They do not drink for the high it could give, they do not drink for fun games, and they do not drink because the arbor is tempting. But they drink because they want to soak in the knowledge and be the ultimate best at it. Wine Sommelier is a person who is an expert wine taster who is so knowledgeable about wines that he can taste it, recommend it, pair food with it and educate others. Most of Wine Sommeliers are in the hospitality industry and serve wine to people in fine dine luxurious restaurants. There are few who work independently.

You might or might not have the industry experience and yet you could be a wine sommelier in all its essence. Any person who thinks that he or she is pretty good at all the above mentioned expertise can call himself/herself a wine sommelier. It is just that self-proclamation is not enough to earn the trust of others and the reputation. To truly be a recognized wine sommelier you will need a certification from one of the many organizations who are willing to educate people about wines.

Having said enough for an introduction about this new career path that you and I will be discussing in this blog post, I will quickly tell you about how wine tasting can be a lucrative career. You will know what goes behind the making of a Master sommelier which is like the highest echelon in the wine tasting world.

By the end of this post you will know that wine is not always a bad influence. It depends on the person to take control and make something meaningful out of it. For ease of purpose the wine expert, wine taster and all other relevant titles are referred as sommelier in this post. So you keep reading to check if this is something meant for you or not.

Tasting Wine like Wine Sommelier

To be honest with you, I do not have the answer. You need to be in the field to know the game. I haven’t tasted a wine like a sommelier because I am not one. Just from the literature that I have been reading, I can tell you that it is a very complex procedure which is eventually made easy only if you have studied and practiced a lot. That ease comes after lots of sips in a manner of absorbing each tiny droplet that the molecules themselves start revealing secrets.

But hey, I can tell you how the wine sommeliers do it and what you can follow so that you can start practicing the art. First step which is almost a ritual in the wine tasting world is to smell your wine after swirling it a little in the wine glass. The smell warms up your palate and builds the anticipation as the aroma transpires through your olfactory lobe to the brain. Next thing you are supposed to do is to hold the glass to your eye level and study the colour of the wine. This is done to check for any discoloration or impurities or to gauge the age of wine roughly.

The final step is the moment of truth, which asks you to take a small sip that you are supposed to wash your palate with. You will have to give attention to each taste that the wine offered. Of course it is not easy to learn and master it, but a study says a person can start recognizing basic notes in wine after 8 tasting sessions. So you have lots of scope there.

By default the 5S are kind of thumb rules of wine tasting. See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip and Savour. You can play with the order but sniffing should be done before sipping and that rule should not be broken.

Qualities and skills set required to become a wine sommelier

As any profession requires a particular set of qualities, how come this elite profession be an exception. If you are up for this task then you need to be aware that even an average bottle of wine costs approximately $15. This is why your skills matter the most when you are going to deal with this kind of costly beverage on a daily basis.

Reading and Research

If you thought that your job is only about tasting and making others taste the wine then think again. You will need to read a lot of literature that will enlighten you and keep you updated with the knowledge. A wine sommelier is expected to do his/her own research for setting up the bar menu, maintaining the cellars and the wine stock (if you are working in a restaurant). You will also be in the constant spotlight for suggesting people some good wines according to their palates, budgets and food pairing. To ensure all this you will need good amount of reading and research.

Dedication

You might be a hardworking person, but is that enough in this career? I say it is not enough, you need to be hardworking and dedicated because you work hard for things that you do not love. You dedicatedly work only for things you love. You will need to put extra efforts to know about different wines and this might be required after your regular work hours. Your dedication for the craft will take you to new heights.

Good Communication Skills

In general when you work in hospitality industry you are expected to be an expert at this. And when you are going to face customers directly then your communication game needs to be top notch. You will have to strike a chord with your patrons, educate them about available wine ranges, engage them in conversation that should startle them, amaze them with your knowledge and suggestions. Apart from patrons you will need to educate your fellow workers and keep the team updated on wine knowledge.

