“Citrus”… “grass”… “leafy”… “peppery…” “bitter finish”…. “smooth and soft mouth feel”.

Three guesses to what those adjectives described. If you guessed wine, no prize for you. It’s a different type of tasting that I attended on Monday evening.

I am referring to a fruit product. I’m talking olive oil. Not a fan of olives – though in my lifetime I’m determined to find an olive that I like -  I’m big on olive oil. I know, it’s kind of like saying that I like apple juice but not apples, but there is a big flavour distinction for me. Also, a big part of my olive aversion is the smell. I hold my breath as I stride past the antipasti section.

Olive oil, however, is one of my favourite ingredients. Complex with fruity and peppery notes, it’s also my favourite colour (green, that is, not specifically olive). It excited me, then, to get invited to a preview event for Full Moon and Oro San Carlos, two new Spanish olive oils.

Full Moon is made from arbequina olives grown in family-owned orchards located in the region of Extremadura, Spain. Not just a catchy product name, the arbequina olives that make it into every bottle of Full Moon are picked during the full moon in September or October. In 2009, the first year of production, this occurred on October 4 at 6:00am.

The idea behind picking at this time is that this is when the olives are sufficiently ripe, yet green enough, for the ideal aroma and flavour. Picking too early results in an oil with an aggressive, pepper flavour. Olives for this oil are fully crushed and pressed within one hour of picking. Within two hours, the oil is stored in oxygen-inert stainless steel tanks for peak freshness.  I learned that this particular olive crop (October 2009) escaped being damaged by bad rain storms that occurred later in the growing season.

Full Moon was the feature of the evening. After we held the small cups of oil in our hands to warm it up a bit, we were told to take a sip, roll it around in our mouths, then swallow.

Tasting notes: Tomato, green fruit, nutty, fruity, green grapes. Soft and smooth, sweet and delicate. Until this tasting event I never noticed how prevalent tomato-like flavour is in olive oil. This was the mildest oil of the evening.

We didn’t taste every one on that placemat, but we did try 5.

Oro San Carlos is a coupage (blend) of arbequina and cornicabra olives released in 2009. It is ideal for seasoning salads and a variety of dishes as a beautiful finishing oil.

Scent: Green, apple. Taste: Leafy with a peppery finish. The promo material describes the flavour profile as such: apple, fresh cut grass, ripe banana, and citrus – a splendid balance between fruit and pepper with a long, memorable finish. I got butter.

The third variety of olive oil sampled, Dauro, is a coupage of Spanish Arbequina, Greek Koroneiki and Spanish Hojiblanca. Each variety contributes different characteristics as grape varietals do for wine.

This oil intrigues me because the producer manages its groves under Integrated Crop Production guidelines based on ecological principles and biotechnology. Tree prunings are used as fertilizer, flowering grass covers attract beneficial insects, natural bacterial target specific pests, and hormone traps reduce pest populations.  This reminds me of the practices that I saw at the Cutting Veg farm last fall. Read more about Duaro’s practices here and here (both links are to PDF documents).

Duaro has a bitter finish. It tasted of tomato, and greens. I noticed that it was cloudier than the others and upon inquiring, learned that it was unfiltered. This isn’t a good or bad thing, just different.

For the final two, we tasted Ame and Rincon.

Ame is a multicultural blend (I say that oily-tongue-in-slick-cheek): Greek Koroneiki, Portuguese Cobrancosa, Spanish Arbequina and Italian Frantoi. Deep green and grassy, it has notes of citrus and melon with a peppery finish. It feels more viscous in the mouth (I just pulled “viscosity” from my memory of grade 7 science class. though it sounds like promo material language). It’s a delicious oil with a soft kick.  Not yet available for sale in Canada.

With over 65 awards, Organic Rincon is the second most expensive of the oils sampled.  It’s made with Spanish hojiblanca olives, also found in Duaro. I found that it smelled grassy, green and citrusy. It tasted of tomato and herbs. I imagined it to be a good finishing oil. A drizzle could enhance a dish.

Now that I’ve waned and waxed, back to the Full Moon, picked during a full moon: Is it worth it? Is it a gimmick? Well, it’s probably a gimmick. It’s a tasty one, something to experience and something worth having if you’re an olive oil aficionado. It won’t change your life even if you are an epicure.

It’s also certainly not Rachel Ray’s EVOO.

Both Full Moon and Oro San Carlos will be available at Pantry beginning in the next couple of weeks. Call for availability.

Spanish food expert Lola Csullog-Fernandez hosted the preview at her fine food store, Pimentón, on Mount Pleasant near Eglinton (Toronto). She also provided tapas* accompanied by Spanish wine. Csullog-Fernandez and her chef conceived seven types of tapas, some of which used Gasull and Oro de San Carlos olive oils. Lifford Wine Agency provided Spanish wines. I could list the tapas and provide tasting notes but in the interest of space, here are a few of my favourites:

• Lamb meatballs with membrillo Oro de San Carlos Alioli (that means alioli, or aioli, with quince and olive oil),
• Salchichón Inbérico popcorn croquetas (basically sausage croquettes)
• Deep fried pimentón chickpeas, which were crunchy, salty and sweet; the ultimate TV snack food.

The sausage, Salchichón & Chorizo Ibérico Fermín, was a big hit. Both are made from the famous black Ibérico pig unique to Spain. See Pimentón‘s home page under “new products”  for descriptions (no, really, read it).

*(If you’ve seen season 1 of the British TV Show the IT Crowd the word “tapas” might make you giggle with recollection of Moss and Jen’s discussion of how to pronounce it.)

The wine I especially liked was the Telmo Rodriquez Basa, with it’s clean, crisp, melon, lemon taste that was almost like juice. I had a couple of nice reds too. If I recall correctly, Joel of blog Get the Foodie 411 raved about the Gazur.

On a final note, I kind of got busted at the tasting: Two people approached me and said (in some way or another), “So I guess you’re not doing Meghan’s Low GI program…” I was actually thinking of doing it on my own next week during Passover when I’ll be light on the carbs anyway. Meghan, if you’re reading this: You appear to have spies everywhere.

More photos to follow.

Other people’s posts about the Full Moon preview*:

• Olives and grapes, who knew they were similar?: Get the Foodie 411
• Olive Oil Tasting at Pimenton: Mark and Stacey of Tasting Toronto
• Full Moon Olive Oil Tasting: Food with Legs.
• The Spanish EVOOlution: Greg Bolton, Good Food Revolution (I revolt against the pun, Greg.)
• Full Moon Fever: Tod Stewart of Tidings Magazine

*For the record, I avoid reading other people’s reviews before writing my own – though sometimes I refer to them during my final edit for fact-checking purposes – because I don’t want them to influence me.

Related recent news:

Just how pure is that extra-virgin olive oil in your kitchen? – National Post