Gelato tasting: 4 ways to taste and evaluate Artisan Gelato

Sensory analysis is playing an increasingly vital role in the food industry for evaluating the characteristics of a product via the sensory organs.

In our industry it is very important to know how to taste and evaluate a good Artisan Gelato.

Today I’ll give you 4 ways to help you be more aware of the Gelato you are eating but, before you start, let me explain the scoring method. You might wonder, why ‘0’ points if something is so good? Well, that’s because making a truly great Gelato is our job and our mission, so we shouldn’t receive any positive scoring – it’s simply how it should be.

1. Visual Aspects:
   1. Does the Gelato have natural colours? Yes (0 points), No (-3 points)
   2. Does it have lumps or structure defects? No (0 points), Yes (-2 points)
2. Sense of smell:
   1. Does it have a natural and persistent smell? Yes (0), No (-1)
3.  Gustatory aspects:
   1. Cold perception: Very High (-3), High (-1), Normal (0)
   2. Flavour persistence: Short (-3), High (-1), Normal (0)
   3. Watery consistency: Yes (-4), No (0)
   4. Fat Quality:
      1. Greasy palate (-4)
      2. Clean palate after 5 seconds (0)
      3. Clean palate after 10 seconds (0)
   5. Sweetness Quality:
      1. Too sweet (feeling of throat closure) (-4)
      2. Natural sweetness (no need to drink afterwards) (0)
      3. No feeling of sweetness (0)
4. Ingredients Perception (related to the description of the flavor): Not existent (-4), Confused (-3), Limited (-2), Not Balanced (-1), Balanced (0)

Now, after you’ve done this little test when you are eating a Gelato, try to calculate the points:

• A very good Gelato should score between 0 and -6
• An average Gelato between -7 and -14
• A poor Gelato between -15 and -28

So to taste and evaluate food through sensory analysis requires awareness and attention. When we taste a dessert we must try to understand all of its facets – balance, texture, sweetness, sapidity – and the final result must be a balanced harmony of tastes, sensations and often memories (emotions): all of this should still ensure a clean palate.

Ok, there’s one last thing to do: go get a Gelato and don’t forget to take your pen and notebook this time!