Strong Smelling abilities

Do you know how a rotten chamomile taste? Do you know how an overripe dragon fruit smells? Do you know how a soil decay smell likes? No I am not going crazy here but a wine sommelier smells the most random and most minute of the aromatic notes form a wine. Apart from taste you need to be an excellent sniffer. As the thumb rule of wine tasting, you need to smell that nectar first. Most of the flavor you derive from a wine is dependent on what you smell out of it. I have heard the weirdest of aromatic notes a wine sommelier dictates after smelling the wine from wine glass.

Taste Buds

I assume that you know the basics, the major reputation of any wine sommelier depends upon his ability to taste the wine and then educate other about that wine. Delicate taste buds which can pick all the edible and non-edible flavors quickly is something that you should be learning. I have heard that the notes in the wine can be as general as fruits, chocolate to as complex as mud, leather, etc. I hope that underlines how difficult it is to develop your palate like that.

Sharp Memory

Don’t be surprised to know that there are 3000 plus varieties of grapes in Italy alone. You need to remember all of the names. You will be asked to remember which grape grows in which location and what the ideal conditions for growth are. The year of bottling, the appropriate ageing process. You will need to store all these things in your brain and should be able to recollect in your daily life. This is why wine sommeliers do not get drunk. They need their brains at their best. Could you do this?

Choose your own path (Career Options)

Most of the Wine Sommeliers are involved in customer servicing. So what if you don’t want to make a career out it and just want to be a Sommelier who is knowledgeable about wines. To address this query, I will suggest that you should do your homework and choose a certification accordingly. Plus you can choose to become a Master Sommelier and still opt out of servicing part.

Because I know that for any person with one set career, it is difficult to start afresh with a completely new career. In this case you can acquire the certifications and slowly increase your network. You then will be eligible for wine tasting sessions which are strictly invitation based. You can start your own clan which will consist of wine enthusiasts. I would list down a few options where your tasting abilities as a wine sommelier can fetch you a good career.

1. Wine writer is a person who writes about wines and if you have a knack for writing then this can be your true calling. You preferably try to describe wines in your own words which might be a guide for learners or wine enthusiasts. You will work with print media or online outlets or maybe with big brands to write about their wines to increase sales.

2. Wine Journalist is one good option. Now you might be scratching your head that what is the difference between wine journalist and a wine writer? I will clear that for you. Wine journalist is a serious profession in a country where wine consumption is abundant. So as a wine journalist you will report facts about wineries or a new wine bar or a change of wine menu in a particular restaurant. You are confined to report facts about wine and wine business.

3. Wine Critic is a person who is an invited trouble which wine makers can’t avoid. Now you will certainly don’t want to be one, unless you like being brutally honest with things and people. With wine you will have to be brutally honest with a thing that people love. You will be invited for many new wine launch events and your opinions will have a weightage. You will seal fate of years long processes and hard work of the wine makers.

4. Being a Wine Sommelier is the default choice of someone who is working in hospitality industry. Most of them work in restaurant as a wine steward who has the highest regards of the patrons but also face some difficult to please customers. So if you want to be in this customer facing challenge then you should be a charmer at heart.

5. Would you like to become a Wine Educator? If you love teaching or if you are comfortable talking about wine as a subject in front of people then this is something you can try. Wine tasting sessions and wine education classes will be your stage in this case. You will educate people about good wines and how to develop a palate for the same. Or even wine and food pairing can be your specialty.

6. How about getting a job as lecturer in wine academics? There are so many wine tasting and wine education institutes around the globe. You can apply to many and see which one selects you to deliver course lectures. Being a teacher to future wine sommeliers or master sommeliers is an absolutely exciting task.

7. Consider building your own wine business either you can be a great wine maker or a wine marketer. You will already have enough contacts and links when you pass the wine sommelier course. You can leverage your position with those connections and become a winentrepreneur.

So have you thought about it? Let me know which career path you chose.

