How to Taste Olive Oil
When sampling a gourmet olive oil, try it on its own to detect the subtleties of flavor. Smell the oil first, then taste it. How does it feel on your tongue? Thick like motor oil or slippery and light?
What do you sense immediately and then what do you taste as it hits the back of your throat, where hot and peppery flavors linger? You may notice a hint of familiar fruits or vegetables: lemons, pears, tomatoes, apples, avocado or nuts.
An oil’s color does not indicate its flavor. A yellow oil may be hot and peppery while a green oil can be bland.
Remember, like wine, it doesn’t matter how much you spend on an oil. What matters is whether you like it. But the better the oil, the more likely it can hold up on its own rather than be masked by other flavors or muted by heat.
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Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007 at 9:47 pm under
