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:
- From the Dashboard: in the Sensory analysis block, the More in sensory card → Go to module.
- From the module's screens: the Sensory analysis breadcrumb in My evaluations, Panelists, or Batches, or the ← Back to sensory analysis link at the bottom of Batches.
The SENSORY ANALYSIS section of the sidebar doesn't link to the hub: its header isn't clickable and it only has three entries, My evaluations, Panelists, and New evaluation.
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).
The old /sensory-analysis/dashboard route ("Sensory dashboard") no longer exists as a screen: if you open it, it takes you to 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 the Open link; tiles have no status badges.
| Tile | What it's for |
|---|---|
| My evaluations | Descriptive, discriminative, hedonic, and compound sessions. Listed by status and type. |
| Shelf life studies | Linear regression per attribute, 95% CI, and threshold crossing. Time-point calendar. |
| Batches | Traceability for cocoa batches and purchases; links each evaluation to its physical batch. |
| Compound products | 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 93 System attributes (Sonia's signature) plus your custom ones. |
| Protocols | 25 editable System protocols (chocolate, ganaches, pralines, caramels, gianduja, creams). |
| Dossiers | Consolidated technical reports in PDF. Multi-evaluation by batch or recipe. |
Workshop practices (students only)
If your account comes from a sensory analysis workshop scholarship, above the areas you'll see the Sensory analysis workshop exercises card with two ready-made tastings: Basic taste test and Cacao bean classifier. Other accounts don't see it.
Actions
- Click a tile to enter its area. On the Pro plan each tile is a direct link to its screen.
- Return to the hub from the Sensory analysis breadcrumb on the module's screens.
The hub no longer has a "Quick actions" section. To create a tasting, go to My evaluations and click New evaluation, use the New evaluation entry in the sidebar, or, from the Dashboard, the Descriptive tasting card → New tasting.
How it looks on the Starter plan
On the Starter plan the hub is presented as a showcase of the craft: a dark hero (Sensory analysis · included in Pro · The craft of chocolate, turned into data.) with a real example sensory radar (showing Madagascar 70%) and the footnote 10 sensory test types, 9 with an ISO/ASTM standard · ISO 8586 panel · AreaCacao wheel · 93 attributes, followed by the section The tools of the craft with the same eight tiles, but marked with a Pro badge and the Unlock link. 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 · $25/mo — opens the pricing page with the Pro plan preselected.
- View public demo (in the window, Want to see it in action first? View the public demo) — opens the public sensory demo so you can explore the module without subscribing.
You close the window with Back or the Esc key.
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. |
| No active plan (subscription ended) | No access to the hub or the app: when you sign in you see the Come back to AreaCacao screen with the plans. Your tastings are kept for at least 12 months; when you choose a plan, everything is as you left it. |