Wine tastings are very popular gourmet experiences, where an individual samples wines and enjoys food.
Olive oil tastings are very similar experiences.
In our days organizing an olive oil tasting party is a wonderful way for anybody to develop a taste of good olive oil.
Organize an olive oil tasting party and introduce your friends to many healthful and satisfying gastronomical experiences that the extra virgin olive oil has to offer.
The best ways to taste and judge olive oil are: Dipping artisan bread in (whole grain, rustic Italian, Greek village breads), or tasting it with a spoon. The color, taste and flavor of the olive oil, put four of your senses into work. Sight, smell, taste and touch.
The time of harvest, the method of the processing, the kind of tree, soil and climate, all these factors contribute to the assessment of the different kinds of olive oils.
Introduce your friends and family to; two to three kinds of extra virgin olive oil. Start with a mild and fruity and move to a heavier, peppery one.
Before the olive oil tasting party email your friends my site: www.theolivesgift.com and let them learn the basics of olive oil and especially the extra virgin olive oil. By visiting my blog, everybody will learn new information about this super food and its many uses.
Play games with asking questions about olive oil and give points. At the end the winner gets a bottle of extra virgin olive oil from the region you are tasting.
My favorite way to tasting olive oil is: (olive oil should be room temperature) cleanse your palate with a thin slice of red delicious apple. Place a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a small glass, bring the glass close to your nose and smell a few times. Sip the oil and roll it around your mouth and see what kind of taste it has. Rolling the oil around your mouth and through your teeth, you will see what kind of flavor it has. This process should last about a half to one minute. You can swallow the oil or spit it out.
Write down on a piece of paper the characteristics of the oil. Is it light yellow or dark green? Does it smell fresh and fruity? Does it have a bitter or peppery taste in your throat? Does it have a musty, rancid taste? Defects that rise from the long storing and fermentation and oxidation of the olives.
Cleanse your palate with a small apple slice and repeat with a new olive oil and a new glass.
When olive oil tasting, stay away from smoking and coffee for a couple of hours. Avoid wearing perfumes and do not eat a heavy meal.
Olive oil tasting is for having a great time.
Teach your friends to be healthy and make it interesting, fun and educational.