Olive Oil Tasting?? Who Knew??

To kill time before watching Slumdog Millionaire, Mosel and I went to We Olive in Belmont Shore for an olive oil tasting. I heart Olive oil-- it is truly a staple in my diet.

What is We Olive you ask? It’s the cutest little store that sells olive oil (mainly from California as well as olive oil from all over the world). They also sell olives, dipping oils, vinegars, tapenades, and bath and body olive oil-based body products like soap and candles.

Mosel asks me, “Are we going to be doing shots of olive oil?” LOL I honestly had no idea what was in store.

Olive oil tasting is much like wine tasting. First they pour the olive oil sample in a tiny plastic cup. Next you hold the sample, top and bottom between your hands, in order to warm it. Then you swirl it, sniff it, take a sip, aerate it in your mouth and swallow. Supposedly this is the only way to taste the true flavor of the oil.

I’ll be honest with you -- a lot of them tasted like fresh cut grass or wheat grass. Some of them had a peppery finish. I really had no idea that olive oil was so complex.

I purchased an Arbequina olive oil from Spain (I’ve already killed it). It was absolutely wonderful. Good stuff, Maynard. I'd suggest you limit your tasting to 3 to 4 samples. I got kind of queasy afterward but I think I had way too many. I will say it was very unique experience and I would definitely go back for another tasting.