I sit with Connoley as we swirl small, blue shot glasses of olive oil in our palms, preparing to take a sip.
I've been to a few wine tastings, and it's a similar experience, but I'm not used to knocking back glasses of straight olive oil.
When I was first told of the olive oil awards, I thought perhaps they were tested by dipping a plain piece of bread into them, and eating that. But Connoley makes the good point that even the plainest bread still has a taste, and that taste can disguise the true flavours of the olive oil.
"There's three components that we judge it on," she says.
Aroma is the first. The oils should be warmed to 34C on a heating pad before being poured into dark blue glasses - so the judge isn't influenced by the colour of the oil - swirled around, then sniffed.
Head judge Charlotte Connoley holds the winning Olive Black extra virgin olive oil from Wairarapa. Photo / Supplied
I've never been good at identifying notes in a wine, and it turns out I'm just as bad at picking out smells in an olive oil. Ripe banana is the best I can pick up for all six of the oils we try.
The judging sheet has far more detail: coffee, caramel, cut grass, tropical fruits, meadow hay, capsicum. The list seems endless. I take Connoley's word for it that the smells are there.
The next judging point is how it feels in the mouth, and the taste. How bitter is it? How pungent? Is it peppery?
Unlike wine tasting, the judges then swallow the oil to judge the "retronasal" qualities. How long does it linger in your throat?
"You don't want an oil that's quite one-dimensional, you don't want an oil that sort of drops away in your mouth," Connoley says.
It's hard to get used to the idea of drinking oil, but Connoley points out the oils they're judging are a lot different from the cheaper ones you buy in the supermarket. They're lighter and easier to consume. But I still wouldn't be drinking them by the mouthful.
"Most people wouldn't even dream of going and having a taste of that, let alone a shot glass of it."
Judges in the competition normally taste about 60 oils a day in "flights" growing in intensity. They cleanse their palates between each oil by eating apple, drinking sparkling water and sometimes having some plain yoghurt.
