Coffee taster to master coffee roaster
A coffee taster already meets 38% of what the master coffee roaster role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
67/ 100
1 How much of what a master coffee roaster is expected to do is already part of a coffee taster’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 master coffee roaster role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A master coffee roaster role treats 8 of its required skills as things a coffee taster already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply GMP
- apply HACCP
- apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
- coffee characteristics
- evaluate coffee characteristics
- grade coffee beans
What stands in the way is 14 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A master coffee roaster role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a coffee taster background worth leading with.
- already held coffee characteristics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held evaluate coffee characteristics information skills
- already held grade coffee beans information skills
- already held perform coffee tastings information skills
- already held types of coffee beans engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held educate customers on coffee varieties communication, collaboration and creativity
All 14 carried skills, including the 8 the master coffee roaster role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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 roasting coffee required
- still to learn coffee grinding levels required
- still to learn colour ranges of roasting required
- optional, not held mill operations optional
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn operate a heat treatment process required
- still to learn prepare hot drinks required
- still to learn examine green coffee beans required
- still to learn monitor roasting required
- optional, not held assess quality characteristics of food products optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- still to learn apply different roasting methods required
- still to learn handle flammable substances required
- still to learn create new recipes required
- optional, not held apply foreign language for international trade optional
- optional, not held conduct extensive international travel optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- still to learn mitigate waste of resources required
- optional, not held identify market niches optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a master coffee roaster role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 roasting coffee study this
- 02 apply different roasting methods practise this
- 03 coffee grinding levels study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 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 coffee characteristics knowledge
- already held evaluate coffee characteristics skill
- already held grade coffee beans skill
- already held perform sensory evaluation of food products skill
- already held types of coffee beans knowledge
- already held educate customers on coffee varieties skill
- already held food and beverage industry knowledge
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held liaise with colleagues skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held perform coffee tastings skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn match coffee grind to coffee type required
- optional, not held manage kiln ventilation optional
- still to learn maintain industrial ovens required
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess quality characteristics of food products optional
- optional, not held manage kiln ventilation optional
- optional, not held mill operations optional
- optional, not held apply foreign language for international trade optional
- optional, not held conduct extensive international travel optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held identify market niches optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
14 held skills the master coffee roaster role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role analyse characteristics of food products at reception skill
- not needed by the target role analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- not needed by the target role boil water skill
- not needed by the target role check processing parameters skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role create coffee flavour profiles skill
- not needed by the target role find new types of food and beverages skill
- not needed by the target role label samples skill
- not needed by the target role maintain food specifications skill
- not needed by the target role perform public relations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare specialised coffee skill
- not needed by the target role temperature scales knowledge
- not needed by the target role tolerate strong smells skill
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 roasting coffee required
- still to learn coffee grinding levels required
- still to learn colour ranges of roasting required
- optional, not held mill operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a coffee taster become a master coffee roaster?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A coffee taster already covers 38% of what a master coffee roaster is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 8 of which the master coffee roaster role treats as required.
What skills does a coffee taster need to become a master coffee roaster?
14 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is roasting coffee.
How hard is the move from coffee taster to master coffee roaster?
Its learning distance is 67 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.