Why Does Extra Virgin Olive Oil Have a Peppery Taste?

 

Have you ever tasted a good extra virgin olive oil and felt a distinctive peppery sensation at the back of your throat?

Maybe it made you cough slightly. Perhaps there was a pleasant bitterness followed by a warming, pepper-like kick.

That isn’t necessarily a sign that something is wrong with the oil.

In fact, that characteristic sensation can be one of the most interesting features of fresh, high-quality extra virgin olive oil.

Where Does the Peppery Taste Come From?

The peppery sensation is associated with naturally occurring compounds found in olives, including polyphenols.

Polyphenols are plant compounds naturally present in extra virgin olive oil. Their levels can vary considerably depending on factors such as:

* The olive variety
* When the olives are harvested
* Growing conditions
* How quickly the olives are processed after harvesting
* Extraction and storage conditions

Oils particularly rich in certain phenolic compounds can have a noticeably bitter, robust and peppery character.

Rather than thinking of this purely as “spiciness”, it can be helpful to think of it as part of the oil’s natural flavour profile.

Why Does It Catch the Back of Your Throat?

One particularly interesting compound found in some extra virgin olive oils is oleocanthal.

Oleocanthal is associated with the distinctive throat irritation or peppery sensation experienced when tasting certain olive oils.

That’s why professional olive oil tasting can sometimes result in a little cough.

A powerful oil may initially taste fruity on the tongue before developing a warming sensation towards the back of the throat.

Does Peppery Olive Oil Mean It’s Better?

Not automatically.

Pepperiness alone doesn’t prove that an olive oil is superior. Extra virgin olive oils can have many different legitimate flavour profiles, ranging from delicate and fruity to intensely bitter and peppery.

However, bitterness and pungency are recognised characteristics of extra virgin olive oil and can be particularly noticeable in oils made from fresh, early-harvest olives.

So if you’ve been used to very mild supermarket olive oils, tasting a robust EVOO for the first time can be surprising.

That kick isn’t necessarily a defect — it may be part of exactly what makes the oil distinctive.

Why Early Harvest Olive Oils Can Taste More Intense

Olives harvested earlier in the season are generally greener and less ripe.

They typically produce less oil than fully ripe olives, but the resulting oil can have a much more pronounced flavour.

Early-harvest oils are often characterised by flavours and aromas reminiscent of:

fresh grass, green tomato, herbs, artichoke and olive leaf, accompanied by varying levels of bitterness and pepperiness.

This is one reason producers seeking a bold, characterful EVOO may choose to harvest earlier rather than simply waiting for the maximum possible oil yield.

Picual: A Naturally Bold Olive Variety

Olive variety also makes an enormous difference.

Picual, the variety at the heart of Andalus Extra Virgin Olive Oil, is strongly associated with Jaén in Andalucía, Spain — one of the world’s great olive-growing regions.

Picual oils are renowned for their distinctive character. Depending on harvest and production, they can display green, herbaceous flavours together with noticeable bitterness and pungency.

That makes Picual very different from an olive oil designed simply to disappear into the background of a dish.

It has personality.

How to Taste Extra Virgin Olive Oil Properly

You don’t need to be a professional olive oil taster to appreciate a good EVOO.

Pour a small amount into a glass or spoon and taste it on its own.

First, notice the aroma.

Then take a small sip and allow the oil to coat your mouth before swallowing slowly.

Look for different sensations rather than simply deciding whether it tastes “nice”.

Can you detect fresh grass? Tomato? Artichoke? Herbs?

Is there bitterness on the tongue?

And finally…

Does that little peppery kick appear at the back of your throat?

Once you start recognising these characteristics, tasting olive oil becomes surprisingly similar to appreciating wine.

The Andalus Approach

Our Andalus extra virgin olive oil comes from Jaén, Andalucía, produced using Picual olives from family groves and bottled at source in Spain.

We love the characteristics that make genuine Spanish EVOO interesting: fresh green aromas, distinctive flavour and that unmistakable peppery finish.

So the next time your olive oil gives you a little kick at the back of the throat, don’t immediately assume there’s something wrong with it.

Take another taste.

You may simply be experiencing one of the characteristics that makes a robust extra virgin olive oil so distinctive.

Ready to taste the difference?

Explore our range of award-winning Spanish extra virgin olive oils, including early-harvest Picual and high-polyphenol varieties. Shop the Andalus Olive Oil Collection →

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