A flawless olive oil ( extra virgin ) has three positive attributes: fruity, bitter and pungent . The fruitiness is understood as the sum of all characteristics dependent on the olive variety from healthy, fresh, ripe or unripe olive fruits. An olive oil can be reminiscent of green aromas, such as freshly cut grass, green almond skin, artichoke or apple, or it can also have ripe impressions of berries, ripe fruit or floral notes. This depends on the one hand on the olive variety and even more on the time of harvest and thus the degree of ripeness of the olive.
In Greece, the Koroneiki and Kalamata varieties dominate. Harvested green, these olive varieties have aromas such as grassy and green banana. Their ripe variants then also produce ripe fruit notes. Bitter is a basic taste and is perceived on the tongue. The sharpness is mainly felt in the throat. Fresh, green harvested olives make the olive oil obtained from them taste bitter and sharper than oil produced when ripe.
Deficiencies in olive oil production can create a variety of negative flavors. Usually it is an interaction of bacteria, mold or yeast and too long storage of the (damaged) olives, which unfavorably changes the pulp and thus the quality of the olive oil. The olive oil then smells pungent, muddy, musty, vinegary or wine-like, for example. If olive oil is stored incorrectly or for too long, it will become rancid. A professional, trained tasting group (a panel) of at least eight - twelve testers can validly assess whether an olive oil is sensory faultless. With defects, an olive oil can no longer be described as extra virgin .
Every consumer should like to try their olive oil pure from a small glass before using it, in order to get their own impression of the smell and taste.