The taste of an oil

The oil tasters do not trust the empirical methods which are usually proposed to the beginners. The tasting technique may vary, because it depends on the taster, even if it is officially regulated by a set of rules in force. Below are a few rules which can help us to single out many aspects of an Extra-Virgin Olive Oil:
- hold the oil up carefully against the light, shake the bottle in order to    evaluate its consistency;
- pour the equivalent of a soup-spoonful of oil in a glass (a higher    quantity would create difficulties while tasting);
- smell the glass of oil trying to capture all the pleasant and unpleasant    sensations;
- warm the glass in the hand palm in order to release and heighten the    volatile aromas of the oil; inhale the oil slowly and quietly then deeply    and strongly in order to vaporize it in the oral cavity and put it in    contact with the taste buds;
- move the tongue forward slowly to touch the palate to stand the mouth
- inhale once again with the lips half-opened putting the tongue against    the palate;
- repeat the operations from the point 4 three times in succession and    do not throw away the oil for at least 20 seconds;
- throw away the oil;
- while moving the tongue forward against the palate, try to evaluate the    back-olfactory sensations carefully.

It is advisable for a beginner not to throw away the oil quickly, but to remain calm and quiet in order to catch and memorize as many sensations as possible. The first tasting attempts are very important to learn the technical vocabulary about merits and defects of an oil; it is a sort of “primer” for the sensory analyst and it is useful for the taster to try to describe other people his own sensations using a common communication instrument. Do not try to find out very strange flavours in an oil and do not forget that nobody will offer you a glass of oil. Being a valid and helpful base for our dishes is the only aim of an oil.


During the technical tasting it is important to observe the following rules:
- do not smoke at least 30 minutes before the tasting;
- do not use any perfume, soap or cosmetics, whose aroma may    persist during the tasting;
- do not eat any food product at least 1 hour before the tasting;
- make sure to be in good psychological and physiological conditions    in order not to prejudice the tasting.