How to become certified wine sommelier?

Finally you have arrived at the key part of this blog. How to get a certificate that can validate your skills. There are many options out there for you, if you want to seriously gain knowledge of wines. But 3 of them are highly recognized in the industry worldwide. One is offered by “The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS)” and similarly the “Institute of Masters of Wine” and the “Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)” has their own certifications.

CMS Diploma

The Court of Master Sommeliers has a very serious program which has the servicing part as well. So if you are not working in the beverage industry then you might want to pursue other certifications. But this one is by far very demanding. Since its inception in 1977 less than 300 people have managed to complete all four levels to earn a master sommelier badge.

Introductory Sommelier Certificate (CMS I) is the first level of the diploma where a 3 day course is supposed to be taken that covers all the basics of wine tasting and theory. It has a MCQ based exam and a wine service test.

Certified Sommelier Examination (CMS II) is the level when things actually start getting interesting. This is allowed only after you pass the CMS I, and it includes a theory paper and a blind tasting test along with a wine service test.

Advanced Sommelier Certificate (CMS III) it is a detailed program of 5 days with half of the course duration focused on the exams. The same 3 tests are supposed to be taken by you, but in more detail and the difficulty level is tougher.

Master Sommelier Diploma (CMS IV) it is the final frontier and usually you will take some years to reach here. The best of the best have failed this level multiple times. This should make you nervous if not then reading the next line will surely make you nervous. You just have one attempt per year, so you need to be utterly focused to pass this level. Same 3 tests are repeated but the task is toughest. Tasking 6 wines and describing them in 25 minutes. An oral exam of your knowledge is conducted and finally a servicing test is mandatory. All the sections need to be passed separately with passing being 75%.

Wine & Spirit Education Trust

WSET is chosen by people who do not intent to work in restaurant and still want to become an expert. Though the qualification will be equivalent to a wine sommelier but WSET do not use the term specifically. Like CMS, the WSET also has a 4 level certification program. For level 1 to 3 anyone without prior expertise can enroll. For last level you need to spend some time to attain the required knowledge before you attempt the exam.

WSET Level 1 Award in Wines is a basic course where 6 hours of classroom learning is planned post which you will need to pass a MCQ based exam.

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines this is a level where 28 hours of lectures are supposed to be taken by you to improve your knowledge in wines. An educator-guided time and your personal study time is required to pass the examination which is MCQ based.

WSET Level 3 Award in Wines this is the advanced level where you are given training in 84 hours long course work. It has a theory exam to be passed which will test your subjective knowledge and a practical wine tasting session which is planned to see where you really stand.

WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines is the final hurdle that you need to cross to become a wine expert. It needs 500 hours of study including mentor guidance and self-study. The syllabus has 6 units, each cover a topic ranging from viticulture to regions, and from making to selling. Of course you have a tough tasting exam to pass.

The Institute of Masters of Wine

This is the third on the list but nonetheless than any of the previous certifications. Based in UK it has produced 409 master across 30 countries, since its inception that is 65 years. This program is much elaborate and less stressful. Someone doing a regular job can do it after a little juggling of time and dedication.

You can study the program from anywhere in the world, with the option to attend seminars at either of their study centers in Australasia, Europe and North America. You can pass the entire course in 3 years which has 3 levels. You can check their official website for more details.

Stage One is said to be the foundation where International Masters of Wine interact with you and impart their knowledge to you. You will have 5 days residential seminar and a 4 course days which you can take from anywhere. You have to submit 6 pieces of your work. Then you have 12-wines blind tasting session and two theory essays which you need to pass to move into the next stage of certification.

Stage Two is when things become more serious. Will all the training days remaining the same and all the course work required like stage one, you will have additional things to deal with. Next you will face a 3 session of 12-wines blind tasting. Finally for theory you will have 5 papers on viticulture, vinification and pre-bottling procedures, the handling of wine, the business of wine, and contemporary issues. You are supposed to pass these challenges to move into the next stage.

