What Blind Candy Tastings Teach Us About Memory
Here's a question for you.
If I handed you one of your favourite candies and asked you to close your eyes before taking a bite, would you know exactly what it was? Almost everyone says yes!
One of my favourite parts of introducing a Blind Candy Tasting is watching that confidence slowly disappear, not in a bad way; it's just so incredibly interesting to see in real time. It usually starts with someone saying, "This one's easy," before confidently announcing a flavour. A few seconds later, they're laughing because they were absolutely convinced they were eating cola, only to discover it was something completely different, like guava.
That's never the point of the activity, though. We aren't trying to stump people or prove anyone wrong. If anything, we're trying to demonstrate just how incredible our brains really are.
When we can see a candy, we don't realize how much information we're gathering before we've even taken the first bite. We recognize the shape, the colour, the size, maybe even the texture, and our brain immediately begins comparing it to every similar candy we've ever eaten. By the time it reaches our mouth, we've already built an expectation of what it's going to taste like.
Close your eyes, and suddenly all of those shortcuts disappear. Instead of relying on sight, your brain starts searching somewhere else for the answer. It begins pulling from memory, and that's where the real fun begins.
Every Guess Comes From Somewhere
One of the reasons I love these tastings so much is because no two people experience them the same way.
- Someone tastes a candy and immediately says, "That reminds me of the ones I used to buy after school."
- Someone else can't place the flavour at all until another participant says a single word, and suddenly it clicks.
- Then there's always the person who insists they know exactly what they're eating... only to find out they were nowhere close.
What's fascinating is that everyone is tasting the exact same candy.
The difference isn't the candy itself. It's the memories each person brings with them.
We often think of smell as the sense most connected to memory, and there's certainly truth to that. A familiar perfume, fresh-cut grass, or campfire smoke can instantly transport us somewhere else. Taste works in much the same way. A familiar flavour can bring back birthday parties, family gatherings, your first date, an adventure, a special trip or a single moment without us even realizing those memories were still sitting there.
That's probably my favourite part of the experience. People arrive expecting to sample candy. They leave talking about moments in their lives they hadn't thought about in years.
It's More Than a Guessing Game
The candy is obviously part of the fun. We love introducing people to new favourites and watching them discover candies they may never have picked up on their own.
What surprises people is everything that happens in between the guesses. The conversations become just as memorable as the candy itself.
Someone discovers they actually enjoy a flavour they've avoided for years. Another person realizes they were relying on the shape of the candy more than the taste. Friends begin debating answers, laughing at one another's guesses, and comparing the memories each flavour brought back.
Without really trying, everyone becomes part of the experience.
That's why we've always thought of our Blind Candy Tastings as something much bigger than sampling candy. They're a chance to slow down for a few minutes, trust your senses, and maybe rediscover a memory you didn't know was still there.
Candy Science
Did you know...
Taste and smell work together to create what we think of as flavour, which is why food often seems bland when you have a cold. Your brain also compares what you're tasting to thousands of previous experiences, filling in gaps with memories and expectations. That's why two people can confidently taste the exact same candy and come to completely different conclusions. They aren't just tasting the candy in front of them. They're also tasting a lifetime of memories.
Keep Exploring
If this article sparked your curiosity, you might enjoy these next:
- What Happens When You Taste Candy With Your Eyes Closed? Discover how sensory marketing changes the way we experience flavour.
- Why Nostalgia is one of the Most Powerful Marketing Tools: Learn why people rarely remember every detail of an event, but they almost always remember how that event made them feel.
- The Science of Nostalgia and What Triggers It? Explore why certain flavours stay with us long after childhood.
Or better yet, experience it for yourself with one of our Blind Candy Tastings, available as both interactive corporate activations and self-guided Blind Candy Tasting kits to enjoy at home.
