The First Olive Crazy Non-Professional Extra Virgin Olive Oil Taste Test

 Cooking & Eating, Sensory Evaluation, Taste Test  2 Responses »
Feb 212012
 

Before my son, James, went off to Army Basic Training yesterday he helped me conduct Olive Crazy’s first non-professional extra virgin olive oil taste test. Like true non-professionals we made up our own rules and had fun with it.

First we read over the lists of positive olive oil attributes and negative attributes aka defects that we gleaned from The Olive Oil Times. Then we decided to make up our own tasting terminology and to keep it simple – either it was a keeper or it was headed for the trash bin. If it was a keeper we distinguished the oils by the way we used them, and since James and I are the big olive oil users in the house we got to pick the words that best suited our needs, likes, and dislikes.

The keeper category was divided into three sub-categories based on how we cook and consume, not which we thought was better. We found some colored star stickers in a drawer and decided to use the colors to help us remember which oil was in which category.

A gold star was given for the stronger flavored oils that James and I tend to prefer. A silver star for those that were milder in flavor but had a lot of character. A blue star was given to the oils that we would use in everday cooking for ourselves and the other members of the Olive Crazy household. We put the stars on the bottles to help guide us whenever we prepared a dish. We usually have a lot of different types of extra virgin olive oils around the house so we definitely needed some sort of system.

The ‘destined for the trash bin’ category was not subdivided. If it didn’t smell or taste of fresh olives it didn’t deserve further acknowledgement.

Our extra virgin test subjects were the seven olive oils I just purchased from the California Olive Ranch: Limited Reserve, Everyday California, Arbequina, Arbosana, Miller’s Blend, Oroville Ranch, and Artois Ranch. I had some little disposable plastic cups and a big glass of water for each of us at the ready.

We warmed the oil in our hands by cradling one cup in the  palm of one hand while covering the top of the cup with the other hand. I’m not sure if we were supposed to swirl or not but we did a little bit. It seemed the natural thing to do. We then stuck our noses into the cups and took big, deep sniffs. I showed James how to do strippaggio by sucking in the air along with the olive oil as it travels from the front to the back of the tongue. I am over zealous when I am strippaggioing and always end up choking myself on the oil flying around my mouth. James got lots of laughs out of Mom coughing on the oil which went up the back of my nose combined with the coughing at the bright peppery tang of most of the oils as I swallowed. I swear all that coughing felt like exercise.

After about a half an hour and some re-tasting I am proud to say that none of the California Olive Ranch EVOOs were trash bin worthy. Each oil had a beautiful aroma of fresh olives and while each was different, each was also delicious. Here are our very non-professional findings.

Gold Star (Stronger Flavor)

  • Miller’s Blend – This was our favorite. It had a rich olive scent that smelled like broiled New York Strip steak. It was buttery, grassy, with a strong pepper finish. James and I agreed we would use this oil in all our cooking.
  • Arbequina – The initial aroma was clean and light. After the milder scent we were surprised at the robust flavors of fruit and artichokes. It had a nice peppery finish. Again we would use this one for everything.
  • Oroville Ranch – This olive oil isn’t on the California Olive Ranch website anymore. It had a light olive scent with a powerful, bold flavor and a big pepper punch. Wonderful.

Silver Star (More Complex Flavors)

  • Arbosana – A light, fresh olive smell. The flavor was very distinctive unlike any of the other oils. We tasted strong fruit, nuts, and green vegetables. There wasn’t much pepper at the end. It was a favorite.
  • Limited Reserve – A rich olive aroma. Sharp with a mixed green vegetables flavor. Had a great chewy feel. Lots of bold pepper going down the throat. Amazing.

Blue Star (Mild and Less Complex)

  • Everyday California – Buttery, slight fruit but almost sweet. Some surprising pepper. I do use this extra virgin every single day.
  • Artois Ranch – Like the Oroville Ranch it isn’t on the website any longer. This was by far the mildest of all the oils. Light aroma, less viscosity, very little pepper. An excellent all around olive oil and great for evoo beginners.

As you may have guessed the color of the stars doesn’t have anything to do with how good the olive oil is but with flavor categories. I just happened to have an abundance of stars in these three colors.

Taste testing these California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oils was a fun and interesting activity for a Mom and her now soldier son. Hooah!!

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

 

My California Olive Ranch Olive Oils Arrived!

 Cooking & Eating, Taste Test  Comments Off
Feb 072012
 

I cannot tell you how excited I have been since the olive oils I ordered from California Olive Ranch arrived. I ran out of the COR Limited Reserve and had to break into my precious stash (four bottles) of the first harvest of Georgia Olive Farms‘ Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

My eldest, James, who is my olive and olive oil buddy, has his final weigh-in and physical training test tomorrow before heading off to the Army in a few weeks. He wants to help me taste test these oils so we’re waiting for him to be declared slim and fit before we start slurping the seven oils I bought.

One day to go – can’t wait.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Olive Links of the Week: September 18 through September 24, 2011

 Olives and Olive Oil in General  Comments Off
Sep 252011
 

Every day I read lots of material about the olive, some from books and others from the internet. Each week I share with you the articles, recipes, research documents, and other information I find on the internet. Most of it is very interesting and some of it inspires me to write an article or two of my own. None of these links are in any way my opinion or are endorsed by me. I am sharing.

Olive Links of the Week

Even though this event has happened and there isn’t much to read, I love the picture of the three, pretty girls in what my Granny used to call a ‘head rag’. Oh yeah, there’s a picture of a pretty cheese too. From the Olive Oil Times “Slow Food Dairy Event Explores Cheese and Olive Oil Pairings“.

From Exchange 4 Media News Service “Leonardo launches user-friendly labels for its olive oil range” in India.

