That Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tastes Funny
admin | February 22, 2010By international convention, all extra virgin olive oils SHOULD be free of any taste defects. However, in reality a number of faulty olive oils do make it onto the market – sometimes intentionally – other times the producer just doesn’t know that their oil has a problem . So if you buy an EVOO and it seems to taste a bit funny, consult the following table. At least you’ll know what the problem is!
| Character | Description
|
Most Probable Cause |
| Fusty | Brined table olives, bad tapenade | Olive stored in piles that have undergone a fermentation prior to processing |
| Musty | Dry mouldy hay, mould spores, mushroom | From fungi and moulds that accumulate on olives stored in humid conditions |
| Winey | Vinegar and/or nail polish remover | Olive fermentation in the presence of oxygen. Typically from damaged olives particularly if they are over-ripe |
| Rancid | Stale walnuts, peanuts, stale cooked oil, fish shop, putty | From oil oxidation. All oils will eventually go rancid over time no matter how good they are or how well they are stored |
| Muddy Sediment | Fetid milk, baby vomit, parmesan cheese, salami, smoky | Prolonged contact with sediment in storage tanks or if cloudy oils settle in bottle |
| Metallic | Metal, epsom salts | From metal contact, but also seen in very bitter oils that have been extracted under excessive heat, or in the presence of leaves |
| Earthy | Wet soil, dusty | From soiled unwashed olives, or olives washed by dirty wash water |
| Frosted | Stewed fruits. vanilla, acrylic paint | Frozen fruit on the tree which has been thawed |
| Dried | Hay, fresh straw | Drought affected olives, or those desiccated through extended refrigeration in cool rooms |
| Burnt | Caramel, metallic taste | From excessive and/or prolonged heating of the paste before oil extraction |
| Matty | A general dirtyness, more often like muddy sediment or mustyness and/or rancidity | Not an official fault but should be. From contaminated mats, i.e. from residue oil in the mats that has began to ferment and/or go rancid |
| Flat | Lacking fresh fruit character | Typically fruit aroma/flavours are lost due to age. Together with fattyness, signals the onset of rancidity |
