THE TASTE OF OLIVE OIL: TASTE OLIVE OIL LIKE AN EXPERT
From Eric Verdier's Oliviers & Co laboratory, dedicated to sampling olive oils from the world's best producers, to our Oliviers & Co Boutiques, where we invite you to taste any oil available on our shelves, we have created this legend to guide your sensory experience.
It is a resource for both the olive oil enthusiast, who appreciates preferred taste profiles just as he (or she) can appreciate a great wine, to a newcomer to Oliviers & Co. It should be used as a visual tool, an aid to breaking down the complexities of aromas, finishes and tasting characteristics of olive oils, just like the intricacies of tasting a fine wine. We share our knowledge in hopes of sharpening your palate and making your olive oil selection process easier.
THE LIMITATION OF TASTE AND THE POWER OF AROMA
The first step in learning how to taste olive oil is understanding how our senses work. Flavor perception relies on both our senses of taste and smell. The ability to taste is actually quite limited; the receptors on our tongue can only discern sweet, salt, sour, bitter, and umami. All other information that we think of as flavor is actually perceived by smelling the food through the back of our nostrils (retro-nasal) while it is in our mouth. Think about how little flavor we perceive when we have a cold - that's because we can't smell food retro-nasally when we have a stuffy nose.
THE TASTE PROFILE: TYPES OF OLIVE OILS
Olive oil offers a mouth full of aromas, flavors and tastes. Some like it soft, others fruity, bitter or lively, round or fiery, like each terroir and its producer. Oliviers & Co believes that all olive oils classified as good taste belong to one of two taste profiles.
- Vegetable oils: tend to be characterized by vegetable notes such as fresh grass, artichoke, tomato leaves or green apple.
- Floral oils: leave a soft and velvety impression of lightness, reminiscent of almond, milky, but also mixed with fruity notes of citrus, fruit, pear and hazelnut.
- Red or White? In relation to the world of the vine, a “vegetable” oil reacts like a young, aromatic, lively and warm wine, while a “floral” oil develops on the lines of round, silky and tender wines. In simpler terms, a vegetable oil is more like a red wine while a floral oil is more like a white wine.
- The Oliviers & Co olive oil collection: Each year, the harvest determines whether Oliviers & Co oils will be classified as vegetable or floral. You will be able to find the taste profiles under each oil, with the possibility of sorting olive oils according to one or another taste profile: from intense vegetal (very intense) to delicate floral (mild). Likewise, in our stores, oils are labeled “vegetable” or “floral”.
TASTING – THE PALACE
When tasting an olive oil, the steps focus our attention on a specific positive attribute of the oil. After assessing the aroma of the fruit by inhaling from a glass, when the oil is in our mouth, we further evaluate the retro-nasal aroma and determine the amount of bitterness on our tongues. Finally, we determine how hot the oil is in our throats when we swallow it.
Here is a series of definitions we use to further classify oils in palate flavor profile. We believe it is important to contextualize the palate by suggesting food pairings and oil usage to further help you select the perfect oil for all your cooking preferences. Generally, you will find that our recommendations flow from the finish on the palate in terms of smooth, balanced and intense:
- Mild olive oils: they tend to be buttery, mellow, delicate and light; these go perfectly with light or delicate dishes like fish, soups, vegetables, pesto, eggs and potatoes.
- Balanced olive oils: slightly more robust, they generally have a more herbaceous and complex taste profile. These oils have a peppery finish and are excellent with steak, bruschetta, tomato sauces, pasta and any dish where you want to cut and brighten the flavors already present.
- Potent olive oils: Robust oils, made from olives picked when they are primarily green, tend to have a more assertive, peppery flavor, usually with notes of vine green tomatoes, tomato leaf green and green apple skin.
Tastier, more robust dishes with red meat and tomato-based sauces, as well as a hearty stew, even steamed vegetables and salads, can taste better with these fruitier, more flavorful oils