Stage Three asks you to make your own research paper where you are free to choose any wine related topic and convince the Master of Wine about how your topic is relevant to wine business or wine world. This is almost like doing a Ph. D. for the love of wines. Once your work is assessed and you pass it then you will successfully be awarded the tag of “Master of Wines”.

These were the top 3 choices of the many wine experts from around the globe. Apart from these there are other institute which offer certification that hold more or less similar value in the wine industry.

Other Institutes offering certifications

International Sommelier Guild

America’s reply to the court of master sommeliers since 1982. It offers a 5 step wine expert program which awards you a degree in oenology after successful completion. Here is their official website for you to explore.

Associazione Italiana Sommelier

Italian Sommelier Association also offers a certification which is 3 levels deep and anyone can enroll. It is also inclined towards people who are already working in the beverage industry. For course details you can check their official website.

North American Sommelier Association

This organization offers a diverse set of certifications to you and has a strong network of association which will help you decide your course of action. It has basic wine primer course, silver-pin sommelier certification, and Italian/American/Spanish wine specialist courses. You can choose specializations like Food and Wine pairing specialist, master taster, master of service, master of Terroir and master of Bordeaux. You can find more details here.

National Wine School

Worried about travel hassles which can weigh heavily on your pocket? Then an online certification is an alternative. It is better than doing nothing at all for the love of wine. They offer multiple courses which are pocket friendly in comparison to other global peers. You can save the ticket and accommodation cost to invest them in your wine samples. Thus getting the best of both worlds. Find more details of the courses here on their official website.

This was all about Global fare of wine learning. There are many more institutes and organizations that offer wine related certifications and you can find a list of 15 such institutions here, complied by sommelierschoiceawards.com

Certifications in India

There are 3 options if you are from India. Institute for Wine and Beverage Studies, Delhi, Tullheeo Wine Academy, Bengaluru and Wine Academy of India, Chennai.

IWBS offers a mixture of online course and offline courses. Certificate 1 in wines will cost you INR 8000 and online version costs INR 7000. Certificate 2 in wines and beverages will cost you INR 21000. French wine scholar costs INR 55000. They offer an online foundation wine course for just 2500 bucks. So now you can start your journey as per your convenience.

Tullheeo academy offers 3 levels of wine courses. WSET level 1 award costing 11000 INR, WSET level 2 award costing 26500 INR and the final level 3 award costing 96700 INR.

Wine Academy of India arranges seminars and course as per the demand and request. It invites notable personalities who are respected in wine world.

So what are you waiting for, if you want to get moving then start locally and once you feel confident then proceed to international certifications for increased credibility.

How much Wine Sommeliers Earn?

Aha!!! How eagerly you were searching for this section, be frank? It is completely understandable that a subject this complex needs a fair compensation because to achieve certifications you really burn a lot of blood and do sweat a lot. I will just give you an overview because the incomes do vary from country to country.

According to masterclass.com and many other information portals it is said that a master sommelier earns an average salary of $164,000 per year, excluding bonuses and tips which at times are equal to the entire salary. A servicing wine sommelier earns on an average $87,000 per year excluding tips and bonuses.

In India a basic or entry level wine taster might earn in the range of INR 10k to 20k per month. After couple of years and a higher certification it is possible to earn INR 50K per month. If you manage to get any international exposure or dealing with foreign clients then you might be offered a salary of INR 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh per month. Irrespective of the salaries, if you have the knowledge and skills and if you really love your job with wines then sky is the limit. You certainly can be your own boss.

People to follow for updates on Wine industry

It is always good to stay updated with the current trends in your work. In wine industry you need to be updated with latest developments and product launches. Here are few experts whom you can follow for your career growth as wine taster or wine sommelier. Keep a track, and try to get in touch with them, you never know when one of them might take you under their wings and you will achieve your dreams.

