California Impresses At International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition
The most interesting part of Wu's article may be her descriptions of the various taste techniques employed by the judges:
Watching one panel at work, I was struck by the sounds of tasting. Some judges aerated the olive oils with many short, staccato intakes of breath before swallowing. Others drew in one long, sustained slurp. Quite frequently a cough followed the inhalation, a normal sign of the pungency striking the back of the throat.As in any subjective competition involving international counterparts, judges often disagreed on what constitutes a good performance. New World and Old World judges clashed several times on the characteristic of oils. For example, the Spaniards favor for "finesse," while Americans prefer less subtle, outright flavors. Nonetheless, the competition's outcome was clear: American olive oil is legit.Pungency and bitterness are positive attributes in olive oil, but they must be within the bounds of the class -- delicate, medium or robust -- and of the varietal.
U.S. olive oil coming into its own [SFGate]
