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Official Tasting Technique

Table olives are placed in the standardized tasting glass for olive oil and contain as many olives as the bottom of the glass can hold when placed side by side in a single layer. If the sample of table olives are with brine or other liquid, we pour this over the olives so they are fully covered. The glasses are covered with a glass lid and tasted at room temperature between 20 and 25 °C.
Each taster works individually in their tasting booth where they taste and complete the profile sheet for each sample. At the first stage, the taster holds the tasting glass covered by its lid and moves it gently to help the sample release its aromas.
Then they remove the lid and smell the sample, breathing deeply and slowly in order to evaluate and mark on the profile sheet the intensity of the direct olfactory sensations. Smelling should  not last more than 20 seconds.
The tasters then assess the texture and taste attributes of each sample completing the profile sheet accordingly. For the assessment of the texture attributes, the taster places one of the olives in their mouth.
They assess its level of hardness by cutting the olive with their front teeth; they then remove the pit of the olive and assess the level of crunchiness with their back teeth. By placing the chewed olive between their tongue and palate, the taster assesses the intensity of fibrousness.
Finally, the taster assesses the intensity of saltiness, sourness and bitterness of the table olive sample as perceived on their tongue. For the assessment of the table olive sample, the tasters should taste all the olives contained in the glass, rinsing their mouth with water after each olive.