Here's What A Professional Chocolate Taster Does Every Day

Have you ever wondered what it's actually like to be a professional chocolate taster? This lucrative job is a dream for many people — after all, who wouldn't want to get paid to eat chocolate? Though the job itself certainly is magical, there's a lot more that goes into it than just loving chocolate. Not only do you have to know how to taste chocolate professionally, but you also have to provide detailed feedback to the brands you taste for, stay up to date on the chocolate industry, and prepare extensively before you actually start tasting.

To get a sense of what an actual day in the life of a professional chocolate taster is like, Tasting Table spoke exclusively to Cherrie Lo, a certified chocolate taster, author, and judge for the Academy of Chocolate awards and other competitions. Think you have what it takes to be a professional chocolate taster? Lo gave us all the details on what she does each day for work — and from her chocolate judging to her chocolate tasting courses, there are so many details she manages each and every day.

You might think that chocolate tasting is straightforward, but there many tiny details that go into a chocolate taster's day. Just one misstep could change the way a chocolate tastes to them — which is an absolute no-go for professional chocolate tasters. Lo's chocolate tasting preparation actually starts the night before she tastes, she says. 

It's extremely important she doesn't eat any foods that are strongly-flavored, as they have the potential to affect the way she tastes the chocolate the following day, Lo says. She also adds that she always tries to get a good night's sleep the night before a chocolate tasting. "This keeps my palate fresh and my mind clear for identifying tasting notes," she says.

Before tasting, Lo says has to make sure "the tasting space is well-ventilated without any strong fragrances," she says. A strong-smelling room could affect the way the chocolate smells and tastes, even if it's filled with a pleasant odor. This means that a room that smells as neutral as possible is a must-have for professional chocolate tasters. Some tasters even plug their nose briefly while tasting chocolate, so they can reset their sense of smell. Taste is a lot more about smell than you might think, and even a small whiff of a different odor could change the way chocolate tastes to Lo. 

This informal ban on fragrances even extends to bath and body products. There might not be an official chocolate taster's uniform, but there are rules chocolate tasters follow to ensure they protect their palate — and yes, that includes in the way they dress and get ready each day. Lo has to avoid wearing anything that is scented, such as perfumes or hand creams, because they could keep her from smelling and tasting the chocolate properly. So if you dream of becoming a professional chocolate taster, you can kiss your perfume collection goodbye — at least on the days you're working.

Typically, Lo isn't just tasting one chocolate at a time. "My personal record was tasting 197 different chocolates over three consecutive days," she tells Tasting Table. If the tasting notes from each chocolate become muddled on her palate over the course of her day, however, it could ruin her impression of the chocolates she tastes later on. In the same way you should cleanse your palate between each sip of wine at a tasting, Lo needs to completely cleanse her palate between each bite of chocolate.

"Sparkling water is my go-to palate cleanser — the bubbles help remove lingering flavors," she says. Believe it or not, there are two more surprising palate cleansers Lo also uses. "Warm polenta paste also works well, as it neutralizes the palate, or a thin slice of French baguette can do the trick," she says. We don't typically envision chocolate tasters eating spoonfuls of polenta in between their tastings, but it's all about achieving a perfectly neutral palette before they take their next bite of chocolate.

Now, the moment you've been waiting for: How do professional chocolate tasters actually assess the chocolate they're tasting? Lo explains that, "The main goal of chocolate tasting is to assess its mouthfeel, flavor profile, melting journey, and aftertaste." 

Not only is Lo focused on how the chocolate actually tastes, but she also needs to consider its texture, how it melts as you eat it, and what flavors linger on her palate after she finishes a bite of chocolate. You probably don't think about these things when you enjoy a bar of chocolate yourself, but they're all a key part of the process when making a delicious bar of chocolate that customers will enjoy.

As Lo tastes the chocolate, it's also important she takes notes on the flavors she notices throughout her tasting. She wants to capture the flavors as they change; chocolate can have layered flavors that appear and develop slowly as a person eats. Written notes are essential for Lo when she submits feedback about the chocolates she tasted. "It's a skill — and sometimes a challenge — to translate what's on the palate into words, as it requires capturing fleeting flavor changes and articulating them clearly," Lo says.

When tasting chocolate, Lo uses all her senses. She doesn't just taste, but also looks, listens, smells, and touches. Some of these evaluations are straightforward, while others are less obvious.

Before Lo tastes the chocolate, she observes its appearance to get a sense of the chocolate's texture and even how it was made. The particular shape of a chocolate can also influence its taste. But what in the world are chocolate tasters listening for? Lo explains that the snap of a chocolate bar when it breaks in half is essential. She wants to hear a crisp snap when she breaks it, to indicate that it's a solid, well-stored piece of chocolate.

