Taste Test: Balsamic Vinegar

I decided to test the difference in taste between 3 different brands of balsamic vinegar. The three brands I tested were Star, Pompeian, and Colavita. I was curious about how different brands stack up, seeing that until now, I have bought vinegar many times but haven’t really paid attention to the quality of the brands I have used. I often use it on salads in my favorite homemade Italian dressing, and to marinade vegetables or chicken. Occasionally I will add a some to pasta to give it a nice sharp flavor, or I’ll mix it with olive oil then pour the blend over bread toasted with feta cheese and tomato. There are so many ways to use this vinegar to add character to my cooking, and I would like to find out which brand contains the best combination of flavors to enhance my recipes. In the tasting process I’m hoping to find a blend of about half sweet, half tart flavor accompanied by a mellow aftertaste without too much acidity. Another quality I’m looking for is a higher viscosity.

In order to have accurate results in my test, I used two other taste testers and myself. One was my girlfriend Amber, who often accompanies my cooking. The other, Emily, has been cooking with balsamic vinegar for over 50 years! With the help of my brother, who was in charge of pouring and tracking each unmarked sample, the three of us tasted each of the brands one at a time while blind-folded, and wrote down our opinions on paper. The brands weren't revealed to us until after we had all finished sampling. We tasted each sample on bread to bring out the flavors. The acidity levels and strong flavors in each sample required drinking of water between samples to prepare for the next.

My initial expectation was for Colavita to have the best taste. Out of the three brands, Colavita looked the nicest. Its bottle had a fancier shape and wrapping than the others. The shape of the Star brand’s bottle wasn’t bad, but the logo seemed cheaper than the others. All of the vinegars were about the same color and viscosity, so it was the marketing appearance that had the most impact on my opinion before the testing.

We went into this test not really knowing what to expect, later realizing the design of the bottles were not accurate indicators of taste! The consensus of our results was that the acidity in the Colavita brand was much higher than the others, and that the strong tart taste was not accompanied by nearly enough sweetness. Emily said that it “burned the back of my throat much more than the others”. The Pompeian Balsamic Vinegar was liked overall. I especially appreciated its smooth citrusy flavor that melted into its aftertaste. This brand was my favorite, I noted, and might be the best for marinades. The subtle blend of spices in this sample was much more balanced than the Colavita. Our final brand, Star Balsamic Vinegar also had a nearly perfect balance of sweet and tart. Star also had more viscosity than the others, giving it a noticeably better texture on the bread.

Overall, I preferred Star over the other brands due to its mild, yet very well-rounded flavor and texture. The Pompeian brand was definitely the next runner up and one that I may choose for seasoning meat because of the sweet citrusy aftertaste. I will not choose Colavita again, as the high acidity was not ideal. All things considered, Star is certainly my new go-to brand of balsamic vinegar.