在夏季的顶峰时，吃光具有全新的含义。酥脆的沙拉，带有充满活力的醋，穿着穿着的新鲜面食以及烤瘦肉和蔬菜在餐桌上占据主导地位。特级橄榄油是准备和装饰这些夏季菜肴的理想选择，但是要购买哪种油？超市可用的庞大阵列可能是压倒性的。

We thought we’d help by exploring the world of supermarket extra-virgin olive oils. In general, they should have a balance of bitterness, fruitiness (a distinct olive flavor), and pungency (in olive oil terminology, the peppery bite in the back of your throat). But because extra-virgin olive oils are blended and processed differently around the world, each oil is unique in aroma and flavor (appearance has no bearing on the quality of an oil). They run the gamut from mild and delicate to peppery and robust, depending on the production region, the harvest season, the olive varietals included in the finished oil, the acidity level, and many other factors.

实际上，只有一种方法可以弄清楚您喜欢哪种橄榄油，然后再品尝和品尝。我们对来自全球的23种容易获得的特级橄榄油进行了取样（请参阅面板上的所有味道，下面是关于我们的品尝过程的说明）。这里列出的油是我们的最爱。

光滑和黄油

Silky-smooth and mild but never bland

Ollo: Mild and Mellow($10.49 for 16.9 oz.), from Australia, is aptly named—it’s subtle, smooth, and delicate, with a green, perfumy aroma. The finish was mild too, which makes it ideal for vinaigrettes.

科拉维塔专门用意大利橄榄制成的橄榄油外橄榄油（17盎司约9美元）是我们烹饪的第一选择。香气被低估了，风味的黄油几乎是丝般的，带有胡椒味的最低味。这将是任何您正在寻找微妙橄榄味的食谱的好补充，例如那些含有温和，片状鱼类或新鲜蔬菜的食谱。

果味和新鲜

多功能和中等，有果味香气和风味

Tassos($10.69 for 17 oz.), harvested and bottled in Crete, Greece, is a winner for its deep, almost smoky fruitiness. The fragrance is strong but pleasant, evocative of crisp greens, apples, green olives, and unripe bananas. Very fresh and only slightly bitter, this oil would be wonderful in a salsa with grilled meats, in any raw or gently cooked sauce, or served with crusty bread for dipping.

露西尼的(about $14 for 500 ml) Italian organic extra-virgin olive oil is a clear favorite, with fruity and herbal notes in both the aroma and flavor. Tasters picked up a lot of green banana and fresh olive flavor and really enjoyed the subtle peppery kick in the finish. We would happily use this oil for dressing green or vegetable salads or on zesty pastas.

绿色和草本

想想绿色 - 酥脆的草和绿叶草药

We lovedTerra Medi的（500毫升约12美元）草味的草药。由希腊橄榄产生，用干净的口感和绿色水果和坚果的香气平衡。饰面是黄油且有些苦的，它在口感中轻轻展开。这种油会在烤面包或豆类沙拉或烤鱼或肉类菜肴上撒上美味的毛毛雨。

Unio’s（17盎司约13美元。）额外的橄榄油由在西班牙加泰罗尼亚省种植的Arbequina Olives制成。它的新鲜，绿色的香气和风味立即使我们赢得了我们。前面有大量橄榄果实，最后一个可爱的辛辣踢，这将是装饰夏季汤或腌制肉的绝佳油。

Peppery & ripe

Robust and complex, with a spicy kick and earthy olive flavor

McEvoy牧场($20 for 375 ml), an extra-virgin olive oil from California’s Napa Valley, was one of the most complex and deeply flavored oils of the lot. We loved its ripe, olivy fragrance, intensely floral and fruity flavors, and pungent, peppery finish. We wouldn’t cook with it because heat would diminish its nuances. It’s perfect for garnishing a cheese plate or a platter of grilled meat and vegetables.

Filippo Berio（17盎司约为6美元。）来自几个地中海国家的高级橄榄油的混合物，具有强大的葡萄酒，含有明亮的柑橘味和几乎类似干草的味道，最后带有刺刺，辣的叮咬。当您想在食物中添加成熟的橄榄味时，这是烹饪的绝佳选择，但它也足够细微，可以独自站立。

理想的油：

• 烹饪：科拉维塔
• 醋汁：Ollo：温和和醇厚
• 全部目的：Filippo Berio
• Dipping crusty bread:Tassos
• 最后的触摸：McEvoy牧场

What does extra-virgin really mean?

According to the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC), olive oil qualifies as extra-virgin if it has been mechanically extracted from the olives (no chemicals or heat can be used in the process), has no more than 0.8% acidity, and has no defects in flavor or aroma. The United States is not a member of the IOOC, but oils from California are regulated by the California Olive Oil Council, whose standards are even stricter: It allows no more than 0.5% acidity.

It’s all about the taste

品尝特级橄榄油（例如品尝葡萄酒甚至巧克力）本身就是一门科学，但我们的方法相对简单。我们分别进行了三种单独的品尝，分别是七个或八种橄榄油，这样我们就不会厌倦了。在专业的橄榄油品尝中，油含有蓝色或绿色眼镜，因此品尝者不会受到油的颜色的影响，但是为了简单起见，我们将我们的杯子倒入了小的白色塑料杯中。

We smelled each oil, sipped the oil straight, and then tasted it with very thin slices of white bread. Tart green apples served as palate cleansers (water and oil don’t mix, so drinking water is ineffective). Our goal was to categorize each olive oil into one of the four flavor categories at left and to recommend culinary uses, whether for cooking or as a finishing touch.

Speaking the language

As with wine tasting, there is a vocabulary for tasting extra-virgin olive oils. To help our tasters pin down the flavors they were experiencing, we referenced the following list of terms: almond, apple, artichoke, astringent, banana, bitter, briny, burnt, coarse, earthy, flat, fresh, fruity, grassy, greasy, green, harmonious, hay-like, herbal, lemony, melony, metallic, musky, nutty, old, peppery, perfumy, pungent, rancid, rough, suave, sweet, winy.