Willy Pettersson: "The Man with the Golden Tongue"

From the moment I cupped my first cup of coffee 40 years ago, I knew I was meant to be a Master Taster. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of working with extraordinary colleagues and growers, traveling the globe searching for the best beans, and tasting the most extraordinary coffees available. I am preparing for my journey this November to the Gevalia Kona Coffee Cupping Competition in Kona, Hawaii, where I will select this year’s winning Kona bean on behalf of Gevalia. I am delighted to share my thoughts and preparations for my trip to Kona with you over the coming months.


My coffee journey began in Stockholm, where I worked as a laboratory assistant to Master Taster Arne Roslund. Arne was a wonderful teacher and extraordinary mentor to me, and it was under his guidance that I began to appreciate and determine the intricate nuances of coffee. My training included a challenge called “The Triangle Test,” during which I was given three cups of coffee – two that came from the same batch; one that did not. Under Arne’s tutelage, I learned to smell and taste the coffee with such precision that I was able to tell the “odd cup out” in every Triangle Test without exception.


Within seven years, I earned the title of Master Taster and was appointed Master Taster at Gevalia, a position that I still hold. It was during my early years in coffee that I was first called “The Man with the Golden Tongue,” a title of which I am most proud. Beyond a passion for beans and the art of tasting, the most important quality a Master Taster can hope to have is acute senses of taste and smell. Although it takes only a few seconds to cup a single glass of coffee, all of my senses are heightened during that time, and I must be able to savor and describe all characteristics of that glass, even as I move on to the next one. And the best part? I am always amazed that there are endless, subtle nuances to every bean and blend, and I delight in arriving to work each day to discover them.

As we move through the coming months toward the Kona Coffee Cupping Competition, I look forward to sharing the intricacies of coffee growing, roasting and tasting with you, so that you might also discover new ways to enjoy one of my favorite beans.