> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://thechocolatelife.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Updated: Chocolate Education, Evaluation & Competition Judging | #PSC 218 - URL: https://thechocolatelife.com/chocolate-education-evaluation-judging-psc-218/ - Published: 2026-07-19T20:48:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-24T19:22:13.000Z - Description: OVERVIEW: Episode 218 of #PodSaveChocolate takes an in-depth look at the IICCT and ICAs through the lens of educating people about chocolate, evaluating chocolate, and judging competitions, in comparison with beer and other beverages and foods. [ Updated to include commentary/notes. ] - Author: Clay Gordon - Tags: PodSaveChocolate, Live Stream 🗓️ Episode 218 streamed on Tuesday, July 21st, 2026\. Click a link below to view the archived episode. This ****YOUTUBE** link is shareable. [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/11/ytlogo256x256.png)](https://youtube.com/live/r5xiIP4fxmY?ref=thechocolatelife.com) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode! Subscribe (free!) to the [@PodSaveChocolate YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@podsavechocolate/featured?ref=thechocolatelife.com), like this video, comment, and ****share** this episode to help grow the #PSC community. [Participate/Watch on YouTube ](https://youtube.com/live/r5xiIP4fxmY?ref=thechocolatelife.com) This ****LINKEDIN** link is shareable. [![CTA Image](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2025/05/LinkedInLogo.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7484708038738726912-LVY1?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) Watch and comment LIVE or view the archived episode on LinkedIn. Join my network on LinkedIn to receive notifications and to refer business to each other. [Participate/Watch on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/claygordon%5Fpodsavechocolate-lavidacocoa-thechocolatelife-activity-7484708038738726912-LVY1?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=member%5Fdesktop&rcm=ACoAAAABaLUB44l0lzyoZ9nf9Lg8nfstgzLqxbg) --- ## **Episode 218** In PSC episode 215#, I explored the What, the Why, and the How of evaluating chocolate, using as examples current tools for describing flavor. [Evaluating Chocolate: the What, the Why, and the How | #PSC 215OVERVIEW: Episode 215 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look back, and forward, at how chocolate is evaluated – and asks the question, “Have we been doing it wrong all these years?”![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-939fe6c5-6844-493a-8e50-20371d9b7877.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ep-215-Judging-What-Why-How---Featured1920x1080-8e792148-1362-42e2-921a-1e514ba016a5.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/evaluating-chocolate-the-what-the-why-and-the-how-psc-215/) In PSC episode 217#, I explored the desirability of widely accepted classification systems as a foundation for competition judging, and by extension, for tasting education and evaluation generally. [Before the Judging Can Begin | #PSC 217OVERVIEW: Episode 217 of #PodSaveChocolate takes a look at typology, classification, and taxonomy – and how the lack of a formal, consistent, and defensible vocabulary is a gaping hole in how chocolate is taught and judged. Then ... what can be done to address the challenges?![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/icon/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons-ac3edd0e-a7ab-4532-a78c-8325a3d24eab.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/thumbnail/Ep-217-Typology---Featured1920x1080-293203c8-a2ed-4899-b170-cde483b80f81.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/before-the-judging-can-begin-psc-217/) In episode 218#, I am going to examine the most popular programs for tasting education and competition judging ***in chocolate***, the [International Institute for Chocolate & Cacao Tasting](https://www.chocolatetastinginstitute.org/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (IICCT) and [International Chocolate Awards](https://chocolateawards.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) (ICA). --- ### **Update** In the live stream I was reading from notes and I only got through a portion of them. Below is the file of all my notes for the episode. [PSC Ep218 Commentary and Interview NotesMy notes, formatted as markdown, for you to download.PSC Ep218 Commentary and Interview Notes.md13 KBdownload-circle](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/files/2026/07/PSC-Ep218-Commentary-and-Interview-Notes.md "Download") --- ### **Some History Before We Dive Deep** In chronological order, before there were the ICAs and the IICCT, there was [SeventyPercent](https://www.seventypercent.com/?ref=thechocolatelife.com).com, which began publication in May, 2001\. The common connection between these three ventures is Martin Christy. ![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2026/07/seventypercent_November2016.jpg) SeventyPercent.com – The chocolate connoisseur's website – November, 2016 screenshot courtesy of [the Wayback Machine](https://web.archive.org/web/20061025051511/http://www.seventypercent.com/chocop/review%5Fguide.asp). The Academy of Chocolate Awards (AoC) program launched in 2005 with co-founders that included Martin Christy and Kate Johns (of NudgePR who also co-founded Chocolate Week and The London Chocolate Show). Unhappy with some aspects of the AoC process, Martin left to co-found the International Chocolate Awards with Kate in 2012 (according to [Martin’s bio](https://www.chocolatetastinginstitute.org/partners/?ref=thechocolatelife.com) on the IICCT website). > Update: It’s not clear to me whether Maricel Presilla and Monica Meschini were a part of the AoC»ICA schism in 2012\. When I first judged