Sonal Holland

She was the first Indian Master of Wine who dared to select a tough road even when she was having a very great corporate career going on. Breaking all the stereotypes she has paved a new path for all Indians out there who want to make a mark in wine tasting world. With lots of awards to her name she is determined to bring some revolution in Indian wine market. You can check out her official website for more details sonalholland.com and you can follow her on Instagram or have a look at her academy named sonalhollandwineacademy.com

Fred Dame

The founder of the court of masters sommeliers is one heck of genius who drinks, breathes and soaks in wine. Some say that he can just look at the wine, smell it perhaps and tell you the history and geography of the wine. One of the most respected figure in the wine world. You can follow him on Instagram, his official handle is @freddame.

James Suckling

A famous American wine critic whose words decide the fate of each new wine bottle in the west. At one point in life he used to taste 4000 different wines in a single year, just to put that in perspective even if we eat 4 new items per day then also it would be only 1460 items a year approximately. So now that is some legendary stuff from the legend himself. You can follow him on Instagram, his official handle is james.suckling.

Closure:

With all the information about wine tasting and becoming a certified wine sommelier at your disposal, would you like to try it? I know it is not going to be an easy task like chocolate tasting. If you don’t know then I have previosuly covered the topic of becoming a certified chocolate taster which you can read if you are interested. Wine Sommelier is certainly a tough task, going by the numbers of global certifications the passing percentage of the final levels is only 10-20%. I know people who have dedicated years of their life in mastering this skill.

In this blog post I have given you ample of options to choose from, if you really want to learn about wines. Remember, it is not about getting drunk. It is about tasting a wine and enjoying the ones you like. To enjoy the wine you need to be in your senses. In fact you will be surprised to know that most of the wine tasters spit out the wine after tasting and only drink few sips when they are called up to taste a large number of samples.

If you want to go ahead then you should start developing the palate for wine. It is an acquired taste that you will have to work upon. The myriad of tasting notes and aromatics make it much more interesting. Each wine tells a story, you need to be patient to understand its beauty. Just don’t delve in for money but for the sake of appreciation and the money will follow. I hope this blog post helped you with the details.

If you liked this detailed blog post which you can refer anytime and which I will keep updating periodically then do share with someone who loves wines. If you felt something was missing then do write to me on foodie_khiladi@sh119.global.temp.domains or DM me at foodie_khiladi007. I will try to include the missing details just for you. With this I will sign off for the day. Wish you a happy new year in advance. Drink responsibly if you are planning to party. See you soon in my next blog post, till then keep smiling and spreading the smiles.

I am sure that the title must have got you here like a bowl full of nectar attracts the bees. We all turn into bees when it comes to chocolate. Becoming a ‘chocolate taster/tester’ is like a dream come true. Both terminologies are one and the same. It would be a cliché to use the term ‘Dream job’ here, but it is unavoidable. Let me take you on a journey to explore your chances of becoming a chocolate taste tester.

For a moment, start imagining yourself walking in to a social gathering or a party and someone asks you what your day job is. You respond with a smile on your face ‘I am a chocolate taste tester’. The entire crowd has all the attention on you especially the millennial age group.  It is natural reaction when anyone comes to know that you earn your salary by tasting chocolates.

Then all the questions start to pour in:

1) Do you have access to unlimited chocolate?
2) Don’t you get bored after eating so many chocolates?
3) How much is your salary package?
4) Is your home always full of chocolates?
5) Do you get to play with chocolate every day?
6) Do you eat chocolate every day?
7) Do you have discount coupons?

You try to answer some of them casually but in the back of your mind you are cautious of not spilling the company secret for whom you work. I know that makes you feel even better, having a job of chocolate taste tester and a secret keeper. You feel nonetheless like a secret agent for a while.

Now let me pinch you to bring you back in the reality. The job is yet not yours but by the end of this blog you might be a step closer to your dream job. Let me tell you what you need to do in order to become an official certified chocolate taste tester.

