Join our globally acclaimed study program, learn about coffee, and become a Certified Coffee Specialist!
The Certified Coffee Specialist (CCS) credential is the global gateway to becoming a Master of Coffee.

What to expect: You will receive an onboarding letter via email, and your physical study guide arrives within a few days. Once you are ready for the exam, you can book an exam slot for a day of your choice. Upon passing, you receive your diploma electronically, and you earn the lifelong right to carry the title and postnominal.

No-risk enrollment: Cancel via email within 14 days to get a 90% refund, and keep our printed study guide.

Did you just arrive here, wondering which coffee certification program is the best fit for you?
Read article:
Comparing the Best Coffee Education and Education Programs

The CCS can be completed fully remotely and offers the most attractive professional title, at a low price.


Masters of Coffee is an education & certification organization dedicated to coffee knowledge.
Join us to start or extend your coffee competence!

Masters of Coffee was founded to objectively define and uphold an elevated set of standards for coffee industry professionals, experts and hobbyists worldwide. We offer rigorous courses of study and certification in coffee that match the well-established professional credentials in the worlds of fine wine and spirits.

Before the founding of Masters of Coffee, there had been no comprehensive, consumer-suitable and centralized global certification program for coffee. Candidates have to pass two comprehensive and challenging examinations—theoretical and practical—requiring dedication and focused independent study. Our Advisory Board consists of some the most respected experts in coffee.

Learn more, and apply for our Level I credential: Certified Coffee Specialist (CCS). Upon passing this self-study, online Level I exam as a prerequisite, advanced candidates may pursue the Master of Coffee (MC) credential through a rigorous in-person exam.

coffee-expert-professional-certification-exam-diploma
coffee-sommelier-school-education-certification-credential

The world of fine coffee is rich in opportunity for those with knowledge and skills; yet it has long needed an authoritative institution for consistent training, examination and career preparation.

The Masters of Coffee formal study and exam program helps individuals everywhere around the world to start and build a career in coffee.

Join the vibrant group of current Certified Coffee Specialist candidates located around the world. The program provides people in all countries with an unrivaled path for a career in coffee, to become a coffee “sommelier”, and perhaps a coffee master.


The Leading Program: Global Coffee Education and Certification

  • Join aspiring and established professionals or hobbyists located all around the world.

  • Designed, guided and endorsed by the most respected global authorities in coffee.


Masters of Coffee sets a high standard for knowledge and practical competence in the field of coffee. Its Certified Coffee Specialist program is the starting point for aspiring masters.”


Educational Programs and Certifications

coffee-industry-certification-organization-barista-sommelier-credential-title

* Masters of Coffee claims global trademark (™) protection for the term “Master of Coffee” as well as for the names of its other certifications. These terms may not be used without written permission.

 
 

“Internationally recognized, respected and endorsed by some of the most accomplished individuals and prestigious institutions in the world of coffee.”


Learn More . . .

 
Certified Coffee Specialist Coffee Master
Master of Coffee
 

Coronavirus Update:
The Masters of Coffee study and certification program is fully operational worldwide.
Studies and exams can be completed 100% remotely. There are no disruptions, and our office is open daily.

 

Level I

Certified Coffee Specialist (CCS)

Masters of Coffee’s challenging Level I certification is the international benchmark in introductory coffee expertise. The Certified Coffee Specialists™ (CCS) exam covers theory—from growing to roasting to preparation—as well as important current facts on the ground of the global coffee trade. Level I examines and certifies a candidate’s most essential knowledge of the world of coffee. It is a prerequisite to enrollment in Level II, the Master of Coffee.

Enrollment in the Certified Coffee Specialist (CCS) program is now open! Review program highlights, sample questions and registration details here.

 
 
become-expert-in-coffee-training-education-certification-hobby
coffee-grower-importer-roaster-expert-barista-hobbyist-certification
 

Level II

Starting the journey towards the Masters of Coffee’s master-level certification represents a significant, life-long commitment to coffee. Passing the exam is the most challenging educational attainment in the life of a coffee expert.

The primary difference between Masters of Coffee’s Level I (the Certified Coffee Specialist, CCS) and the master-level program (Master of Coffee, MC) is the detailed knowledge of regions, bean varietals, and current affairs required to become a Master of Coffee. The scope of the credential is deeper and wider.

While a Certified Coffee Specialist has outstanding knowledge of timeless theoretical knowledge, Masters of Coffee must possess practical skills and intimate awareness of the significant currents and trends in the world of coffee.

Master of Coffee (MC)

In addition to a challenging written exam, candidates for the Master of Coffee™ credential must demonstrate their ability to analyze samples a blind tasting—giving detailed discussion of quality, flaws, roasting and brewing methods, and the taste and aromatic character of each sample. Candidates’ blind tasting findings are presented orally to a panel of examiners who, in addition to evaluating the candidate’s knowledge, assesses his or her communication skills.

* * *

All master-level examinations take place in person annually in Los Angeles.

The Master of Coffee exam will be offered for the first time in 2023. For the initial two years of the program, examiner panels will be overseen by experts who have earned significant recognition in the world of coffee. Once the first ten Masters of Coffee have been named, they will officiate subsequent examinations.

Learn more about the Master of Coffee (MC) certification here.

 
 
learn-about-coffee-global-education-experts-sommelier-connoisseur-enthusiast-barista
coffee-sommelier-certification-credential-title-exam