Next, she'll smell the chocolate, searching for flavor notes that can be detected only through your nose. "The first aroma reveals [the chocolate's] most natural cacao notes," Lo says. Touch is next on the list, but this isn't something Lo measures with her fingers — it's actually a part of the tasting portion. "Craft chocolate, made only with cocoa butter melts smoothly," Lo says, compared to chocolate made with other ingredients.

Taste, of course, is the final step of the process. Lo says that the most important part here is to avoid biting into the chocolate — it needs to melt entirely on the tongue in order for every flavor note to properly appear. "Notice its texture, melt rate, and evolving flavors," Lo says. Biting down and swallowing the piece of chocolate too soon causes chocolate tasters to miss out on essential flavor notes.

One of Lo's favorite parts of the job is tasting chocolates from around the world, she says. "Exploring new market trends in chocolate — whether through inclusions, local ingredients, or cocoa bean origins — offers valuable insights into global food cultures," she adds. It's no surprise that, as a prestigious professional taster, she's tested chocolates from across the globe. And Lo has plenty of insight into what makes chocolate from different regions taste so different. 

Taiwan and Japan in particular are "known for their innovation, incorporating local savory snacks and dishes into chocolate," Lo says. Many delicious and unexpected flavor pairings, like curry and chocolate, have originated from this part of the world. In the U.K. and Europe, on the other hand, customers and chocolate brands gear more towards traditional chocolate flavors that everyone knows and loves.

There can even be national differences in how strong customers prefer their chocolate. "French chocolate is often elegant and subtle in flavor, while Italian chocolate leans toward bolder, more distinctive roasted nut aromas," Lo says. If you want to perform chocolate tastings like a professional chocolate taster, it might be fun to try immersing yourself in chocolates from across the globe.

When it comes to different chocolate brands, Lo doesn't just taste for one company. Not only is she a board member and grand jury member for the Academy of Chocolate — where she helps to judge around 1,500 chocolate entries annually — but she also collaborates with a variety of chocolate companies individually.

The reasons why companies might hire Lo to taste their chocolates can vary. One day, she might be trying out chocolate bars that haven't yet been released to the public, providing notes on the taste and giving essential feedback for the company so they can improve their product. On another day, she could be asked to taste the final version of a chocolate bar to ensure it's ready to be released. Lo will give extensive feedback to the companies that ask her for notes on her tastings.

Hiring a chocolate taster can be a highly effective way for companies to advertise their products, too. After all, who can you trust more than a professional chocolate taster for an honest evaluation of the very best chocolate brands on the market? 

"Some brands send me chocolate for paid social media advertisements," Cherrie Lo says. She promotes these products on her social media, which has a large following. If you want to be exposed to a large amount of new chocolate products that are guaranteed to be delicious, well, there's no better way to do it than by following a professional chocolate taster on social media.

As previously mentioned, Cherrie Lo is a judge for the highly prestigious Academy of Chocolate awards. And chocolates that are submitted for judging at these awards are judged blindly. "[W]e don't see the branding or packaging, only basic product details like the maker's country and a description," Lo says. "We then assess, judge, and provide detailed reports on each chocolate product." 

This ensures that each chocolate at the Academy of Chocolate Awards is judged completely without bias. It's a great way for professional chocolate tasters to give feedback to brands both big and small, while still understanding essential details like the country of origin and information about the chocolate samples themselves.

Though there can certainly be multiple chocolate tasters involved in a decision-making process, such as with the Academy of Chocolate awards, Lo tends to work independently as a professional chocolate taster. She tastes and reviews products by herself without anyone else's input. There are others sides to her chocolate-tasting job, too — she offers chocolate tasting courses through her website, and will even design professional chocolate tasting experiences for events including property and product launches.

"For example," Lo explains, "if the event is a property launch, I design the tasting around the property's theme, architectural design, and ambiance ... Each chocolate and ingredient choice is curated to echo the theme of the event or product being launched, creating a unique and immersive tasting experience." 

There are tons of brands that seek to work with caterers, professional chefs, and professional tasters alike to create an experience that's completely on theme, from the product itself to the dessert. Having Lo on board to design a high-quality tasting is key for many of these events (and their attendees).

The best thing about chocolate tasting is that it's different for everyone, Lo says. "Tasting chocolate is like a magic bringing out everyone's young heart," she adds. "It always brings smiles, pure joy, and happiness."

What matters most when it comes to chocolate tasting is being able to enjoy the experience of chocolate-tasting and truly savor the moment. "There's no right or wrong answer — every palate is unique," Lo says. In the end, your preferences when it comes to chocolate could be completely different from someone else's — and how you perceive a chocolate's taste could be different, too. This is an important thing to keep in mind if you ever learn how to taste chocolate yourself. Don't lose sight of the excitement and fun of it.

"Ultimately, it's about finding what you enjoy, discovering your preferences, and embracing the moment," says Lo. "Whether you're 3 years old or a CEO at 60, chocolate has the power to bring out your purest happiness. That's the magic of chocolate to me."