Typical day at work for Chocolate taste tester:

So to make you familiar with your role and responsibilities I specifically added this section. A typical day at work for chocolate taste tester starts with a bar or two of chocolate waiting for you in the testing room. Most of the taste testing rooms are lit with faint red light in order to mask your bias based on colour of chocolate. You have just smell and taste to judge and then only the second round begins where you taste the chocolate in normal conditions.

You are given bars of chocolate from the previous day’s production. It is ready to be released into the market but one of the quality tests is tasting the chocolate which is pending. This is exactly where you come in to the picture.

If you are a freelancer or climb up the ladder after gaining experience, then your day might look something like this. You are invited to a chocolate factory where the tasting is held. Along with you there are few more chocolate taste testers, you all have samples of chocolates a glass of warm water and a bread or crackers to keep your palate clean. You need to pick each sample and get going.

So did you imagine yourself doing any of the above? Let me know in comments how you imagined your day being a chocolate taste tester. I will tell you what I imagined. I saw myself in a tasting event. With all guests and staff well dressed in all whites. Tables well set with decorations and assortments to compliment the chocolate bars which are kept up for tasting. I pick up the chocolate bar, smell it like a professional then break it. Now with all that urge of biting into it, I control myself and behave. Now I slip a small piece of that in my mouth and start taking mental notes.

Yummmmm!!!! Enough about my imaginations, you let me know yours in the comments.

Skill Set required:

First and foremost you should possess a very sensitive palate, when you are aiming to become a chocolate taste tester or any taste tester for that matter.

Health wise you must be fit and in good health, without any kind of food allergies which can hamper your career growth.

You should have a knack for detailing your observations so that it can be discussed openly with other fellow testers. Because chocolate tasting is not a one person job.

You will be expected to have a thorough theoretical knowledge of chocolate. Which can be perceived as your passion towards this job. An open mind to absorb and innovate will be good to begin with.

But your most gifted skills which will be at service are all your 5 senses intact. Your touch to feel the texture of that gorgeous looking chocolate bar. Your Eyes to inspect the color shade of the chocolate. Your Nose to smell the delicious aroma, Your Ears to listen the crisp crack and last but not the least your foodie tongue to savor it.

Apart from this you will have an advantage if you know how to make chocolate and basic cooking. This shows that you are willing to explore the subject of chocolate further.

A good communicator who is passionate about chocolate is what they really look out for. This is in order to increase their market reach and public relations. Though this is not a mandate but an edge over others.

Job Description:

If anything is good if it’s made of chocolate then how can a career out of chocolate be not good? Let us take a look at your job description, which will be very lucrative in terms of work hours per week and the compensation offered. At the same time it will be a little complex to understand if you are new to this field of work.

A generalized job description may read something like following:

‘XYZ Pvt. Ltd.’ has a job opening for ‘Chocolate taste tester’ for people with or without experience in the field. We are looking out for candidates who can distinguish precisely between flavor profiles. Who can focus on smell and taste and give a detailed feedback about the product. This job may also involve sampling from the ongoing batches and then checking for consistency. A person with good communication skills and a team player is encouraged to apply.

Your regular insights about the same flavour or product should not change drastically. You will also help in developing new products for the brand with a definite explanation of your tasting experiences. You will be expected to work 4 days a week for minimum 32 hours and a compensation of ~£9-10 per hour which is around 30000 Rupees in Indian currency.

Isn’t this really a dream job? Eat chocolate, have a 3 day weekend. Work only 4 days and roam all you want.

But wait, these are figures from European markets, and in India we do not have enough data yet to give you a conclusive figures. This also indicates that most of your job opportunities are in Europe and America.

Educational eligibility:

Now let us talk about eligibility. Well this is not your typical career path where you have a degree in particular subject and you get a job. So any high school education (10+2) makes you eligible for this role. I said eligible and not worthy. You will soon know why? So, a formal degree is not required but a degree in nutrition or food technology is certainly an additional advantage.

