What does extra virgin olive oil taste like? 

You will not find a quintessential palate in EVOOs, since their flavor will depend largely on the variety of olive used to make them, depending on whether it is a monovarietal or a coupage olive oil. In other words, no two olive oils are the same and, therefore, not all of them will have the same characteristics in the mouth. 

However, when determining what extra virgin olive oil tastes like, four fundamental qualities must be assess. In fact, they are the ones that experts take into account to establish the quality of the EVOO in the professional tastings. What taste nuances should you pay attention to? 

• The flavor or taste. It refers to the sensations that the EVOO will awaken in you through the taste buds of the tongue. In this sense, you will be able to perceive bitterness and itching in the throat, which will indicate that the extra virgin olive oil comes from green olives, or some sweetness, which represents that it is an EVOO produced from ripe fruits. 

• Flavor. It consists of olfactory notes that the EVOO gives you in the nasal cavity during the tasting of the product. At this point, fruitiness is what quality extra virgin olive oil tastes like, understood as “the set of characteristic olfactory sensations of the oil, coming from fresh and healthy fruits, perceived directly and/or retronasally”, according to the definition of Comité Oleícola Internacional. That is, if it is a good EVOO, you will notice reminiscences of fruits, vegetables, nuts, vegetables, grass, leaves, spices... 
• Touch or body. Another aspect that you must analyze to determine what extra virgin olive oil tastes like is the physical consistency of the oil, always looking for a fluid EVOO, never pasty or watery. This implies that you should appreciate a softness in the first third of the mouth. 
• Aftertaste or retronasal persistence. It is the set of sensations perceived after having swallowed the extra virgin olive oil and that bring new nuances to the tasting. What should you look for in an EVOO? Mainly, that it is balanced, without any aroma or flavor standing out significantly. 

What should EVOO not taste like?
 

Another way to find out if you are looking at a good EVOO is to look at the non-appearance of negative attributes in the flavor of the oil. What perceptions should you never have when consuming a quality product? 

• Vegetable water. If you notice a certain aftertaste of vegetable water – a strong and acid smell emanated from some oil milling plants during production-, it is a poor quality EVOO. Remember that this flavor is because the olives have been stored for too long in poor conditions, causing their fermentation. 
• Mold or moisture. The same happens if you perceive a moldy taste, this indicates that the fruits have been piled up with humidity, developing fungi and yeasts that impair the quality of the EVOO. 
• Wine or vinegar taste. Does the olive oil seem very sour to you, as if it were vinegar? This sensation is typical of fermented olives or not been well-cleaned olives during the production process, giving rise to the formation of acetic acid, ethyl acetate and ethanol. 
• Metallic. If the olive oil has been in contact with metal surfaces for too long, it will develop this flavor, indicating that it is not a good product to consume. 

• Finally, a good EVOO will never taste rancid; only olive oils that have undergone an oxidative process have this negative attribute. 
  
  
  

What sensations do we offer you at Hacienda Guzmán? 

Now, once you know the flavors to avoid and the attributes to look for in an EVOO, the truth is that your personal tastes will be decisive in choosing an extra virgin. 

Aware of this, at Hacienda Guzmán we work with four varieties of extra virgin olive oil, all of the highest quality, so that you can choose the one that best suits your preferences: 

• HG Manzanilla: It presents an intense fruitiness with green and fresh nuances that will remind you of the leaf and stem of the olive tree, with slight bitterness and spiciness. 

• HG Hojiblanca: You will associate its aroma with vegetable nuances of tomato, leaf, grass and artichoke, with a pleasant finish on the palate, characterized by an intense, prolonged and slightly spicy aftertaste. 
• HG Arbequina: mild, with low bitterness and medium spiciness. It is a very aromatic olive oil, with flavor of green apple, banana, tomato and almond. 
• HG Coupage: a mixture of the three previous ones, our coupage has a balance of spiciness, bitterness, and an extraordinary fragrance, with hints of very fruity green olives, herbaceous aromas and flavors of almond and fresh wood. 

Not sure which one to choose? It does not matter, because we also have a box with our four varieties of Premium EVOO so that you can enjoy all the taste possibilities offered by an extra virgin olive oil produced under the highest quality standards. Taste it!