Level 1 & 2 Certificate in Cacao Evaluation and Flavour Profiling
Combined Foundation and Intermediate level training in Cacao Evaluation and Flavour Profiling — brought to you by the International Institute of Cacao and Chocolate Tasting (IICCT) and the Indian Cacao and Craft Chocolate Festival.
📋 Course at a glance
| 📅 Dates | 7–10 December 2026 (4 days) |
| 🕙 Time | 10:00am – 6:00pm |
| 📍 Location | Bangalore, India |
| 💰 Early bird | €895 (book by 30th September) |
| 💰 Full price | €995 |
| 🗣️ Language | English (course, materials, and exam) |
[ Book the Course Here → ]
About the course
The IICCT Certificate Course in Cacao Evaluation and Profiling is an advanced sensory training suitable for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of flavour in fine cacao — and how cacao's flavour potential shapes the finished chocolate.
The course is built on a simple idea: the quality of fine chocolate comes down to the enjoyment of its flavour, and cacao with the potential to make great chocolate will itself have a pleasurable, complex, or distinctive taste.
You'll develop the sensory skills to assess cacao quality through flavour, understand how that flavour transforms into finished chocolate, and connect it to technical evaluation methods.
The training is built around extensive tasting — reference high-quality cacao alongside samples that represent common defects, using IICCT's standard sample protocols across unprocessed cacao and various finished stages of cacao-to-chocolate production. Evaluations use the Institute's electronic sensory scoring method, applicable to dried cacao, cacao liquor, or retail chocolate samples.
Short presentations between tasting sessions cover the cacao trading market, the supply chain from farmer to bar, sourcing and buying cacao, fermentation and post-harvest processing, and the history and distribution of cacao varieties worldwide.
What's included
- Training the senses to appreciate cacao flavour
- Sensory exploration, practice, and the brain science of cacao tasting
- What is fine cacao and how we define it
- Tasting of example cacaos and sample protocols
- Origins and varieties of cacao and their history
- Cacao production, quality, and flaws
- How processing affects flavour
- Cacao sourcing and direct trading
- Tasting practice and profiling with the IICCT online system
- Understanding and identifying flaws and defects
- Cacao farming, economics, and trading
- Take-away study guides
- Certificate for exam passes
- Lunch included (let us know of any dietary requirements)
Who should take this course?
- Established or start-up chocolate makers
- Chocolate tasters
- Cacao traders or commercial growers
- Cooperative technicians
- NGO staff
- Anyone curious about cacao flavour and quality
No prior experience is required, though familiarity with fine chocolate helps — our Certificate in Chocolate Tasting courses are a good starting point. Note: there's some overlap with Level 1&2 Chocolate Tasting material on the IICCT sensory approach; online Chocolate Tasting students may skip those sections if already covered.
Assessment & exam details
Certificates are awarded on a pass of the Level 1 multiple-choice exam, plus a pass in the Level 2 multiple-choice exam and tasting assessments.
- Exams are in English (translation tools are not permitted).
- Retaking a failed exam costs €100 (no discount for retakes); online retakes are available with a shipping surcharge.
[ Book the Course Here → ]