How about Turkey this year – from PR dot com “Join the Turkish Olive Harvest Dionysos-Style with Exclusive Escapes“.

Star Fine Foods is marketing the Holy Land in Seattle “For California’s Star, Seattle Is Ground Zero in Launch of New Olive Oils” from Market Watch.

“Spanish Prosecutors Seek Nine Years in Jail for Three Accused of Olive Oil Fraud” from the Olive Oil Times.

A global conference on olive oil to be held in Australia next month. From Weekly Times Now, “Global olive alliance“. Can the new world order be far behind? It’s a joke.

From Yumsugar “Hassle-Free Smokey Flavor With enFuso Smoked Olive Oil“. I like smoke but just can’t imagine this combo.

From Lexology and the Association of Corporate Counsel “Florida EVOO lawsuits dismissed for inadequate pleading“.

More on the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian saga of olive trees old and new from the Huffington Post Religion section “Global Voices of Nonviolence“.

“Breaking Down Free Fatty Acids in EVOO” an interesting article from The Olive Press.

For the world of cabbage lovers who also love olive oil, here are some recipes from The Grand Forks Herald dot com – “ONLINE EXTRA: Cabbage beyond coleslaw“.

I rarely see information about the Philippines and olive oil, much less Argentinian olive oil. From the Bacolod Sun Star “Natural Gourmet Import-Export opens branch in Bacolod“.

This article is included because it was held at the Fig & Olive in West Hollywood. I found it to be interesting. From Reuters news service “Is Hollywood Bailing on Obama?“.

Olive oil taste test results from Kitchen Daily – “The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Our Taste Test Results“. Make sure to scan through the pictures to read the comments.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Video of Charles Carey, Panelist From ‘Which?’ EVOO Report

 Cooking & Eating, Taste Test  1 Response »
Jul 082011
 

Here is the video to go with my article from yesterday, entitled, U.K. Olive Oil Tasting Report From ‘Which?’. The video features, Charles Carey, one of the panelists from the “Which?” magazine 2011 extra virgin olive oil taste test.

Charles explains how he taste tests in his shop with customers and how he does so professionally.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com

Tips For Holding an At Home EVOO Taste Test

 Cooking & Eating, Taste Test  2 Responses »
May 192011
 

The stakes are high for the competitors at the international Extra Virgin Olive Oil tasting competitions, and the sensory evaluation process is rather involved, but don’t let that stop you from tasting EVOO at home. There are many books and articles on olive oil tasting, but for home taste testing I prefer the methods used by Culinary Professional, Deborah Krasner, in her lovely and well-researched book, The Flavors of Olive Oil: A Tasting Guide and Cookbook.

Deborah helps make taste testing simpler and more accessible. She developed her own classifications that focus on the flavors of oil. This is a more useful way of matching oils with foods. Her categories are:

  • Delicate and Mild – Subtle and short-lived, not to be confused with tasteless. Goes well with tender lettuces, fresh peas, mild cheeses.
  • Fruity and Fragrant – Blend of rich tastes and smells of apples and green leafy vegetables. Drizzle on pasta, mixed salads, oranges, dessert cheeses, chicken breasts.
  • Olivey and Peppery – Taste and smell begins as rich olive and finishes in the throat with a zing. Use for roasting meats, in pasta sauces, on breads, on whole grains.
  • Leafy Green and Grassy – Taste and smell of strong herbs. Dress pasta with just oil, garlic, and cheese; strong-flavored salads; garnish for bean soups.

Now that you know what flavors to look for and some of the foods those flavors enhance, follow these tips for holding your own EVOO taste test at home.

  • Purchase and assemble the Extra Virgin Olive Oils you wish to test. Deborah Krasner suggests you choose oils that are estate-bottled (processed and bottled on the premises where they were grown) from at least four different countries. I recommend picking EVOO from several countries around the world, not just Mediterranean. There are so many selections to choose from – be adventurous.
  • Buy a bunch of the 5oz. wax coated paper cups. The kind you find in some folks bathrooms. They are good for testing since they don’t alter the taste and conduct radical temperature changes. Make sure you buy enough so that you do not reuse a cup.
  • Pour about one tablespoon of oil in each cup. Make sure that one tablespoon is sufficient to completely coat your tongue and your throat when swallowed. You must be able to engage taste, touch, and smell with each sample. If you need more oil in your cup, add it.
  • The best time to have an EVOO taste test is mid morning. Your senses are sharper at that time of day.
  • Do not eat anything spicy or strongly-flavored for several hours before a taste test and nothing about an hour before. Cleanse your palate with a green/Granny Smith apple and some plain water before beginning.
  • Hold the cup in both your hands to warm to body temperature. Cover the opening with your hands as well to trap the aromas.
  • Put your nose in the cup and smell the aromas.
  • Take a sufficient amount into your mouth to swirl around and coat your tongue.
  • Suck in a little air and swallow.
  • From the time you inhale the first aromas to the time you swallow the oil take note of the flavors, scents, and feel of the oil.
  • Record your findings. If you smell, taste or feel something different than you see listed in any olive tasting guides or glossaries, write it down just like your senses picked it up. Olive oil is produced in more and more places around the world and the sensory guidelines are bound to add new attributes and defects over time.
  • Take a bite of apple and a sip of water and try the next oil.
  • After you have completed the round, do it again, but this time in a different order. You might be surprised at the differences you pick up the second time around.
  • Now that these bottles have been opened, store them in a cool (not cold) dark place. With time the tastes you picked up may change a little or a lot. Save your notes and if you still have some oil left in about six months (hopefully not) conduct another test and you will have some good information on what an oil tastes like as it ages. Some become more mellow and others not so nice.

May the sun shine through your branches.

www.olivecrazy.com