A post-graduation in allied subjects like food science, culinary arts or gastronomy is really going to help you in long run. This is because you will be considered to have had basic knowledge of food safety, processing, packaging, preservation. Having a work experience in product development domain will also make your chances bright.

So if you do not have these degrees, do not worry. You can always obtain one while working. You absorbing the knowledge is what matters here.

“How to become a chocolate taste tester?”

Finally we are on the most awaited point. To tell you frankly, you will need a certification to begin with. Though, our country does not offer a lot of them. Most of the credible options are from the European countries and few from the U.S.A.

But do not get disheartened, the culture is slowly changing and soon we will have our own credible source of certification locally. Till then you can do your research and try the following organizations which offer you a good valid certification.

a) International Institute of Chocolate and Cacao Tasting (IICCT)

The official certification which is accepted worldwide is from this sole institute. It is based in London and offers a 3 level certifications.

Level 1 Certification course is of 1 day duration which teaches basics of chocolate and the senses to develop for chocolate tasting. They give you more than 9 varieties of single origin or fine blends of dark chocolate. At end of the course you have a 30 minutes MCQ exam to pass for getting certified.

Certification Fees: Little under £250/person. It depends on the host country.

Level 2 Certification course is of 3 days duration. It takes you deeper into the subject of fine chocolate and single origin chocolates. Involves tasting of more than 25 types of chocolate multiple times. Blind tasting is also a part of the course so that a leaner has a better understanding of taste. This course also has a 30 minutes MCQ exam at the end along with a blind tasting test which you need to pass for getting certified.

Certification Fees: Little under €565/person. It depends on the host country.

They also offer a 4 day Combined Level 1 & Level 2 certification which is relatively cheaper considering the prices. It will cost you around €700/person.

Level 3 Certification is a 5 day course. Generally held in the Cacao producing countries and then followed by an industrial visit to chocolate factory. This course delves much deeper into the concept of cacao farming and the surrounding which affects the final product. It gives better insights about chocolate profiling and the wide range of chocolates.

Certification Fees:  Approximately $3,495/person and it is not clear if it includes the trip cost.

There are other course which they offer and you can check them here.

b) Ecole chocolat

Based in Canada, this insititute offers an online course for all the enthusiast. Though not hands on experience like IICCT, it is still an intense course to follow. They have tasting exercises with specific guidelines to enhance your learning experience.

This course focuses on intricacies of flavours as per what they claim on their official website which you can check out for further details. The learning modules cover the topics in a sequence that is easy to understand. They issue a certification which is a good thing and an added advantage.

Their support team responds within 24 hours which I have personally experienced so i can definitely recommend you to pursue this one if you are tight on budget.

Course Fees: $225.00 for all interested people.

c) Cocoatrait

Finally some good news for you. India’s first chocolate taste tester L. Nitin Chordia offers this course in his academy Cocoa-shala which is located in Chennai. Cherry on the top being, this course is in collaboration with IICCT so the certification is a valid worldwide.

The modules offered are same as what the IICCT offers, you can find the details on their website here. L. Nitin Chordia’s organisation helps you understand the know how of chocolate tasting in a much simpler ways. This is because they know their audience well and are dedicated to cater them well.

Certification Fees: INR 56900/person for combined Level 1 & Level 2 course.

There are other institutes which are local and international which offer the courses similar to ones mentioned above. But the credibility of their certification needs to be verified.

How to kick start your career?

Once you have your certification you need to gain experience under a Master chocolatier or have yourself mentored by an experienced chocolate taste tester. This will hone your skills further and give you a chance to broaden your network which might help you in landing a job.

You can apply for internships and try to participate in all social events possible. In addition you can start offering your personalized services to a smaller group of people whom you can educate about chocolate tasting.

You can follow famous personalities for keeping a track on this topic and try to connect with them on social media. Nothing wrong in trying out, if you want something so badly then go all guns blazing.

Whom to follow for knowledge and experience?

