Officially A Master

Signs I did this week at work.

My journals, tasting cards, presses and pairings. 

John, Dan, Suzie, and I after my certification.

I became a partner at Starbucks in 2011, thinking it would be a summer job. In the fall I would definitely find something more "grown up" so I could "actually apply my degree."

Had no idea I'd fall in love with coffee. No idea that eventually I would use my education every day. I absolutely would not have guessed that Starbucks would actually teach me something useful to use in my career.

For about three months I've been preparing to become a coffee master. There is coursework, books to read, videos to watch, activities to complete, and people to inspire. I completed my work, and then had to motivate my entire team in order to improve the coffee quality in our store, inspire learning, and sell coffee to help our team meet goals.

The actual certification is a meeting/presentation that takes about an hour. I led a coffee tasting of three different coffees and pairings, was taken through a 20 minute verbal test about coffee, and presented activities and ways to sell more coffee at our store in the future. Suzie, the lead coffee master for our district, was proud, and I think everyone around the table learned something. Right now I am the only Coffee Master in our district, and so a point person for others who want to complete their certification as well. I am thrilled to have the honor of wearing a black apron, something I've wanted to achieve since my first months with the company in 2011.

I did it!