How to taste Evo oil

How to taste an extra virgin olive oil:

Although there are professional tasters who apply the procedure of the International Oleic Council, everyone can recognise an excellent evo oil by following some simple rules. Firstly, the colouring of the extra virgin olive oil depends on many factors (cultivar, ripening of olives, methodology of production…), but it is not decisive to determine its quality.                           

Let us start from the very beginning:

- take a glass and a green apple (it will clean your mouth after every taste)

- after pouring a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil in the glass, warm it up in your hands, by carefully cover it so as not to fade the volatile aromatic components that the heat will exalt

- inhale the oil several times to perceive the various aromas that will be released

- drink a small amount of extra virgin olive oil without swallowing and divide it between tongue and palate  

- tighten your teeth by breathing air several times. The volatile components will evaporate and the aromas will excite your taste buds.

- at this point you can memorise the sensations and expel the oil.  

Now you will be able to give judgements on the extra virgin olive oil you have just tasted, distinguishing merits and defects that we can describe as follows:

                                                                 

Merits

Fruity

It is the distinct scent of an olive at the right point of ripeness, delicate or intense. The best Extra virgin olive oils preserve this aroma for months.

Bitter and Spicy

Polyphenols and powerful antioxidants are responsible for the bitter and spicy taste typical of the best extra virgin olive oils. It is an indicator of the goodness of the oil obtained from olives that have just become dark and fade over time.

Sweet

The absence of the notes described above is the premise of this delicate and slightly aromatic flavour.

Defects

Mould

The poor preservation of the olives, stored for a longer time in unsuitable environments or containers, causes a fermentation phenomenon that gives this unpleasant taste.

Rancid

Unsuitable oil storage (exposure to light and heat sources) causes oxidation phenomena that are the reasons of this really unpleasant and disgusting taste.

Sludge

When oil is in contact with sediments that form on the bottom of the containers, this unpleasant smell is generated. By carefully filtering or transferring the extra virgin olive oil, this defect can be avoided.

Screwed or soured

The sugar content of non-fresh olives and amurca that may not be present in oil yet (due to an incorrect production process) causes fermentation phenomena that are the reasons of this sensation of vinegar or wine.