think on this.

Becoming a cocoa beans grader is about four times harder than passing the New York State Bar exam, judging by a comparison of the two tests’ pass rates. Candidates must correctly identify defects in beans such as mold, infestation from insects and cocoa that is “smoky or hammy”—a sign that the beans have been dried over a fire, not in the sun. Since beans easily absorb odors, the fire can give the beans a smoky flavor. In another section, they must identify the origin of various beans, most of which look identical to the layperson’s eye. David Morales, one of the three men huddled over the beans in the ICE’s grading room, says he failed twice before he passed the exam two years ago. “I was studying for it, but not enough,” said the 37-year-old Bronx native, who noted the origin section tripped him up.