The 4 S’s to Tasting Olive Oil

We recently went olive oil tasting with Lucini Italia and learned that there are 4  “S’s” of olive oil tasting. Here is what we learned:

1. Swirl: Cover the top of the tasting cup/glass and gently swirl the olive oil around to help release the aroma of the oil you will be tasting
2. Sniff: Slowly uncover the top of the cup and deeply inhale slowly. Like wine you may smell a fruitier or spicier smell. Think about if the smell is strong or mild. It may be fun to write down what you experienced prior to tasting
3. Swish/Slurp: Take a small sip and make sure you take in some air as well. Now this is the awkward part…slurp several times. This helps to emulsify the oil with air to help release the taste of the oil correctly.
4. Swallow: Now swallow your olive oil. This step truly distinguished a high quality olive oil with one that was not. The one that was high quality I was able to swallow without leaving an “oily” taste in my mouth although there is a slight stinging in the back of your throat from the polyphenols/antioxidants that were released. A lower quality olive oil will leave a oily/thick feeling in your mouth and throat and does not sit well in your stomach