Beer sommelier to coffee taster
A beer sommelier already meets 31% of what the coffee taster role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.3/ 100
1 How much of what a coffee taster is expected to do is already part of a beer sommelier’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the coffee taster role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A coffee taster role treats 4 of its required skills as things a beer sommelier already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply GMP
- apply HACCP
- apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
- perform sensory evaluation of food products
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A coffee taster role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a beer sommelier background worth leading with.
- already held find new types of food and beverages communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain food specifications information skills
- already held analyse trends in the food and beverage industries information skills
- already held perform sensory evaluation of food products information skills
- already held perform public relations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply GMP assisting and caring
All 11 carried skills, including the 4 the coffee taster role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn check processing parameters required
- still to learn evaluate coffee characteristics required
- still to learn grade coffee beans required
- still to learn perform coffee tastings required
- optional, not held analyse characteristics of food products at reception optional
- still to learn prepare specialised coffee required
- still to learn boil water required
- still to learn tolerate strong smells required
- still to learn food and beverage industry required
- still to learn types of coffee beans required
- still to learn coffee characteristics required
- still to learn educate customers on coffee varieties required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- still to learn temperature scales required
- still to learn create coffee flavour profiles required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a coffee taster role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create coffee flavour profiles practise this
- 02 check processing parameters practise this
- 03 educate customers on coffee varieties practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held apply GMP skill
- already held apply HACCP skill
- already held apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages skill
- already held perform sensory evaluation of food products skill
- already held analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held find new types of food and beverages skill
- already held liaise with colleagues skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held maintain food specifications skill
- already held perform public relations skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse characteristics of food products at reception optional
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
19 held skills the coffee taster role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on beer production skill
- not needed by the target role apply extensive study of beer styles skill
- not needed by the target role apply foreign language for international trade skill
- not needed by the target role beer downstream processing knowledge
- not needed by the target role biotechnology knowledge
- not needed by the target role brewhouse processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult on beer presentation skill
- not needed by the target role describe the flavour of different beers skill
- not needed by the target role fermentation processes of beverages knowledge
- not needed by the target role ingredients for beer production knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role malting process knowledge
- not needed by the target role measure precise food processing operations skill
- not needed by the target role modern brewing systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role pair beer with food skill
- not needed by the target role provide training on quality management supervision skill
- not needed by the target role train staff in beer knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role types of barley knowledge
- not needed by the target role variety of beers knowledge
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn food and beverage industry required
- still to learn types of coffee beans required
- still to learn coffee characteristics required
- still to learn temperature scales required
Common questions about this move
Can a beer sommelier become a coffee taster?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A beer sommelier already covers 31% of what a coffee taster is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 4 of which the coffee taster role treats as required.
What skills does a beer sommelier need to become a coffee taster?
13 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is create coffee flavour profiles.
How hard is the move from beer sommelier to coffee taster?
Its learning distance is 68.3 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.