Round 5 of the TasteBook™ sensory training program offered an unmissable sensory experience, exploring the nuances of Picual varietal EVOO. Following hot on its heels, in the New Year participants will have a double-sized learning opportunity, with the next two rounds being run together. TasteBook™ Round 6 and 7 will focus on Kalamata table olives and flavoured oils respectively, offering a veritable ‘feast for the senses’.
TasteBook™ Round 5
More than 30 olive enthusiasts from Australia, New Zealand, USA and South Africa participated in Round 5 of the TasteBook™ program, tasting four different Gold medal-winning Picual oils from Australia and New Zealand.
TasteBook™ co-ordinator Dr Soumi Paul Mukhopadhyay said that feedback was positive about the value of the varietal comparison.
“Although the sensory nuances were subtle, participants reported that the perceivable difference between the oils was picked up by the palate,” she said.
“All reported an enjoyable experience from the nose to the palate, with a smooth flavour transfer, and were delighted with the opportunity to taste such high quality prize-winning oils.”
TasteBook™ Rounds 6 and 7
Dr Paul Mukhopadhyay said the up-coming combined round will provide participants with “an experience they will not forget”.
“We’ll be exploring the mystique that is the Kalamata olive and diving deep into the sensory sea with various flavoured oils from Australian producers. Make sure you keep your eyes and ears open for the opening of registrations, and your palates primed for the arrival of the samples,” she said.
“Every participant will receive two packs of four Kalamata table olives samples and four bottles of flavoured oils, all from top Australian producers, providing a mega-tasting and learning experience in one delivery.
“We were thrilled to receive clear indications from our participants about what they would like to taste in the coming rounds, which identified the interest in Kalamatas and flavoured oils, so I want to send a huge thanks to everyone who responded and made that decision an easy one.”
The combined TasteBook™ Round 6 and 7 will kick off from mid-January 2020 for registrations, with samples sent by mid-February. Don’t miss this flavour-packed opportunity to join the TasteBook™ learning community as we taste, describe and appreciate some of Australia’s best award winning produce – all from the comfort of your own home.
Learn more
For more information on the TasteBook™ sensory training program contact Dr Soumi Paul Mukhopadhyay on 0409 283 581 or via email at soumi.paul.mukhopadhyay@dpi.nsw.gov.au. You can also read about the program and view the results of earlier rounds on the OliveBiz website here https://olivebiz.com.au/tastebook-round-5/.
This project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation olive research and development levy, co-investment from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, the Australian Olive Association and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.
