How to find your olive oil
We love olive oil and use it in our kitchen all the time, we cook with olive oil, bake with olive oil, use olive oil in our salad dressings or simply sprinkle it on vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers combined with balsamic vinegar.. As our go to daily olive oil, a Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) from Kalamata, has nearly doubled in price in the last two years and may be discontinued we recently went shopping for various other brands to conduct our own test and see which one we would like most.
EVOO- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – What does it mean?
As the label states, it is extracted exclusively by mechanical means. Although its degree of acidity cannot exceed 0.8%, in the case of EVOO’s protected by the Protected Designation of Origin Estepa (PDO) cannot exceed 0.3%. In short, the lower the acidity, the higher the quality of the fruit and the EVOO produced. It must also be tested regularly by a panel, who in turn are checked by their countries authorities and by the International Olive Council, a trade organisation based in Spain.
Visiting the oldest olive tree in Crete, near Chania.
As you might have noticed the price for EVOO has risen dramatically over the last year. The main reason for the price hike is the weather. The summer of 2023 was the hottest globally and although olive trees drive under the hot mediterranean sun, if the heatwaves come too early in Spring, when the trees are flowering, crops can be damaged. Global olive oil production dropped from 3.39 million tonnes in 2021-2022 to 2.28 million tonnes in 2023-2024, with Spain hit the worst. Pests and diseases are also killing trees. The pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, transmitted by spittlebugs has killed 21 million trees in Southern Italy over the past decade.
How to test olive oil
While on holidays in Portugal, Spain and Crete we have attended olive oil tours and olive oil tasting seminars and back home, understandably the olive oil of that particular country will feature prominently in our kitchen. Here is what we learned on our travels of how to “Taste Olive Oil”.
Important Steps
Ideally use a small tapered and coloured glass (at the seminars we attended it was blue): The shape of the glass can help concentrate the aroma and make it easier to detect, and as the colour of the oil has nothing to do with quality, the coloured glass helps.
For your tasting session (we suggest to compare three different EVOO from at least two countries), fill a small cup or a tasting glass with at least 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Smell: Before tasting, give the product a long sniff. Take a moment to analyse what you just smelled. You might pick up some familiar scents. Try to identify them.
Sip: Take a small sip and let the oil coat your tongue and mouth. Try to detect the different flavours and textures, such as bitterness, fruitiness, and pungency.
Evaluate the Finish: After swallowing, pay attention to the aftertaste or finish. Does it linger on the tongue, or fade quickly? Is it pleasant, or does it leave a bitter or unpleasant taste?
Cleanse: Refresh your palate between oils with a thin slice of Granny Smith apple or a cube of plain bread.
The taste, aroma, and quality of an EVOO can vary greatly. Some of these contributing factors include but are not limited to the cultivar (type), region where the fruit was grown, time of harvest, and the milling method.
Tasting for the first time you might struggle to put your thoughts into the right words or flavours, so here is a guide (which we were given at our first tasting session) to some flavours and terms to help you get started. These were much the same on all the different tasting sessions we had.
Green grass, yellow hay, lettuce
Artichoke, chicory, bell pepper, spicy pepper
Vanilla, banana, chamomile, plum
Of the holy trinity of extra virgin olive oil – fruitiness, bitterness and pepperiness, the main one that an oil absolutely must have to be “extra” is fruitiness.
To detect fruitiness you are looking for plant aromas:
Green grass and herbs
Tomatoes and artichokes
Bananas, lemons or apples
Almonds
An olive oil, that does not give you fruitiness, but just hits you with a peppery aftertaste isn’t right.
Bitterness isn’t required to make an oil award winning, but is considered a positive attribute to EVOO.
The sensation can range from sharp astringency to something mild on the palate. If you cough after swallowing, that might be a normal reaction. Pepperiness, often called pungency, is that little tingle in the back of your throat or a cough.
Ultimately the compound found only in EVOO and not in refined oils is Oleocanthal, a very special polyphenol, which is a strong antioxidant.
The difference between olive oils essentially comes down to terroir and variety of the olive tree.
Terroir is the way elements such as sunlight, elevation, soil, and climate impact fruits. The word is usually used to discuss grapes and wine. However, terroir can also be applied to the world of olive oil. Afterall, the soil, climate, and sunlight changes based on geographical location no matter what you grow.
Therefore, a farmer in Calabria growing Carolea and a farmer in Sicily growing Carolea are going to produce completely different olive oils although the fruit might come from the same variety of tree. This is the beauty of terroir!
Olive oils from different countries
In general, pure Spanish olive oil tends to be more “fruity,” while pure Italian oil leans towards “grassy.” Oils from Greece are usually more flavourful and peppery. Still, even within these categories, there's tons of variation.
What some experts and websites say about the taste profile of oils from different countries:
Spain is one of the world’s largest producers of olive oil with nearly 50% and Spanish olive oil is characteristically yellow-gold in colour due to the country's climate. Spanish olive oil is known for its bold, robust flavours and often boasts a fruity and slightly peppery taste with a touch of bitterness. Olive varieties such as Picual and Arbequina contribute to the unique flavour profile of Spanish olive oil.
Italian olive oil is typically milder and more delicate in flavour compared to its Spanish counterpart. It often features a fruity, grassy, and nutty flavour with a subtle, lingering bitterness. Varieties like Frantoio, Carolea and Coratina contribute to the diversity of Italian olive oil flavours.
Italian olive oil is typically a darker green, has a grassier taste, and a more herbal smell. That said, the specific region of Italy your olive oil comes from affects the taste. Olives from Northern Italy produce a lighter, milder olive. In contrast, central region olives have a much stronger flavour with significantly grassier notes. Southern Italian olives, which are the most common, tend to taste more herbal. Italy only produces 20% of the world's olives. If you're seeking out true Italian olive oil, make sure you read the label carefully.