Virtual Olive Oil Tasting & Masterclass
Let’s get you thinking critically about olive oil.
It’s your most-used kitchen staple. It’s as complex as wine. And it can elevate—or degrade—every ingredient it touches. But you probably don’t know much about it. Or at least, you didn’t. Until now.
Trusted By
When it comes to olive oil,
we should all be a little more critical.
The olive oil industry is sketchy, to say the least.
This beautiful ingredient is meant to be real, fresh, and simple. Instead, the olive oil on our shelves is often adulterated, rancid, and fake. (And I mean that literally!)
Limited consumer knowledge opens the door to fraudulent production and distribution that takes advantage of us—wrapping rancid olive oil and dyed-green canola oil in pretty packaging full of inflated claims. Then laughing as we ruin our best dishes with it. Or worse, consume it by the tablespoon for our health!
The Good News?
It doesn’t have to stay this way. There’s a way to make it change.
And it involves you eating a lot more delicious food!
Introducing The Olive Oil Critic’s
Virtual Olive Oil Tasting & Masterclass
For anyone who buys, uses, or cooks with olive oil.
Learn what good olive oil tastes like, how to pair it with meals, cook with it, and spot a fake, and what really makes a quality oil. (Hint: it’s not the price tag!)
Regions, Agriculture, Taste, Terroir
Imagine a wine tasting or a coffee cupping—but for olive oil.
This masterclass is a tasting and an introduction to all things olive oil. If you’ve ever taken a class on coffee or wine (or wanted to), it will follow a similar arc.
We’ll dive into different olive varieties (did you know there are more olive varieties than there are grapes?), and discuss how all the steps in the production process affect both taste and quality.
You’ll taste different oils as we go in a certified cobalt blue tasting glass. And you’ll learn how to buy the best olive oil at every price point.
By the end of the day, you’ll have a new skill set, a new favourite ingredient, and a new culinary interest to share with your friends.
2.5 Hours
Spend two and a half hours learning from best-selling cookbook author and olive oil sommelier Emily Lycopolus.
Virtual Tasting
We ship everything you need to your door, and guide you through the class and tasting over Zoom.
Small Classes
“The course is outstanding!”
The master class is comprehensive and educational. I learned so much about olive oil. However, the best thing about it is the presenter. Emily allows all questions and never makes anyone feel stupid. Her relaxed yet confident manner and obvious mastery of the subject creates a fun learning environment! I really think it is fabulous.
You’ll leave the class knowing:
What “extra virgin olive oil” actually is & how to taste it
How to identify high-quality olive oil (and spot a fake!)
How to pair olive oil with meals like wine & use it in any dish
Meet Emily Lycopolus
Your Olive Oil Sommelier
I’m Emily. I grew up on the kitchen counter. And love olive oil a little too much.
I’m the author of 8 cookbooks, the creator behind @ThatFoodConnection, and the former owner of a specialty olive oil store. I also created Canada’s first olive oil micro-credential through George Brown College in Toronto!
I love sharing what I know about olive oil—the most-used ingredient that’s meant to be real, fresh, and simple…but often comes to us adulterated, rancid, or completely fake. (No, really!)
If You’re Like Me
If you care what goes into your food and your meals…
If you want to support the farmers and producers pouring themselves into their craft.
If you want to hold the industry accountable for what it puts on our shelves.
If you’d love to celebrate quality olive oil the way you celebrate coffee, chocolate, cheese, wine, or tea.
Start thinking critically about olive oil with me.
What’s Included?
Everything you need to become an at-home olive oil critic.
Complete Tasting Kit
Receive a custom-made box with instructions on how to prepare for the tasting, along with your samples and your tasting glass.
5 Olive Oil Samples
From fruity to grassy to pungent, a variety of profiles let you taste the differences and understand the breadth of flavours olive oil can have!
Official Tasting Glass
A certified International Olive Oil Council cobalt blue tasting glass lets you experience the oils as they’re meant to be, through sensory analysis.
No more staring at the shelf or wondering what to buy
Become as knowledgeable in olive oil as you are with coffee, wine, or tea.
Your Olive Oil Curriculum
Once your spot is reserved, we’ll ship everything you need directly to your door.
- Introduction to olive oil
What really is extra virgin olive oil? - The anatomy of taste
Understanding the palate and how we taste - Modern and traditional methods of making olive oil
- Olive Oil Tasting
The positive and negative olive oil qualities
- Decoding Labels
No more standing in the olive oil aisle dazed and confused! - Olive Oil Chemistry
What you want to see on an olive oil bottle - Cooking with Olive Oil
How to use it best, and make the most if it every day - Health Benefits
All the good things olive oil does for our body
“The course is outstanding!”
The master class is comprehensive and educational. I learned so much about olive oil. However, the best thing about it is the presenter. Emily allows all questions and never makes anyone feel stupid. Her relaxed yet confident manner and obvious mastery of the subject creates a fun learning environment! I really think it is fabulous.
Virtual Olive Oil Tasting & Masterclass
- 2.5 hours with olive oil sommelier Emily Lycopolus
- Virtual tasting and olive oil masterclass
- Complete tasting kit shipped to your door
- 5 olive oil samples for tasting
- 1 certified International Olive Oil Council cobalt blue tasting glass
Investment: $198
For anyone who buys, uses, or cooks with olive oil.
Our masterclass is for curious cooks, foodies, chefs, and anyone else who cares where their food comes from as much as we do.
Celebrate simplicity
The olive oil industry can be complicated. But good olive oil has always been simple.
I’ve done my homework, walked the fields, and met the producers for you, so learning about olive oil can be simple, too.
Pick the best oil for your budget
Worried that once you take this class, you’ll have to up your olive oil budget? Don’t be!
A good olive oil isn’t necessarily an expensive one. I’ll teach you how to buy the best oil in your price range.
Make the most of the oil you have
Learn to pair different varietals of olive oil with the right foods—including any oils you already have at home.
I’ll even share ways to use up any not-so-great oil on your shelf, so nothing goes to waste.
Just like i always tell my students…
Ask me anything. Questions are how you learn!
Is this too advanced for me? Is it just for chefs?
Nope! It’s for anyone who uses, buys, or cooks with olive oil. No culinary background or experience is required.
What if I don't know anything about olive oil?
What if I don't know anything about olive oil?
Is this too beginner for me? Is it for foodies?
I don’t see a time that works for me. Are other dates available?
Is the masterclass over Zoom or in person?
It’s all over Zoom. We send everything you need in advance (olive oil samples, tasting glass, etc.) and guide you through the tasting live on Zoom, sharing olive oil education as we go.
Interested in in-person training for yourself or your team? Reach out to book custom training or a private masterclass with Emily.
Is it for groups or individuals?
What if I need to cancel? Do you offer a refund?
If it has already shipped, you are welcome to reschedule and we’ll work with you to find a time that works.
Still thinking all olive oil is the same?
Or buying plastic bottles? Or reaching for bottles on the top shelf?
Or spending way too long staring at shelves in your store and wondering what to buy?
Prepare to have the world of olive oil broken wide open.
Book your virtual olive oil tasting and masterclass.
I’m excited to share my favourite ingredient with you!
Investment
“I learned so much it’s ridiculous!”
I’m hooked and have an appetite to learn so much more from you.
International Organization of Olive Oil Tasters
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