If you are a fan of good olive oil and enjoy discovering different varieties, the following article will help you understand what an olive oil tasting entails. Read carefully, as we will give you some tips to express your opinion like an expert.
A tasting is carried out to evaluate the sensory properties of olive oil, since it is not possible to know the absolute quality of the product solely through chemical analysis. Tasting means carefully sampling a product, engaging your senses—especially smell and taste—and trying to understand it by identifying possible defects or virtues in order to express them.
The person responsible for the tasting is the taster, someone with the knowledge, training, and experience necessary to evaluate a food product from a sensory perspective as objectively as possible. As a human being, they can make mistakes, and even without mistakes, they will always provide a subjective judgment about what they are evaluating. That is why the sensory analysis of olive oil is not performed by a single person but by several.
Due to the subjective nature of a single person’s opinion, a tasting panel was created. This is an objective control tool made up of subjective elements, since sensory analyses are performed by people. It is based on tests organized under controlled conditions by a group of 8 to 12 trained tasters following pre-established sensory techniques, with the aim of replacing an individual judgment with an average criterion.
Now that you know the main elements, let's describe the attributes used to evaluate olive oil:
Positive Attributes
- Fruity: The fruity attribute is considered green when the olfactory sensations resemble those of green fruits, typical of oil obtained from unripe olives. It is considered ripe when the olfactory sensations resemble those of mature fruits, characteristic of oil obtained from both green and mature olives.
- Bitter: Characteristic taste of oil obtained from green or turning olives.
- Spicy: A tactile sensation of pungency, typical of oils obtained at the beginning of the harvest, mainly from still-green olives. Especially perceived in the throat.
Negative Attributes
- Fusty/Lees: Typical of oil obtained from olives piled up or stored in conditions that have caused advanced fermentation.
- Moldy-Humid: Characteristic of oil from fruits where abundant molds and yeasts developed due to being piled up and humid for several days.
- Winey/Vinegary/Acid-Sour: Oils that resemble wine or vinegar.
- Metallic: Taste reminiscent of metals. Occurs in oils that have remained in prolonged contact with metallic surfaces during milling, mixing, pressing, or storage.
- Rancid: Characteristic of oils that have undergone oxidative processes.
There is a wide variety of extra virgin olive oils, offering your palate many nuances to discover. So what are you waiting for? Organize your own tasting at home, invite some friends, and put these tips into practice.
Don’t miss today’s video tasting!
Pep Ribas, director and taster at Origen Oliva, together with Rosa Vañó, director of Castillo de Canena, share their opinions on the Reserva Familiar Picual extra virgin olive oil.
