5 Steps to Evaluate Olive Oil Mouthfeel
Want to taste olive oil like a pro? Here's how to evaluate its mouthfeel in 5 simple steps:
- First Impression: Pour, warm, sip. Is it light or heavy?
- Middle Taste: Swirl in mouth. Smooth or grainy? Thin or thick?
- Feel and Sensation: Slurp noisily. Notice bitterness or peppery kick?
- After-Taste: Swallow. How long does flavor linger?
- Overall Feel: Assess balance. How would you use this oil?
Why bother? Mouthfeel reveals quality, helps you choose the right oil for cooking, and spots fake EVOOs.
Pro tip: Use blue tasting glasses to avoid color bias. No fancy gear? A wine glass works too.
Remember: Good extra virgin olive oil should have a mix of fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency. The more you taste, the better you'll get at spotting the good stuff.
Ready to dive in? Let's break down each step and learn how the experts do it.
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Getting Ready to Taste
Setting up for an olive oil tasting is like prepping for a sensory adventure. Here's how to create the perfect environment and gather the right tools to fully appreciate olive oil's mouthfeel.
Choose Your Tasting Space
Your tasting area should be a sensory sanctuary. Here's the setup:
- Pick a spot without strong smells. No scented candles, perfumes, or aromatic foods nearby.
- Go for good lighting. Natural light is best, but bright, neutral lighting works too.
- Find a comfy spot. A kitchen island or dining table where tasters can gather works great.
Emily Lycopolus, an Olive Oil Sommelier and Educator, says:
"Our sense of smell and taste is not like our other senses. Society doesn't value scent as it does other senses, yet it connects us to the world around us in a very detailed and memorable way."
Tools You Need
The right gear can make or break your tasting. Here's what you'll need:
- Tasting Glasses: The star of the show is the official olive oil tasting glass. It's a specific cobalt blue glass designed to International Olive Council standards.
Why blue? It stops the oil's color from swaying your judgment. These glasses have a bulbous bottom and narrow top, perfect for warming the oil and concentrating its smells.
No official glasses? Small wine glasses or Spanish chatos can work too. Just make sure they're big enough to swirl the oil.
- Palate Cleansers: Grab some sliced green apples (Granny Smiths are great) and plain bread or crackers. They'll help reset your taste buds between oils.
- Water: Keep still or sparkling water handy to cleanse your palate.
- Notepads and Pens: Let tasters jot down their thoughts. It helps with memory and makes the experience more fun.
Clean Your Palate
Before you start tasting, get your palate ready:
- Skip strong flavors for at least an hour before tasting.
- Drink water to keep your mouth from getting dry.
- Don't smoke or drink coffee right before tasting. They can dull your taste buds.
- Wash your hands with unscented soap and skip the perfume or scented lotions.
Nancy Ash, COOC Education Coordinator, compares olive oil and wine tasting:
"An olive oil tasting is similar to a wine tasting - both wine and olive oil are liquids obtained by pressing fresh fruit (yes, olives are a fruit)!"
5 Steps to Test Olive Oil Texture
Testing olive oil texture is like a mini sensory journey. It's not just about the taste - it's how the oil feels in your mouth. Here's how to do it in 5 steps:
Step 1: First Impression
Pour about two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a cobalt blue tasting glass. These glasses are designed to International Olive Council standards - they help concentrate aromas and show off flavors.
Warm the glass with your hand and take a small sip. Let the oil coat your tongue. How thick is it? Is it light and delicate, or does it feel heavier?
Step 2: Middle Taste
Hold the oil in your mouth and focus on its weight and consistency. Swirl it around. Is it smooth or a bit grainy? Thin like water or thick like syrup?
Emily Lycopolus, an Olive Oil Sommelier and Critic, says:
"Taste early, taste often, and pay attention. This is the best way to increase your awareness, sensitivity, and recall, cementing those memories."
Step 3: Feel and Sensation
Now, slurp the oil noisily through your mouth. Yeah, it feels weird, but it helps spread the oil around, releasing more flavors.
Is there any bitterness or sharpness? Feel a peppery kick at the back of your throat? That's a good sign - it means the oil is fresh and high-quality, packed with polyphenols.
Step 4: After-Taste
Swallow the oil and notice what happens next. Good extra virgin olive oil leaves a nice aftertaste. Does it fade fast or hang around? Is the finish clean or a bit bitter?
Don't worry if it's slightly bitter - that often means it's full of good stuff like antioxidants.
Step 5: Overall Feel
Take a step back and think about the whole experience. Did all parts of the texture work well together? Was the oil balanced, or did one thing overpower the rest?
Think about how you'd use this oil. A strong, pungent oil might go great with grilled meats, while a smoother, milder one could be perfect for fish or salads.