Martin Christy on picuki.com the world famous cacao expert and mentor of L. Nitin Chordia. and many other chocolate tasters in the world. Mr. Martin is owner of Seventy% and the director of International chocolate awards which holds 12 competitions worldwide and one grand finale in October every year. He is a very respected person when it comes to knowledge of chocolate. Certainly you should follow him.

Pierre Hermé on Instagram and Twitter is world’s best pastry chef and chocolatier as per the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and is the fourth most influential French person in the World as stated by Vanity Fair in 2016. Surely one of the most coveted chocolatiers whom you should follow.

L. Nitin Chordia on Instagram and Linkedin is the first Indian to have a chocolate taste tester certification. He also owns the brand cocoatrait and is of course interviewed by media, many a times. He is on a mission to bring India on the world map for our locally produced chocolate which is par excellence as compared to International standards. I guess you know by now whom to follow.

Angus Kennedy on Twitter for being the world’s leading explorer of chocolate and a fine chocolate taster. He has decades of experience and a media reach in millions. Definitely he will have few things for you to observe. You can know more about him on his website.

Georg Bernardini on Instagram who is deemed to be the true pioneer of bean to bar chocolate concept. Who has reviewed over 4000 chocolates made by 550 brands from around 70 countries. I am sure he is a genius chocolate taster.

Career Prospects as a Certified Chocolate taste tester:

1. You can try your luck with the local confectionery brands for the post of chocolate tester in their quality control department.

2. After few years you can apply at big brands like Mondeléz or Nestlé to be on their tasting team.

3. Then you always have hospitality industry, where you can join restaurants, hotels or cruise ships for your expertise.

4. You always have an option of working independently as a freelancer so that you can have the best of both the worlds.

5. Final option which might spark an interest is to start your own chocolate business, of course after gaining lots of experience and networking.

6. Start your own YouTube channel with the central theme as chocolate.

7. Start your own blog like yumandawesome.com and spread awareness about chocolate.

There are so many possibilities, you just need to take the first step with conviction. Then on one fine day you will be able to introduce a bar of chocolate by saying these magical words “What you see before you, my friend, is the result of lifetime of chocolate”.

Bonus Tip

Now for reading till this point I will give you a bonus tip on becoming a chocolate tester. There is one shortcut which can make you an official chocolate taster without the hassle of any certification.

Every year Cadbury who is owned by Mondeléz, invites application for the post of chocolate tasters. With a decent payout and an opportunity to get your first official experience. You can read more about it here.

Similarly Nestlé also hires people to do this delicate job which you can read here. The only challenge here is that, you have thousands of applications to beat in order to get selected. It is then followed by rigorous selection procedure to finalize the right candidate. But then again it is worth to try your luck like this. You never know what may work out for you.

So tell me, what have you decided? Will you try to get your dream job? If your answer is yes then as a friend let me add on few more notes for you to make your final decision easier. Try answering the following:

1. Do you like dark chocolate?

2. Do you bite your chocolate?

The answer to the first question should be ‘YES’ and answer to the second question should be ‘NO’. Because if you want to start your journey, you will have to develop these habits along with a consumer understanding of flavours.

You can read this short guide How to Taste Chocolate Like an Expert to learn and start practicing these skills.

Finally, you have an idea about how you can become a chocolate taste tester. As easy as this may sound, but in reality the job is not that sweet. You need to be very alert to all the observations and report it timely. If you do well then sky is the limit for this job as India and the world is opening up about single origin chocolates. So we can only expect to produce and market more of this deliciousness which will be a booming economy soon.

This is certainly a stand out profession. Though you may or may not opt to become a chocolate taste tester, but you can share this with your friends who are in love with chocolate. Also let the younger generation know about this profession as we know, that they do not shy away from pursuing something off beat. Let me know if you liked my efforts. This is foodie_khiladi signing off to see you in my next blog post. Feel free to share with your dear ones or chocolate lovers.