oil, like Columela or Colavita; and a pungent and
spicy one from California, like McEvoy Ranch,
DaVero, or Séka Hills (you can order all of these
online). One thing to note is that there have been
reports that many olive oils claiming to be Italian
are actually only bottled in Italy, the oils being
sourced from other Mediterranean countries. I don’t
let these reports bother me: if I like the flavor of
what’s in the bottle, that’s good enough for me.
If I were marooned in a strange city with only a
supermarket in front of me and no chance of tasting
before I buy, the brand I’d tend to gravitate toward
is Colavita, which has a fine buttery, spicy nose and
very little bitterness.
How to Taste Olive Oil
In Deborah Krasner’s fine book The Flavors of Olive
Oil, she classifies olive oil into four distinct groups.
Thinking of these flavors is an exercise that I find
useful when shopping around. Her groups are:
delicate and mild, fruity and fragrant, olivey and
peppery, and leafy green and grassy. To these great
descriptors, I’d also add buttery and rich.
When you taste olive oil, start by smelling it,
noting its aroma, then place a bit on your tongue.
Swirl it around your tongue to coat each part and
try to pinpoint what it’s doing to each section. Is that
a hint of sweetness you detect? Are there bitter
notes? How spicy is it? Finally, inhale a bit of