Inside the world of…

A caffeine buzz is only one of the benefits of this unique career.

For business travelers, a coffee shop isn’t just about caffeine: Pair a latte with a wireless connection, and you’ve got a temporary office. But for Scott McMartin, Starbucks’ master coffee taster, travel is all about the coffee. He and his coffee and tea education team teach Starbucks employees and customers how to brew the perfect cup of coffee at home and how to taste coffees from different growing countries.

We asked Scott to give us a glimpse into the world of coffee tasting.

How did you discover you had a talent for coffee tasting?

Going to college in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was exposed to many traditional cafés and small roasters. I worked for a small single-store roaster in Marin County, which got me interested in roasting and tasting coffee. I didn’t really fully discover my “gift” until I began working in our buying office, where I began my apprenticeship as a taster and blender. After a rigorous training program, I found I could identify coffee flavors and even specific countries of origin in a blind tasting format.

What can the rest of us do to educate our palates?

The easiest way to educate your palate is to continue tasting! The best way to truly learn the differences is to taste two or three coffees at the same time using the same brewing method. Then you can begin to compare and contrast the acidity, body, flavor and complexity.

Do you ever get tired of coffee?

This may sound hard to believe, but, no, I never get tired of coffee. There have definitely been days in my career, though, [when] I get tired of tasting coffee. During the peak of the shipping season, there have been many days [when] I have tasted in excess of three hundred cups. But this is more about the physical effects of concentrating and tasting than anything else.

Can you taste the difference between decaf and regular coffees, no matter how they’re brewed?

In general, there is very little difference in taste or flavor between high-quality decaf and regular coffees.

What’s your coffee or coffee drink of choice, when you’re not working?

I really enjoy making a French press to start each day. In our stores, though, it’s a triple tall Americano.

A caffeine buzz is only one of the benefits
of this unique career.


HOME BREW

Making great coffee at home requires four fundamentals: proportion (measure two tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water, grind (use the correct grind for your brewing method), water (good quality drinking water without any aroma), and freshness (buy coffee frequently and store it in an air-tight container away from light and heat, which accelerate staling).

PERKS OF THE JOB

Starbucks’ coffee education team has been known to use these nontraditional ways to teach:

• Holding traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremonies

• Conducting scientific aroma and sensory labs

• Facilitating tasting seminars

• Sponsoring coffee beverage contests

BUZZ-WORTHY

Originally, coffee beans were taken as a food and not as a beverage.
East African tribes would grind the coffee cherries together, mixing the results into a paste with animal fat. Rolled into little balls, the mixture was said to give warriors much-needed energy for battle.