How to Get a Job as a Coffee Taster

A professional coffee taster's job is to sample coffees, advise on adjusting roasting time, tweaking blends and buying the best beans from coffee growing regions around the world. Sounds great, right? Not so fast. It takes years of experience to develop the palate producers want. The following are a few steps you can take to lead you on the right path.

Instructions

1. Have passion for coffee. A coffee taster must love coffee as much as a wine connoisseur loves wine. If you are researching a career in coffee tasting, you probably already do.

2. Start your career working in coffeehouses. There you will learn about the differences in regions and roasts. Make contacts with the companies that sell your coffeehouse its beans.

3. Get a job roasting coffee beans and learn what it takes to make a consistent good roast. Major coffee roasting companies in the US are Proctor & Gamble, Kraft Foods and Sara Lee.

4. Find a professional taster to serve as your mentor. Most coffee tasters have completed at least two years of apprenticeship, developing a good sense of smell and taste for coffees.

5. Develop a lifestyle that allows for exotic travel. Coffee tasters must travel to the regions where coffee is grown, like Indonesia, Africa and Central and South America. Tasters buy "green" or unroasted coffee beans from growers for sale elsewhere. This job may not fit in well with the traditional family lifestyle.

6. Possess a strong bladder and a tolerance to caffeine. Coffee tasters are expected to test about 300 cups of coffee a day.