Tasting Olive Oil – What to look for

Tasting olive oil is a good way to develop your individual taste for good olive oil. Olive oil is tasted and judged using several methods —on bread, on boiled rice, from a glass or from a teaspoon. Olive oil is valued for its culinary attributes and also for its organoleptic properties: It triggers sensations in four out of our five senses: olfactory (smell), gustative (taste), tactile (touch), or visual (sight). The time of harvest, oil extraction method, variety of tree, climate and soil adds to the organoleptic assessment of different oils just as these same factors affect the tasting of wines.

Sight:
The color of extra virgin olive oil ranges from light yellow to an intense green color. Color is not necessarily an indication of a particular flavor; it depends on the types of olives used and the degree of ripeness at harvest.

Smell:
The smell assesses the fresh and fruity aroma (of a good oil).

Taste:
Taste for positive attributes and for defects. Some familiar terms are often used to help describe the flavor of positive attributes, for example the flavors of apple, grass, almond, and artichoke. Positive attributes include: Fresh olive fruitiness – is it ripe or more green; Bitterness – as it moves through the palate; is it a pleasant bitter taste? Pungency – a biting sensation in the whole mouth and later in the throat. Defects, for example rancid, musty, vinegary or metallic are easy to detect. Olinda Ridge Extra Virgin Olive Oils have NO defects.

Taste Olinda Ridge Extra Virgin Olive Oils.
The three Olinda Ridge Olive Oils have different tastes. Why not do your own tasting and determine the positive attributes of Olinda Ridge Late Harvest, Estate Organic and Master Blend.

Extra Virgin	Attributes
Olinda Ridge Late Harvest Gold
Olinda Ridge Estate Organic
Olinda Ridge Master Blend

To help you assess different oils, see the “Olive Oil Tasting Quick Score Sheet” (page 175) in ">The Passionate Olive – 101 Things to do with Olive Oil. There are also tips on hosting your own Olive Oil Tasting Party!

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