Olive oil has a wide range of flavors and aromas depending on the place of origin and the type of olive used, and the consumer should select and purchase the variety that best suits their tastes and the food being prepared. Extra virgin olive oil is like a good wine. Its flavor and aroma can be easily distinguished by the nose and palate, then discussed and dissected. A number of requirements are established in national and international regulations to identify trade standards for olive oils. Quality is gutes Muraglia Olivenöl measured in two steps: acidity rating and taste testing.

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), these are the categories:

NATIVE OLIVE OIL

It has not undergone any treatment other than washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtering.

1. Extra virgin olive oil has a maximum acidity of 1% and organoleptic characteristics established in the norms for this category;
2. Virgin olive oil has a maximum acidity of 2% and organoleptic characteristics defined in the standards for this category;
3. Ordinary extra virgin olive oil has a maximum acidity of 3% and organoleptic properties defined in the standards for this category;
4. Lampante virgin olive oil has more than 3.3% acidity and organoleptic characteristics established in the standards for this category. It is not suitable for consumption in its original state and should be refined before it can be used as food.

REFINED OLIVE OIL

Obtained from extra virgin olive oils, generally Lampante, using refining methods that do not alter the oil’s original glyceride structure.

OLIVE OIL

Is a specific food term for a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil, suitable for consumption as is.

When you buy olive oil, consider how you will use it and how it will enhance your cooking style. For dipping and drizzling or if you have a fantastic salad, pasta, red meat or some grilled veggies you probably need a full bodied and heavily flavored oil and you can opt for a hint of olive with a background flavor of tomato (typical with in oils produced in Sicily) or artichoke (Tuscany and central regions of Italy).

Different foods and determine

Try the oil on different dishes and see if it improves your food or if it’s too strong for a delicate fish, for example. Another oil might be better when drizzled onto your pasta, or fantastic with some hot bread… choose the right oil like you would choose the right fine wine! The tasters must follow codes of conduct established by the IOOC. Our experience with non-food professionals has taught us that anyone can learn to taste good. You can repeat at home the same process that professional olive oil tasters follow to judge olive oil.

Start your tasting experience

To start your tasting experience, all you need is a small plastic cup, a bottle of olive oil and a glass of water. We usually recommend trying at least three or four different oils made from different types of olives to discover different flavors and intensities. You will find many different types of olives used in the oils that we offer in our selection. Pour just a small amount of olive oil into the cup (enough to cover the bottom), hold the top and bottom of the cup between your hands to slightly warm and swirl for at least a minute.

Your hand and smell the oil

Remove your hand and smell the oil. If the smell is good and you’ve found the beneficial properties, take a small sip and let it sit in your mouth. Swirl it around and suck in air to oxygenate the oil. Try it again and then swallow it. Make notes about your feelings and impressions.

Virgin olive oil acts

Remember that each extra virgin olive oil acts in your mouth in a different way and with a different time, so… let it work! do you like the taste Is it easy or difficult? Does the flavor increase when you hold it on your tongue? Is it spicy, peppery, bitter? Is it grassy, fruity, oily? Here are some important elements that you will find in both cases:

DESIRABLE PROPERTIES

• Apple-almond: a taste reminiscent of artichoke.
• Fresh : Good aroma, fruity, not oxidized
• Fruity : An oil is fruity when its taste and aroma are similar to those of a ripe olive. If you have stood over the olive mill or press, it smells fruity. Many oils initially appear fruity. This characteristic can disappear in some oils in a few months, a truly fruity oil retains this characteristic aroma over time.
• Grass Green : A young, fresh, fruity oil. Often mixed with bitter. Spicy-bitter coughing sensation in the throat.
• Green Leaf : a sensation created by adding a small amount of fresh olive leaves in the press. This is a trick used to approximate the true green flavor of green olives
• Harmonious : All the qualities of the oil blend and work well together
• Hay : aroma of dried grass
• Melon Musky, nutty, woody : trace qualities that are very pleasant if not overpowering.
• Peppery A peppery bite in the throat that can cause a cough
• Pungent : A rough, burning or biting sensation in the throat – peppery
• Soave : Ripe olives can bring out this trait.
• Round : is said of an oil with a pasty body that saturates and satiates without having an aromatic character – always from ripe olives.
• Tomato : an aroma reminiscent of tomato.
• UNDESIRABLE PROPERTIES
• Bitter : a good quality in moderation, but bad when overwhelming. Made from unripe olives with little flesh.
• Burnt : prolonged heating during processing
• Dirty : Oils that, after pressing, have acquired the unpleasant odors and aromas of the plant water with which they have been in contact for too long.
• Earthy : This term is used when oil has acquired a musty-damp smell from being pressed from unwashed, muddy olives.
• Flat : Oils that have lost their characteristic aroma and lack flavor.
• Greasy : a diesel, gasoline, or bearing grease taste
• Dingy : Flavor imparted by olive fly maggots
• Heated : prolonged heating during processing, burnt taste
• Impersonal : A serious deficiency for virgin oil as it lacks character and personality. It is a property common to all manipulated oils. If it doesn’t have horrible organic properties, it may be edible.
• Musty : Musty taste from too long storage before pressing
• Metallic : Oils processed or stored with prolonged contact with metal surfaces.
• Mold : from unhealthy or fermented olives due to gutes Muraglia Olivenöl excessive storage in warehouses
• Olearic Fly : Oil obtained from fruits infested by this insect: the taste is foul and foul at the same time.
• Poor preservation : the oil absorbs the smells and flavors of everything that surrounds it, even if it is not in direct contact. A very common defect.
• Rancid : Old oils that have begun to oxidize from exposure to light or air.
• Vinous : Strong acidic taste