Want to know how to taste olive oil?

Refine your palate with this Extra Virgin Olive Oil tasting guide:

Step 1

CHOOSE THE RIGHT GLASS

You should know that color is not a sign of quality when balancing the aromas and flavor sensation of olive oils. Professionals use blue-colored glasses to avoid any color bias.

 

Step 2

POUR A SAMPLE

Add 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to your tasting glass (you can use a wine glass, but small plastic cups are fine too and are easier to clean).

 

Step 3

WARM THE GLASS

Warm the olive oil by cupping your hands around and over the top, and slowly rotate it to make the olive oil stick to the sides.

Step 4

SMELL THE OLIVE OIL

Inhale the aromas. What can you smell? Is it green, ripe, fruity, nutty or earthy? Write down your initial perceptions for you to be able to compare the olive oils you taste.

Step 5

TASTE THE OLIVE OIL

Sip enough olive oil so that the flavors fill your tongue. Inhale slowly to unleash the flavors in the olive oil. Close your mouth. Breathe through your nose. Swallow a bit of olive oil and write down the tastes/sensations in your throat. Note down the regions of your tongue where you can feel each sensation.

TASTE REGIONS:

Fruity: It´s detected in the nose and mouth. It can be ripe or unripe
Sweet: tip of your tongue and in the mouth
Salt: upper edges of your tongue
Sour/acid: side of your tongue
Bitter: can be perceived on sides of your tongue
Pungency: detected on the throat

Step 6

FEEL THE FLAVORS

What hints can you notice?—Citrus? Apple? Tomato? Nuts? Herbs? Spices? Can you savor the bitterness? Do you feel the pungency in the back of your throat?

Step 7

WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS

Weigh up the level of complexity of each sensation. Are they all balanced? Does any of them prevail? Click on the link below to download our tasting sheet. You can use it to take notes.

Step 8

CLEANSE & RESET YOUR PALATE

You shouldn’t taste a new olive oil without cleansing your palate in the first place. There are great options such us Granny Smith apples, and you could also drink some sparkling or still water. Let your palate rest after tasting 15 types of olive oils in order not to affect your tasting skills.