISO/ASTM methodologies · AreaCacao wheel · 79 attributes, followed by the The tools of the craft section with the same eight tiles, but marked with a Pro badge. Clicking any tile opens a subscription window (it doesn't navigate to the area).
The subscription window is titled Unlock Sensory analysis and summarizes what the Pro plan includes (create evaluations with your panel, shelf life studies with 95% CI, traceable batches, and PDF dossiers). From the hero and from that window you can:
- Upgrade to Pro (
19 €/moin euros or$19/moin dollars) — opens the pricing page with the Pro plan preselected. - View public demo — opens the public sensory demo so you can explore the module without subscribing.
Availability by plan
| Plan | What you see in the hub |
|---|---|
| Starter | Aspirational showcase with the 8 tiles in upsell mode. No metrics band. |
| Pro / Studio | Full hub: band of 4 real metrics + 8 navigable tiles. |