The Art of Tasting Extra Virgin Olive OIl

A Step-by-Step Guide

Grassy, spicy, peppery, fruity: these are just a few of the terms used to describe extra virgin olive oil. Just like fine wine, there is an art to tasting olive oils. Those in the olive oil industry follow specific procedures and rating guides, more or less similar across various countries. You don't have to be as technical as in official tastings, but you can easily apply some of those techniques to become more knowledgeable and discriminating as you choose and buy olive oils for your table.

At an official tasting, you can expect to see four colored egg-shaped classes in a row, covered with a thin-plated glass, which keeps the aromas in the glass. The glasses are opaque so that the taster is not influenced by the color, which has no relation to the flavor of the oil. The tasting then proceeds through the following phases: 1) warming, 2) olfactory (smell), 3) gustatory (taste), and 4) final evaluation. Usually the tasters sample 3-5 oils in a session as it's difficult to handle too many at once, even for trained testers.

The Setup

Equipment:
- 4 glasses for each person (use shot glasses, plastic cups, small Dixie cups)
- 4 covers of any type (glass, plastic or even cardboard) for each person
- 4 extra virgin olive oils to test
- sliced apples
- water
- paper or rating sheets (optional. Download our version.)
- pens/pencils

• Pour approximately 1-2 tablespoons of each oil into the glasses. Number the glasses or put the glasses on a paper placemat with numbered circles so you can keep track of them. Be sure to be consistent across each person (e.g., oil #1 is the same brand for everyone, etc.). As far as you can tell, try to taste the smoothest first and work towards the strongest.
  
• Take glass #1 and warm it by cupping it with your hands for approximately 5 minutes. You want the olive oil to reach a temperature of 79-82° Fahrenheit, or 26-28° Celsius.

The Olfactory Phase (nose)

• To begin the olfactory phase, swirl the glass slightly so that the olive oil covers the sides of the glass. This circulates the aromas even more.
  
• Uncover the glass and bring it up to your nose. Quickly take a sniff for a first impression, and then inhale deeply.
  
• Repeat the process to compare your impressions. You need to detect pleasant smells that might be fruity, pungent or grassy, and maybe a little bitter. If you note any musty, moldy, burnt or fusty smell, then the olive oil has defects (more on this later).

Take notes throughout and remember to keep the glass covered until you get to the next phase.

The Gustatory Phase (palate)
You finally get to the tasting part!

• Take about a teaspoonful of the oil into your mouth, and suck air in through your teeth. Swish the oil around so that all your flavor receptors get covered. You want the oil to coat your mouth evenly and not settle on the tongue only.
  
• Then swallow the oil and wait for the oil's aftertaste to hit. Note: some oils may catch in your throat and cause you to cough. This is only natural.
  
• Again, you are looking for fruitiness, pungency, grassiness. During the tasting phase, you will begin to note more characteristics of the oil: spicy, peppery, herbs, leafy, etc.

Final Evaluation
On a scale of 0 to 10, rate each characteristic you perceived in both the olfactory and gustatory phases. To summarize your impressions, you want to determine the following qualities of the olive oil as well:

• complexity — not bland or just one sensation; increases with the number and intensity of aromas and flavors
  
• harmony — a balanced sensation of fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency
  
• persistence — coupled with complexity and harmony; you don't want a persistent spicy taste, for example, but you don't want the oil to fall flat either
  
• capacity to surprise — has unexpected positive attributes

When you have completed the evaluation, take a sip of water or eat a slice of apple to cleanse your palate. Repeat the same process for samples 2-4.

Higher quality olive oil generally comes from harvesting olive trees earlier in the season when the olives tend to be more green than overripe. For that reason, the flavors cultivated are of slightly unripe fruit and vegetables, grass or herbs. Other positive flavors used to describe olive oils are: artichoke, green banana, green tomato, green apple, olive, mint, salad leaves, dried herbs, cinnamon, pimento, lime, lemon, apple, melon, unripe almond, roasted almond, hay, buttery, nutty, woody, peppery, pungent, sweet, bitter. Defects in olive oils are noted by these flavors: rancid, musty, moldy, fusty, vinegary, winey, burnt, metallic, earthy, flat. (Download a useful tasting chart from Recognose.)

If the thought of drinking olive oil is off-putting, then by all means use the bread-dipping method. The goal here is to find the olive oils you like. For best results, use ciabatta, Tuscan or a thick-crusted Italian bread. Don't use sourdough breads or other types that will affect the taste of the olive oil. Cut the bread up in cubes, and as best as you can, follow the same process of smelling the oil, dipping the bread to taste the oil, and coming up with a final evaluation before moving on to the next sample.

You may find yourself leaning towards the smooth and mild extra virgin olive oils, or you might prefer the thick, grassy varieties. High quality extra virgin olive oils will vary in flavors and characteristics, as they should — it's what makes them distinctive. In the end, what's most important in a tasting is discovering the characteristics that you most enjoy. Olinda Ridge offers three varieties with distinguishable characteristics. Try our Late Harvest Gold for a smooth and buttery approach, our Estate Organic for a bright, fruity taste with overtones of artichoke and pepper, and our Master Blend for a robust, traditional flavor and spicy finish.


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Related Articles and Resources:
Olive Oil Aroma and Taste Characteristics
Olive Oil Rating Form