Olive Oil Tasting Guide: Taste EVOO Like a Sommelier

Professional tasters judge extra virgin olive oil the way sommeliers judge wine — with a precise, repeatable method that anyone can learn. Tasting properly lets you assess quality in seconds, without lab equipment, and it makes every bottle more enjoyable. Here is the technique the experts use.

Set Up the Taste

Pour a small amount into a glass — professionals use a small blue glass so colour does not bias the judgement, since colour is not a quality indicator. Cup the glass in one hand and cover it with the other to warm the oil to around body temperature, which releases its aromas.

Smell, Sip and Slurp

Uncover and smell deeply: look for fresh, green aromas — cut grass, artichoke, tomato leaf, green almond. Then take a small sip and draw air in sharply through your teeth (the ‘slurp’), spreading the oil across your palate. This aerates it and reveals the full flavour, from fruitiness to bitterness.

The Three Positive Attributes

Quality extra virgin olive oil shows three positives: fruitiness (the fresh-olive character), bitterness (a positive sign of healthy fruit and polyphenols), and pungency (the peppery catch at the back of the throat from oleocanthal). Their balance and intensity define an oil's personality — none is a flaw.

Spotting Defects

Negative flavours disqualify an oil from the extra virgin grade: ‘fusty’ (a stale, sweaty note from poorly stored olives), ‘musty’ (mould), ‘winey-vinegary’ (fermentation), and ‘rancid’ (the flat, crayon-like taste of oxidised oil). If you taste these, the oil is defective regardless of what the label claims.

Practise on oils worth tasting: the early-harvest selection at AureoLife is chosen for vivid fruitiness, balanced bitterness, and a clean peppery finish.