How to Understand a High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

How can you recognize high-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)? Can we simply say that Italian, Greek, or Turkish olive oils are the best? Not really. There’s no magical country that guarantees high-quality olive oil. What truly matters is how the oil is made; factors like grove health, tree health, olive variety, harvesting methods, milling processes, climate and many others all play a role. We’ll dive into these details, but for now, let’s focus on how to identify a great EVOO by tasting it.

We talk about terms like fruitiness, bitterness and pungency on product descriptions but what do they really mean? Are we just making EVOO sound fancier than it needs to be? Absolutely not. These are the key indicators of fresh, high-quality olive oil and they come from the very elements that make EVOO a superhero in the kitchen (and for your health) as a natural fat source.

When it comes to taste test, the secret lies in three key characteristics: fruitiness, bitterness and pungency. These qualities are proof that your olive oil is in good shape and full of healthy, natural compounds. If your oil lacks these characteristics, it means something went wrong during the process and it's no longer a good oil. So, what do we mean by that? Let’s dive in.

If you'd like to follow along and practice, pour a tablespoon of EVOO into the smallest glass you have (in a professional setting, we use blue glasses, as seen in the photo). Then, close the glass with your hand (like a lid) and warm it by gently cupping the bottom with your other hand. This will help release the full aroma and flavor, so you can better experience its essence.

Fruitiness: What the Nose Tells You

Inhale deeply. A high-quality EVOO should smell vibrant and fresh, like green almonds, artichokes, tomato leaves or even ripe fruits. These are the tasting notes you’ll find on our bottle labels. Whatever the notes, they should always remind you of something fresh, like fruits, plants or vegetables but never anything off-putting. This fruitiness comes from the volatile compounds released when olives are freshly crushed, so yes, it’s all backed by the science of chemistry. The richer, more intense and more complex the aroma, the better the oil. But if it smells flat, greasy, winey or reminds you of something unpleasant; like old olive paste, stale nuts or the mustiness of a storage room; bad news! That means the oil is either past its prime or wasn’t good to begin with.

Bitterness: Like in Fresh Olives

Now, take a sip. Notice that bitter taste? That’s not a flaw if it’s like chewing on fresh greens or the olive itself. It's the result of powerful polyphenols, natural antioxidants that olives produce to protect themselves and lucky for us, they protect our health too. One of the stars here is oleuropein, a major phenolic compound found in olives, leaves, pulp and seeds. It’s responsible for that bitter taste in extra virgin olive oil.

So, if your olive oil has a noticeable, fresh bitterness, it’s actually a good sign. It means the oil is full of antioxidants. Bitterness is higher when olives are harvested early, while they’re still green, as the antioxidant content in green olives is higher than in ripe ones.

Pungency: The Peppery Punch on the Throat

Ever felt a tickle in your throat after tasting EVOO? That spicy, peppery kick that sometimes makes you cough is called pungency and it’s another marker of high-quality oil. This sensation comes from a compound called oleocanthal, a natural anti-inflammatory compound so potent that it works similarly to ibuprofen. If your EVOO makes you cough a little, that’s a good thing; it means it’s loaded with health-boosting compounds.

Just like bitterness, pungency is higher in early-harvest EVOO due to the same reason: green olives have more natural antioxidants.

So, bitterness or pungency aren’t bad; they just take some getting used to, especially when low-quality, bland olive oils dominate the market and most of us have been exposed to this for so long. However, once you’ve experienced the quality, there’s no going back!

Many people mistake bitterness or pungency for defects, but as explained above, they’re actually signs of freshness, purity and health benefits. Many factors affect the final pungency and bitterness of olive oil; however, some varieties naturally have more polyphenols and thus, more bitterness and pungency.

A bland, greasy or overly mild olive oil is usually low in polyphenols or even rancid. So, the next time you taste EVOO and experience that bitterness and/or peppery kick, it means you're tasting liquid gold.

In the best high-quality EVOOs, bitterness and pungency must be in perfect balance, harmonizing with the oil’s other flavors to create a complex and delightful experience. These flavors should again remind you of fresh fruits, plants or veggies - not rancid walnuts or moldy overripe olives. It’s the symphony of flavors working together that makes high-quality olive oil a true pleasure to the senses.

Final Thought: Freshness and Balance Are Everything

Now that we know what to look for, what do we do with all this? The olive oil industry is vast, and there are many options out there. As consumers, we have a significant say, just like in any other industry. If we understand quality and demand it, we can raise the standards.

So, you can always taste and understand whether you’re using a good oil that adds flavor to your meals and supports your health. Always go for freshly harvested extra virgin olive oil, stored in dark glass bottles and kept away from heat and light. Look for harvest dates on the label and enjoy it as fresh as possible. A good, high-quality extra virgin olive oil isn’t just an ingredient; it’s an experience, full of flavor, depth, and complexity - much like a fine wine.

If you think this is too much work, just order a bottle of Grovehood Collective, which is already taste-tested 🙂. The fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency profiles of each bottle are indicated on the product pages, and using this article as a guide, you can decide which one to choose.