> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://thechocolatelife.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Visualizing Flavor | #PSC 220 - URL: https://thechocolatelife.com/visualizing-flavor-psc-220/ - Published: 2026-07-27T21:39:20.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-13T16:52:48.000Z - Description: OVERVIEW: Episode 220 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at flavor visualizations, how they may influence the way flavors are perceived, and more. Are some presentation formats better than others? Should some entire approaches be deprecated? [updated] - Author: Clay Gordon - Tags: PodSaveChocolate, Live Stream 🗓️ Episode 220 streamed on Tuesday, July 28th, 2026\. Click a link below to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE** link is shareable. [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/11/ytlogo256x256.png)](https://youtube.com/live/ZYk5h8HD9uo?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the [@PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@podsavechocolate/featured?ref=thechocolatelife.com), like this video, comment, and ****share** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. [Participate/Watch on YouTube ](https://youtube.com/live/ZYk5h8HD9uo?ref=thechocolatelife.com) This ****LINKEDIN** link is shareable. [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/LinkedInLogo.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7487613702352052224-AhEv?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. [Participate/Watch on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7487613702352052224-AhEv?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) This ****FACEBOOK** link is shareable [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/FacebookLogo.png)](https://www.facebook.com/share/17j9f4b7Bi/) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on ****TheChocolateLife page** on Facebook (for 30 days, then watch the archive on YouTube). Follow [TheChocolateLife on Facebook ](https://fb.me/thechocolatelife?ref=thechocolatelife.com)to receive notifications and catch up on other content. [Participate/Watch on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/share/17j9f4b7Bi/) --- ## **Episode 220** I’ve been thinking about flavor a lot recently, as a part of a larger effort to understand how chocolate is classified, compared with beer, wine, spirits, coffee, and cheese. (In this grouping, chocolate and cheese are the most alike.) > I think one thing holding chocolate appreciation and connoisseurship back is that there is no widely accepted framework for organizing chocolate that is based on first principles, not a reverse-engineered taxonomy. Many of the popular approaches to visualizing taste have been influenced by the wine wheel introduced by Ann Noble in 1984\. Beer and spirits (not shown here) and coffee and chocolate (shown in this post) have built on the wine foundation. My questions include: - What is the purpose of the wheel as a method of conveying information? - How is the wheel used as an aid to education, evaluation, and judging? - Chocolate is not a two-dimensional experience. It is multi-sensory and it takes place over time. Ann Noble’s wine wheel was introduced over 40 years ago … what visualization innovations have taken place since then? - Going back to first principles, should flavor be the *single most important dimension* when evaluating the “quality” of chocolate? - Added: Inputs vs outputs - Added: Ease of comparison - Added: The contribution of area - Added: The influence of color choice I will be exploring those ideas in depth in this episode. --- ### **Comparing Visualizations** ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/annNobleWineWheel.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/SCAA_FlavorWheel.01.18.15-topaz-high_fidelity_v2-2x_1024x1024.jpeg) \[L\]: Wine flavor wheel. \[R\]: Specialty Coffee Association flavor wheel. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/CoEx-Flavour-Wheel-25Sept23-Large.jpeg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/523_-_CoEx_2023_Chocolate_Graph_EN-1605952789.jpeg) Cocoa of Excellence current wheel and how how it is used in judging. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/chocolarteAlchemySpider.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/gastronomyiocharts.jpeg) The OG “spider graph.” The format for the “radial pie chart” graph (as a replacement for spider graphs) was proposed and developed by me for the ****2015** edition of the CoEx and has been used by MOCCA, among others. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/consumerHiddenPersuadersFlavrWeel.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/professionalHiddenPersuadersFlavrWeel.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/mappinggraphtypes.jpeg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/hiddenpersuaderspage.jpeg) [***Hidden Persuaders**](https://thechocolatelife.com/hidden-persuaders-in-cocoa-and-chocolate/) *in Cocoa and Chocolate* was launched in February 2018. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/Chocolatras_Wheel-1024x.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/beanstalkrFlavorWheel.jpeg) \[L\]: Chocolatras chocolate flavor wheel; \[R\] beanstalkr flavor wheel. --- ### **Alternatives to Wheels** ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/positiveFlavorProfileMapIICCT.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/ChocolateFlavourMapPres_flavourNetworks-1.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/defectsFlavorProfileMapIICCT.jpg) How the IICCT visualizes flavors. \[L\]: Positive flavor attributes. \[C\] The bridge from chemistry to experience and association. \[R\]: Defects. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/TWCCrop.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/DengoFlavorViz_Edited.jpg) \[L\]: Hazel Lee’s “Taste with Colour” approach. \[R\]: Dengo (Brazil) introduces the dimension of time (2017). I have been using ADSR from electronic music as an analogy since at least 2015, inspired by talks by Ed Seguine. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/geminiViz_1.jpg) ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/geminiViz_2.jpg) \[L\]: Experimental rendering showing different dimensions (or axes) of experiencing flavor, each with its own wheel. \[R\]: Experimental rendering extending the diagram to the left into the time dimension. --- ### **Recent Related Episodes** [Updated: Chocolate Education, Evaluation & Competition Judging | #PSC 218OVERVIEW: Episode 218 of #PodSaveChocolate takes an in-depth look at the IICCT and ICAs through the lens of educating people about chocolate, evaluating chocolate, and judging competitions, in comparison with beer and other beverages and foods. \[ Updated to include commentary/notes. \]![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-e89ea223-8226-45a3-a7ff-3d8e435754f8.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ep-218-ICCT-ICA---Featured1920x1080-6959a8a8-fc92-4520-aac7-7a2e895b2b98.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/chocolate-education-evaluation-judging-psc-218/) [Before the Judging Can Begin | #PSC 217OVERVIEW: Episode 217 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at typology, classification, and taxonomy – and how the lack of a formal, consistent, and defensible vocabulary is a gaping hole in how chocolate is taught and judged. Then ... what can be done to address the challenges?![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-bf2ecee0-2f3b-4207-8af4-968ca5b31075.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ep-217-Typology---Featured1920x1080-37b06dc4-3692-4211-99a4-df14f72c1e87.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/before-the-judging-can-begin-psc-217/) [Evaluating Chocolate: the What, the Why, and the How | #PSC 215OVERVIEW: Episode 215 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look back, and forward, at how chocolate is evaluated – and asks the question, “Have we been doing it wrong all these years?”![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-65811837-2de7-42ae-957e-e9d4f04b3522.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ep-215-Judging-What-Why-How---Featured1920x1080-77de582a-fe23-4236-a148-05ef84bfa1cd.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/evaluating-chocolate-the-what-the-why-and-the-how-psc-215/) ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ **Friday, September 18th* ****Celebrating(?) the 25th anniversary of the signing (on Sept 19, 2001) of the Harkin-Engel Protocol** with special guest Terry Collingsworth, International Rights Advocates. --- ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife --- ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. [Pod Save Chocolate Calendar and ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook. #PodSaveChocolate!![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/11/TagImageBanner-PodSaveChocTagFinal_1920x1080-5.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/pod-save-chocolate-calendar-and-archive/) Episodes 201-300 (links to older PSC archives are in the top nav). [#TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/03/solen-feyissa-WG7v_wYZW4Q-unsplash-CalendarFeatured1920x1080.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/thechocolatelife-live-calendar/) ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. ---