Olive
Oil |
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Tasting an olive oil starts with the nose, by inhaling an oil's aroma, then in the mouth, by sliding a spoonful of oil over the palate and towards the throat while gently aspirating air. You will recognize : The fruitiness : is the oil made from young green olives, ripe olives, or black olives? |
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| The "green fruité" has a 'vegetal' character, an aroma like that of grass, leaves, raw artichokes, and green apples. This oil is made of olives harvested in the beginning of the season. |  |
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The "ripe fruité" is made of pressing ripe olives. Its aroma resembles that of dried fruits, bananas, chamomile, citrus fruits, red fruits, or vanilla. | ||
| The "black fruité" , encountered in a round mature oil, is created by vacuum-stocking ripe olives for several days before extracting their oils. This process develops complex aromas resembling cooked artichokes, cocoa, mushrooms, jam, dry hay, crystallized fruits, moss, and truffles... |  |
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The bitterness : This is the flavor that one finds in endive and coffee. Most olive varieties produce relatively bitter oils at the beginning of the season, but their bitterness subsides as they mature. Oils likewise loose their bitterness as they age. The pungency : Olive oil can sometimes produce an irritating sensation in the mouth, similar to the heat of certain spices. This bite, like bitterness, diminishes with maturation of the olives. Bitterness and spiciness result from the presence of polyphenols, which act as anti-oxidants. They help to guarantee an oil's freshness. The mouth-feel : This term refers to an oil's consistency, to its tactile sensation on the tongue: is it fluid, or more viscous? The more pronounced an oil's bitterness and spice, the more fluid it will be. |
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