“Fruity” Doesn’t Mean Sweet: Understanding the First (and Most Misunderstood) EVOO Flavor

olive-oracle
Wed, 07 May 2025 07:53:50 +0000
Tasting & Quality

Hey folks!

Let’s bust a big olive oil myth today: when someone says a real EVOO is “fruity,” they don’t mean it tastes like strawberries or bananas.

In olive oil tasting, fruitiness means freshness—that the oil came from healthy, just-harvested olives, crushed at their peak.
It’s one of the three pillars of great EVOO flavor, along with bitterness and pungency.

So What Is Fruity, Really?

It’s all about the aromas and flavors that remind you of fresh produce.

Some EVOOs smell like green tomato, fresh-cut grass, artichoke, or apple skin.

Others lean toward ripe olive, banana peel, or even nuts.

Fruity oils can be green-fruity (think herbaceous and vegetal) or ripe-fruity (think soft and round).
Neither is better—just different styles!

How Experts Evaluate Fruitiness

Trained tasters (and competitions like NYIOOC) score EVOOs on how intensely fruity they are.
And here’s the kicker: without fruitiness, an oil cannot be graded as “extra virgin.”
It’s that essential.

If your olive oil doesn’t smell like much—or only smells oily or flat—it’s likely refined, old, or not truly EVOO.

What It Tells You About the Oil

Fruitiness hints at:

Fresh harvest

Skilled milling

Proper storage

High antioxidant content

The more vibrant and complex the aroma, the better the chances you’re tasting a real-deal, unfiltered olive juice.

Your Turn

Have you tried an EVOO that smelled like fresh-cut herbs or tomato vines?
Which fruit-forward oils have surprised you the most?

Let’s chat aroma memories and swap favorite “fruity” bottles in the comments!

Luca

###**Tags: **
real-evoo, olive-oil-tasting, fruitiness, olive-oil-flavor-profile, tasting-notes, olive-oil-quality, tasting-and-quality

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