How to Taste Olive Oil Like a Sommelier

Professional olive oil tasters use a small blue glass — cobalt blue, specifically, so that the color of the oil cannot influence their judgment. Color tells you nothing about quality. Flavor tells you everything.

Step 1: Warm. Cup the glass in your hands and cover it with your palm. Swirl gently for 30 seconds. The warmth releases the volatile compounds — the aromatic molecules that will tell the oil's story.

Step 2: Smell. Uncover the glass and bring it to your nose. Inhale deeply. What do you notice? Fresh-cut grass? Green tomato? Artichoke? Almond? The best oils have complex, layered aromas that evolve as you breathe them in.

Step 3: Taste. Take a small sip and let it coat your entire mouth. Draw air through the oil (this is called "stripping" and it's meant to be noisy). Notice the flavors on different parts of your tongue — fruity sweetness at the front, bitter notes in the middle.

Step 4: Finish. Swallow. A great oil will leave a peppery tingle in the back of your throat. This is the pungency — caused by oleocanthal, a natural anti-inflammatory compound. The more it tingles, the higher the polyphenol content, and the better the oil.