Olive Oil Tasting Cards
Hosting Your Own Olive Oil Tasting Party!
Your guests will need tasting cards. Great for rating and taking notes during tastings.
12 cards per order
We generally recommend that beginners just rate fruitiness (the aroma), bitterness (on the tongue) and pungency (in the back of the throat), as well as balance among the three (you don’t want an oil that has a very strong aroma and no bitterness or pungency, for instance) on a scale of 1 to 10.
Olive Oil Tasting Instructions
- First, pour about a tablespoon of the first olive oil into your wineglass.
- Swirl the olive oil in the glass. Cup the glass in one of your hands and cover the top of the glass with the other. Swirl gently to release aromas. The warmth from your hands with help the aromas release as well.
- Uncover the glass and smell the oil deeply. Take mental notes of what you smell. Is it peppery? Fruity? Buttery?
- Next, take a sip of the oil almost in a 'soup-slurping' fashion. Allow the oil to run across the palate. Breathe in through your nose. Try to smell the oil again before swallowing.
- As you exhale, swallow the oil and concentrate on the flavor. Think about some general categories such as fruitiness, pungency, bitterness, earthiness, pepperiness, etc. Write down your observations and then compare them with your fellow tasters! You can also re-taste the oil by pouring it on a small plate and dipping the bread in the oil and seeing how that affects the taste.
- When you are ready to move on to the next oil, cleanse your palate with plain bread, a slice of apple, and/or sparkling water.
- Repeat the process for the oils.
Hostess with the Mostest
If you want to add a little something extra to your party, you can provide your guests with olive oil and/or vinegar tag-a-longs. The labels can be personalized to commemorate your event. You’ll want to order about two weeks prior to the event, unless you want to expedite your order.