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Expert Testing Guidelines
Olive oil experts use a strict approach to evaluate texture. Here's how they do it:
Scoring System
Pros use a detailed system to rate olive oil texture:
1. Sensory Attributes Scale
Tasters rate these on a 1-5 scale:
- Aroma intensity
- Flavor intensity
- Bitterness
- Pungency
- Overall texture
2. Descriptive Analysis
They use specific words to describe the oil's profile, like:
- Fresh-cut grass
- Green apple
- Tomato leaf
- Herbaceous
- Buttery
- Nutty
3. Defect Detection
Experts spot common flaws. The International Olive Council (IOC) lists five main defects:
- Fusty/Muddy Sediment
- Musty/Humid/Earthy
- Winey/Vinegary/Acid/Sour
- Rancid
- Frostbitten Olives (Wet Wood)
For extra virgin status, oil must have zero defects and score over 6.5 out of 9 overall.
4. Tasting Environment
The setup matters. Experts follow these rules:
- Use blue glasses to avoid color bias
- Keep oil at 82°F (28°C)
- Ensure a smell-free space
5. The "4 S's" Method
Pros use this tasting technique:
- Swirl: Release aromas
- Sniff: Check smell strength and type
- Slurp: Spread oil in mouth
- Swallow: Judge pungency
Amy Keating, RD, who led Consumer Reports' olive oil tests, says:
"Extra virgin oil should taste fresh, with olive fruit flavor, plus some bitterness and pungency - which is a peppery, warm, tingling sensation at the back of your throat."
6. Palate Cleansing
Between tastes, experts clean their palates with:
- Green apple slices (Granny Smith preferred)
- Still or sparkling water
7. Continuous Training
To stay sharp, tasters keep learning:
- IOC certified panels do yearly tests with pre-identified oils
- Tasters practice with oils from different regions, olive types, and harvest times
Next Steps
You've learned how to evaluate olive oil mouthfeel. Now it's time to practice and explore premium extra virgin olive oils. Let's recap and find out where to get high-quality oils for your tasting adventures.
Key Points Review
Evaluating olive oil texture involves five steps:
1. First Impression
Feel the initial thickness and weight on your tongue.
2. Middle Taste
Focus on consistency and smoothness as you swirl.
3. Feel and Sensation
Notice any bitterness or peppery kick - signs of freshness and quality.
4. After-Taste
Pay attention to lingering flavors and how they change after swallowing.
5. Overall Feel
Think about the complete experience and how the texture might pair with different dishes.
A good extra virgin olive oil should have a balanced mouthfeel with fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency.
Where to Find Quality Oils
To really get the nuances of olive oil mouthfeel, you need premium products. Here's how to find them:
Go for Certified Extra Virgin Olive Oils: These oils pass tough tests to meet chemical and sensory standards. Big Horn’s oils, for example, are certified extra virgin by third-party labs.
Check Harvest Dates: Fresh is best in olive oil. Pia Baroncini, Co-Founder of Baroncini Import & Co., says:
"Unlike wine, EVOO is best consumed close to its harvest date."
Look for bottles with clear harvest dates, usually shown as a range (like 2022/2023).
Think About Packaging: Choose oils in dark glass bottles or opaque containers. This protects the oil from light, which can mess with the mouthfeel.
Try Specialty Shops: For a wide range of premium olive oils, check out specialty stores or online shops. Big Horn Olive Oil sells Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oils, including single-source types like Picual and Coratina, at $8.99 per bottle. These oils are cold-pressed within 2 hours of picking.
Go for Award-Winners: The Spruce Eats did a big taste test. They found Paesanol Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil had a "thicker consistency" and "grassy, buttery, and smooth taste." It's great for mouthfeel evaluation.
FAQs
How to taste olive oil like a pro?
Want to taste olive oil like an expert? Here's how to do it:
1. Pour and warm
Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a blue tasting glass or wine glass. Cup the bottom with your palm and cover the top. Warm it for 30 seconds to release the aromas.
2. Smell
Uncover the glass and take a big whiff. Good extra virgin olive oil should smell fresh and fruity, like herbs or green fruits.
3. Sip and swirl
Take a small sip. Let it coat your tongue and swirl it around. Pay attention to how it feels in your mouth.
4. Slurp
Yes, really! Slurp the oil noisily. This spreads it around your mouth and helps you catch all the flavors and textures.
5. Swallow
As you swallow, notice any peppery kick at the back of your throat. That's a good sign - it means the oil is fresh and packed with polyphenols.
Emily Lycopolus, an Olive Oil Sommelier and Educator, says:
"Taste early, taste often, and pay attention. This is the best way to increase your awareness, sensitivity, and recall, cementing those memories."
Top-notch organic extra virgin olive oil should have complex flavors. Think fresh herbs and fruit. If it just tastes like plain old oil, it might not be the good stuff.
Keep tasting different oils. The more you practice, the better you'll get at spotting the good from the not-so-good.