During official tastings, visual perception is not a fundamental parameter, however, this simple gesture helps to give important indications on the cleanliness, roundness and body of the oil. Pour a small amount of extra virgin olive oil into a glass beaker, place the oil against the light and shake the glass to evaluate its fluidity. An extra virgin olive oil must have a medium-low degree of fluidity. Now turn the oil on the sides of the glass and observe the color, a green-yellow color is a symptom of young and ripe fruit harvest.

Through your sense of smell, you understand it’s quality. Before this delicate phase we need to bring our oil to the right conditions to best enhance the volatile aromatic components. Heat the contents of the glass with the palm of one hand by shaking it slightly. With the other palm of your hand, cover the top of the glass in order to retain the aromas. Uncover the glass, bring it to your nose and inhale slowly and deeply several times. This will allow you to grasp the various nuances of aromas present in the oil and feel the degree of intensity. A quality extra virgin olive oil must absolutely refer to the fruit from which it comes, with fresh, decisive, and pleasant aromas, throughout.

To appreciate the different nuances of taste, you must of take a small sip of oil and swirl it around in your mouth between the tongue and the palate for about ten seconds. Next vaporize the oil by sucking air through your semi-open lips and relax your tongue on the palate. This operation will help you to perceive the aromas and the bitter & spicy notes of a quality extra virgin olive oil.