the ICAs, I remember that Maricel was involved, and I do not recall when Monica came on board. I was unable to locate any definitive timeline information online. Maricel, Martin, and Monica went on to launch the IICCT in 2016, building on work on the neuropsychology of taste and computational neural networking done by colleague Alex Rast (who is not listed as a partner in IICCT). Alex was an active contributor to SeventyPercent.com and has been active as an ICA judge, and there is now a preference that ICA judges are IICCT-certified. > In 2026, there is no daylight between SeventyPercent (which is now a portal for registration to access the IICCT online evaluation tool), the International Chocolate Awards, and the International Institute of Chocolate & Cacao Tasting. --- ### **My Motivation For This Episode** In episodes 215# and 217# I explored some of the history of classification for evaluation, education, and competition judging with a focus on beer, wine, and cheese. What is important to understand is that those systems evolved over decades and centuries from categorization systems heavily rooted in Appellation (Geography, Process, Ingredients) history. Their recent evolution into the arena of competition judging has taken place over decades and the input of hundreds if not thousands of individuals, members of academia, and organizations. One example of this process is the evolution in beer from Michael Jackson’s 1977 seminal book, *The World Guide to Beer* (1977) to Fred Eckhardt’s *Essentials of Beer Style* (1989), to the current Beer Judging Certification Program’s competition-oriented categorization and judging guidelines. Furthermore, beer, wine, and cheese had long histories of appreciation and connoisseurship that predated the Industrial Revolution that these modern systems – and the educational programs constructed around them – were built on. Specialty chocolate emerged in the first half of the 1980s, got a kickstart in the last half of the 1990s, and became a cultural force barely a decade later. > System**s** for chocolate appreciation and connoisseurship are less than 20 years old. And, unlike beer, wine, cheese, and other beverages and foods, there are **no** widely accepted standards for education and evaluation that support competition judging. However, the combination of the IICCT and ICAs is as close as we have at present. Which is central to my concern. As the most widely-cited certified educational program and the competition program with the most entries are both owned and operated by the same three people, it makes sense, to me, to take a critical peek under the hood and behind the curtains. The information and opinions presented in this episode are based in: - Interviews with IICCT students (Levels 1, 2, and 3); - An examination of the information publicly available at SeventyPercent.com, the two ICA websites (www. and enter.), and the IICCT website; and - Recent correspondence with Martin Christy. --- ### **My Goals For This Episode** My goal is ***not*** to undermine the good work being done by Martin, Maricel, Monica, and everyone else involved with the production of the IICCT tasting courses and the ICA competitions. > Collectively, there are tens of thousands of hours of hard work that has gone into them since 2012 and that work needs to be both acknowledged and appreciated for the good it has achieved. Instead, my goal is to help set, *and perhaps *reset**, expectations toward the methodologies, curriculum, accreditation, instruction consistency and quality, and judging criteria to help prospective students get maximum value from the IICCT classes and how the IICCT affects the ICAs. **Why?** Because the IICCT and ICA are private enterprises owned and operated by a very small group of people that collectively dominate global mind share in chocolate education, evaluation, and competition judging. **However**, the owner/operators are *not at all transparent about most aspects of their businesses*. Even if the ICAs, IICCT, and co-founders collectively constitute the 800-lb (\~363kg) gorilla in specialty chocolate education and competition, that does not justify holding them immune to close inspection and constructive criticism *for the purpose of suggesting ways they can do better*. Listeners to my podcasts and readers of my writing know that I am a fierce advocate for more diversity, not less: in my opinion, it’s way too soon to focus in on a single, unified approach developed and championed, unquestioned, by a small handful of people without wider industry input. --- ### **Future Episodes** 🗓️ ****None scheduled at the time of publication** --- ### **Episode Hashtags** #cocoa #cacao #cacau #chocolate #chocolat #PodSaveChoc #PSC #LaVidaCocoa #TheChocolateLife --- ### **#PodSaveChocolate and #TheChocolateLifeLIVE Archives** **To read an archived post** and find the links to watch archived episodes, click on one of the bookmark cards below. 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[#TheChocolateLifeLIVE ArchiveNews, views, and conversations on topics in cocoa and chocolate streamed live to YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/12/JR_Pods60x60FavIconCutoutButtons.png)The Chocolate LifeClay Gordon![](https://thechocolatelife.com/content/images/2023/03/solen-feyissa-WG7v_wYZW4Q-unsplash-CalendarFeatured1920x1080.jpg)](https://thechocolatelife.com/thechocolatelife-live-calendar/) ⁉️ After a year-long+ experiment, the audio-only versions of PodSaveChocolate episodes have been taken down after an end-of-year review. There were not enough listens to continue uploading episodes and paying for hosting. ## Not a Member? Live The Chocolate Life – Live La Vida Cocoa! Sign up for ****Free** to comment and receive members-only content. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Premium subscriptions available. ---