This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carapelli. All opinions are 100% mine.
I recently had the opportunity to try Carapelli Olive Oil. We go through quite a bit of olive oil around here because we love pasta and everything Italian. I also like to sometimes make my own salad dressing. Carapelli is a brand I've used in the past, but I've never taken the time to simply taste the olive oil I use and tend to buy the kind that's on sale or one I have a coupon for.
I'd actually never heard of doing a taste test before, but I was encouraged to do one with this olive oil--and use the Four S's to evaluate it. An olive oil taste test is done much like a wine tasting. You pour a little oil in a glass and warm it a bit by holding the bowl of your glass and covering the top. Next is where the Four S's come into play: Swirl, Sniff, Slurp and Swallow.
First you swirl the oil around to release its aromas. Next you sniff to take in all the scents, from subtle to pungent. After that, you slurp the oil--taking in a bit of air as you note the various flavors--before you swallow. A good olive oil shouldn't leave behind an aftertaste.
I followed all these steps as I conducted my taste test. The Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil I tried had a strong aroma after I swirled it around. The aroma was intense, but also had some subtle undertones. Upon tasting it, the flavor of the oil was also strong with a bit of a peppery flavor and something else which I couldn't quite identify, but the flavor was nice. It would definitely be a nice oil to use in a salad dressing or for dipping bread. The strong, but not over powering flavor surprisingly left no real aftertaste.
I'm glad I took the time to do the taste test even though I was honestly a little hesitant to do it. I also tried a taste test with a store brand olive oil that was already in my cabinet. I was surprised at the difference and realized the Carapelli brand was definitely more flavorful.
If you'd like to conduct your own taste test or just want to save a little bit on some good olive oil, I even have a coupon for you. Head on over to print a $1.00 OFF coupon at www.CarapelliUSA.com.
