Bitterness is perceived by the sense of taste and depends on many factors: the variety of olives, the stage of ripening at the time of harvesting and the milling process which must be done within a few hours and cold. A pronounced bitterness is indicative of quality "extra virgin olive oil"; it is given by the richness of phenolic compounds (antioxidants) present in the oil, which have a high nutritional value and allow it to be preserved for a long time.

Spicy or rather a pleasant pinch in the throat, is perceived by the sense of touch. It is another great quality, appreciated especially if you use extra virgin olive oil raw. Like bitterness, it is also due to the fact that there is a massive presence of antioxidant substances in extra virgin olive oil. Therefore we can conclude that if an olive oil stings and is bitter, it is most likely a quality extra virgin olive oil.

Anyone can enjoy smelling oil and once trained they are able to start recognizing more and more scents. The scents are linked to the chemical substances actually present in each oil, which can recall different scents: vegetal, floral, fruity (such as citrus, apple and others) and spicy tones such as aromatic herbs, pepper and cinnamon. Thanks to the olfactory analysis we can classify EVO oils as light, medium or intense