What it is like to be a professional chocolate taster – Hong Kong’s Cherrie Lo on the sweet life
- With a tasting certificate from the International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting, Lo serves on juries for chocolate awards around the world
- She recently collaborated on a book called Cacao Source with Alain d’Aboville and is excited about the potential for Asian-grown chocolate
How did your interest in chocolate begin? “I started back in 2009, working for a Hong Kong chocolate brand called Vero. I didn’t have a plan but step by step I got involved in the chocolate world.
“The good thing about being in marketing and branding is you need to know about the product so I had a chance to learn a lot and do a lot of tasting. I realised this is such a big world.”
What led you to study chocolate tasting? “Besides Vero, I worked with celebrity chef Jeffery Koo’s Black n White brand and for Pierre Hermé in Hong Kong. Then four years ago, I decided to learn more about chocolates. Most courses teach you how to make chocolate but I didn’t want to be a chef.
“I found in England there were a lot of international chocolate awards, so I just bought a one-way ticket and started a course managed by the International Chocolate Awards to be a connoisseur and taster.”
What’s the process for becoming a chocolate tasting expert? “It’s a whole other world from selling chocolate in Hong Kong. The course itself wasn’t long, but it was intense. There’s an exam and you get a certificate. The people attending were mostly chocolate makers and chefs from around the world, so I was the least qualified amateur there. I learned so much from them.”