How This Works
A quick rundown on the rating system and why the numbers are inherently fuzzy.
It's All Subjective
Disclaimer! These ratings are all subjective and based on my personal taste. Additionally, ratings are a snapshot of how I felt at the time of eating.
Was I hungry when I ate this? Did I just have something super sweet that messed with my palate? Was I tired, stressed, or distracted? All of that affects how things taste.
A snack after a long hike hits different than the same snack at my desk. A spicy chip after a bland meal seems way more intense.
Hunger
Everything tastes better when you're hungry. Ratings might run higher if I haven't eaten in a while.
What I Ate Before
A sweet snack after black coffee hits way different than after dessert.
Mood
Comfort food hits harder when you actually need comfort. Stress and attention matter.
Personal Biases
Everyone has their preferences, and I'm no exception. Here are some of my known biases that might skew ratings in certain directions.
Keep these in mind when interpreting scores—if you share similar preferences, we might agree more often. If not, adjust accordingly!
Sweet & Salty Fan
That sweet-salty combo is my weakness. Snacks that nail this balance tend to score higher with me.
Spice Curious, Low Tolerance
I enjoy spicy food but can't handle much heat. What I call "really spicy" might be mild to you.
Sour Averse
I really don't like sour. Sour candies and super tangy snacks will probably get docked points.
The Rating Scale
Ratings follow a normal distribution (bell curve) centered at 5.0. Basically: 5.0 is average, and moving away from 5 in either direction gets exponentially rarer.
Dead Average
A 5.0 means this snack is exactly middle-of-the-road. Not particularly sweet, not particularly bland. Just... normal.
Above Average
One step up. This puts the snack in the top ~16% for that metric. You'd notice the difference.
Really Good
Now we're in top ~10% territory. The jump from 6 to 7 isn't linear—it's a bigger leap than 5 to 6.
Rare
Only like 2-5% of snacks get here. Something genuinely stood out.
The gist: Going from 6 to 7 is a bigger deal than going from 5 to 6. A 9.0 isn't just "a bit better" than an 8.0—they're in totally different leagues.
See the Distribution
Hover around to see what different ratings actually mean in terms of percentiles. Most snacks end up around the middle, with the extremes being pretty rare.
The Six Flavor Axes
Every snack gets scored on these six things. Same bell curve logic applies—5 is average, higher or lower means it stands out.
Sweetness
How sweet is it? A 5.0 is like a plain cracker with a hint of sugar—nothing special either way.
Sourness
The tangy, acidic bite. Most snacks score low here unless they're sour candies or citrus-flavored.
Savoriness
Umami vibes. Meat, cheese, mushroom, fermented stuff—that deep savory thing.
Saltiness
How salty we talkin? Pretty important for savory snacks.
Spiciness
Heat level. Most snacks get a 0 unless they're trying to be spicy.
Richness
The buttery, creamy, indulgent quality. Fat content, depth, all that good stuff.
Take It With a Grain of Salt
These are one person's opinions at specific moments in time. Your experience will probably be different, and that's fine. Use this as a rough guide, not as gospel.