Taste the coffee, score the categories, add descriptors
Note: Cupping and Sensorial Analysis are the same things.
You will learn how to setup, enter and analyze a sensorial session.
Note: Cropster’s sensorial session feature is now available on all subscription plans with the exception of certain features that are only usable in higher tiers.
The following can be done with the base version of sensorial sessions:
- Production and inventory evaluations
- Entering results in bulk with one or more evaluators
- Comparing results by category, descriptions, and notes across all results
Creating and setting up Sensorial sessions
There are three ways to create a session:
Via the Sessions overview page
- Go to Quality > Cupping sessions in the menu bar.
- To create a new quality session, click on the +Add Cupping Session button on the upper-right corner of your window.
Via the Roasts overview page
- Go to the Roasts overview page.
- Check the boxes next to the coffees you want to cup
- Go to Quality > Add cupping session.
Via the dashboard
- Click on the + Add button to right.
- Click + Cupping session to create a new quality session.
Note: Click here for more information on how to set up a cupping session.
Session status
A session can come in three stages:
- Draft: In the draft stage, the session can be edited. You can add/remove samples, change the cupping sheet, etc.
- Open: When a session is opened, it's time to evaluate and submit results via Cropster Cup or directly within the online platform. Open sessions can not be altered.
- Closed: Indicates that a session is done and all results have been submitted. However, your results can be edited. If necessary, it is possible to reopen a session.
Draft
A session in Draft state can be edited any time. If you are happy with the session, click Schedule & open session to move the session over into Open state.
Open
Once a session is open, the session can be entered any time. An open session also shows up in Cropster Cup. Open sessions can not be altered. If any alteration is needed, click Clone session to open another session with the same specifications in draft state.
To enter results click Enter session. Once all results have been entered, click Close session to mark the session as done.
Closed
A Closed session can not be entered via Cropster Cup anymore. If needed the session can be reopened by clicking Open session.
Evaluation
Accessing a session
- Go to the Cupping sessions overview page and open the session you would like to enter your cupping results.
- If the session is drafted, you need to open the session first by clicking Schedule & Open session. Open sessions can be entered via the Enter session button.
- You will be asked how you would like to enter your results.
- Cup with Cropster Cup
Note: Click here for more information on how to use Cropster Cup. - Click Enter results now, if you would like to enter the results for the whole team.
- Click Prepare session, if you would like to open and schedule the session for later.
- Cup with Cropster Cup
- To enter the results for your team, click Enter results now.
- Add the Evaluators to your session.
- Choose how you would like your samples to be displayed.
- Click the Start button to begin entering results.
Entering the results
- Enter the results.
- Click on General Descriptors and start typing the descriptors. When clicking on a set descriptor, you can add perception (negative or positive) and intensity.
- Switch to advanced view in the upper right corner to add a roast grade.
- Click on Save analysis to review the results.
- To submit the session, click Save & close.
- Your session will be saved under a QS-ID (quality session)
- One QS (quality session) consists of several QC's (quality control)
- QC is the quality control of a single lot.
- Once the results are entered, either through Cropster Cup or the bulk evaluation interface, close the session. A closed session can not get altered via Cropster Cup anymore.
Analysis
Analyzing a quality session
Once you have entered results, you can analyse the evaluation results.
- Go to Quality > Cupping sessions to get to the Cupping sessions overview page.
- Open a specific session by clicking the QS-tag.
- Details: Shows you all the session's details. (1)
- Session stats: Shows you the number of samples, evaluators and submitted results. (2)
- Evaluators: Shows you all participating evaluators. Edit your evaluators or click the green dot to exclude the results of a specific evaluator. (3)
- Results: A detailed list of all results-.
- Scroll down to compare the results:
- Compare the final scores or take a closer look how each evaluator rated the samples by selecting the Compare evaluators radio button.
- Compare the single categories with each other.
- Compare the descriptors.
Comparing results across sessions
You can also compare results of single lots across sessions.
- Go to Quality > Sensorial.
- Check the box next to the lot you would like to compare with each other.
- A menu bar opens at the top, click Compare.
- Use the filters at the top of the page.
- Your quality information can be exported as Excel- or PDF-file and be shared via the menu bar at the top of the table or by clicking the Export button.
You are now ready to use sensorial sessions!
Thanks for being a Cropster customer! If you have feedback, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out by submitting a support ticket directly from support.cropster.com.
We design and make alterations to our software based on user feedback, so we look forward to seeing what you have to say!