Afternoon of Olive Oil Tasting

There are more things to do on a rainy Saturday afternoon than curl up under a blanket with a good book. Sure, coffee with friends is always welcome, but how about something different for a change?


When Olivers & Co. closed for business for the day at 4:00, nine people from the English Speaking Community Club showed up at their shop in downtown Stockholm. Sophia, the owner, a young woman originally from Italy, invited us to join her on a European tour of oils by sampling various oils pressed from a variety of different olives. As expected, we tasted oils from Italy and France, but there were also oils from Portugal and from Greece, which has recently dramatically improved the quality of their olive oil.

We learned that olive oil can come from one kind of olive or be a combination of oils of  up to six different kinds of olives. From my own experience at an olive pressing facility in Sicily this past summer, I saw posters of 26 different kinds of olive trees hanging on the wall. The owner said that that was how many different kinds of olives were grown in that region, but he had only 11 varieties in his groves. Olives require the same climate, soil and sunlight as grapes, so olive groves are often found in fields adjacent to vineyards.  

There are categories of flavors that include grassy, citrusy and peppery, and we were able to sample each kind. The way to properly taste olive oil is to sip some onto the tongue, then inhale air through the teeth over the tongue. One can taste the dramatic difference among the different flavors by experiencing the oils in this manner. 

Another aspect of olive oil is its viscosity, or density. As you know, some oils feel light on the tongue and others feel heavy. What makes a light, fresh-tasting oil is olives that have been picked and pressed the same day. In some mass-produced olive oil factories, the olives sit and oxidize, and it’s the oxidation that gives them a heavier texture. 

The best way to preserve olive oil at home is to store it in a dark place and keep a tight-fitting lid on it to help keep it from oxidizing. Use it within six months of opening the bottle. The olive oils sold in dark glass bottles are the best for a reason! 

An interesting tidbit I learned was when dressing a salad, pour the vinegar or lemon juice on first, because if you put the olive oil on first, the slickness of the oil will cause the vinegar to just run off the leaves and go to the bottom. 

The shop we visited has over 30 different kinds of oils from around the world and oils that have been flavored with garlic, lemon, chili pepper and mint! I had the opportunity to have a little sample of mint oil with a couple drops of ginger vinegar, and it was to die for!