This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carapelli for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
With the holiday season approaching, many of us like to splurge on food items–whether using them to cook special meals, as gifts, or to treat ourselves. I’ve always been intrigued by olive oils, so I was glad when I had the chance to learn more about how to taste olive oil.
To taste olive oil properly, you need two things–good olive oil (like Carapelli–DH will tell you that the stuff from Costco is generally not the “good” stuff LOL) and a small, stemless blue glass. However, I didn’t have a stemless, blue glass, so I used a shot glass instead and just ignored the color of the oil (did you know it has no bearing on the flavor of the oil?)
Begin by warming the oil in your hands through the glass. Then, commence with The Four S’s–Swirl, Sniff, Slurp, and Swallow.
- Swirl. When you swirl the olive oil in the glass, you release the aroma of the oil’s esters.
- Sniff. Once the aromas are released, it’s time to sniff! I think it’s the first time I’ve ever actually smelled olive oil, and it was a bit stronger than I anticipated but made me hungry. I inhaled deeply as instructed. There’s a lot more going on there than you’d think.
- Slurp. This is starting to remind me of wine and beer tasting! To slurp, sip the oil along with some air, which emulsifies the oil and helps spread it throughout your mouth. I did sense some peppery notes, although very faint.
- Swallow. OK this is a bit tough, but I did swallow a little bit of it. I did not notice any peppery or stinging sensation, which was a question asked in the instructions.
Overall, the Carapelli oil was not objectionable. I’ve had a lot worse, that’s for sure! And, I was glad to find out that it’s 100% Italian, and organic! Now that I know how to taste oil, I can’t wait to try the ones that are in my cupboard, and I’ll also feel more confident when shopping at those fancy kitchen stores 🙂
If you’d like to try the Carapelli, the company is offering a $1.00 off coupon:
$1.00 OFF coupon at www.CarapelliUSA.com
This post shared at Kitchen Tip Tuesday
I did a taste test of 2 of Costco’s brands…the cheaper evoo and the more expensive one in the glass bottle. i could not tell the difference. At all. I would use pricier olive oil, but when you use it for pretty much everything, you have to go with the cheaper options. But for dipping oil, I have a very pricey one that is well worth the extra money.
Much like wine, fine olive oils must be savored to appreciate their intricate layers of flavor. Always seek fresh EVOO; flavor and nutrition fade over time. Authentic extra virgins offer more health benefit than any other grade of olive oil. As with wine, estate olive oils are prized, especially estate oils produced from only one olive cultivar.
http://www.theoliveorchard.com/blog/about-olive-oil/tasting-olive-oil/