Rule #1 Judge book by its cover. When looks matter...
When it comes to high quality caviar appearance truly matters...
Eggs should be separated from each other, pearls should be nice and round, no mushiness or extra liquid should be found in tin of caviar.
Many people think the darker the better, but in fact the lighter the caviar the higher the price on caviar will be.
The color of best quality caviar varies from silver-black to grey-amber or even gold. Black caviar with bigger eggs is appreciated higher since it was produced from older sturgeon.
High end aqua farms are willing to wait an extra couple years even when sturgeon are ready to produce caviar, so then the caviar will be bigger and better quality.
Caviar also varies in texture: Siberian sturgeon has fragile eggs where Russian Osetra has a firm pearl that pops in your mouth which is highly valued by caviar lovers.
Rule #2 Taste of Heaven
Best Caviar has a truly heavenly taste which is hard to describe by words. These Black pearls taste a little bit like olives, nuts, smoked salmon and salty cream.
Black caviar should be well balanced in salt, about 2.5-3% is common for malossol (lightly salted) caviar. If caviar has a strong bitter taste it's a sign of spoiled product.
Mold, white surface or strong smell of caviar warns you not to try it and return the product to the seller.
Black caviar should not have a fishy smell or taste although it's coming from the fish.
Black caviar shouldn't have any smell at all if stored correctly under the right temperature 23-36F.
Rule #3 Quality Producer or Made in China?
For decades caviar was mined at Caspian Sea, due to poaching, sturgeon has become an endangered species and nowadays is raised in aqua farms around the world.
Every farm has different methods of raising and harvesting fish. The largest producer of caviar in the world is China, the second largest is Italy.
Caviar from Iran, Russia and Israel is considered one of the best in the World, where Chinese produce has gained a lower reputation.
Find out what country caviar originates from, if the seller doesn't have an exact answer most likely it's coming from China, since many caviar brands like to hide that fact from their customers.
If the shelf life of caviar is more than 3 month, caviar must have a preservative that doesn't have a great impact on human's health and adds a little bitter flavor.
Always ask if caviar is pasteurized or raw. True caviar has to be raw only, after pasteurization caviar loses its original taste, texture and nutritional value.
Rule #4 Price or Fishy business
If sturgeon caviar costs less than 90$ for 3.5oz it must be a fishy business... If you are offered caviar that is cheaper than that, don't hesitate to reject, you may be scammed.
Often you can negotiate a better deal on caviar if you are buying bigger quantities. For example Bester Caviar offers wholesale price directly to consumers when buying 1lbs of caviar or more. The larger quantity you order the lower the price per oz gets. Bester Caviar is one of few companies in the US that offers wholesale prices directly to consumers. When you sign up you get access to their weekly specials and promos. Visit bestercaviarstore.com to indulge into luxurious caviar experience without the luxurious price.
Rule #5 Fish has got to have the papers
Avoid buying smuggled caviar by checking companies paperwork (usually it's on companies website) such as CITES, Fish And Wild Life, FDA approval, HACCP plan.
It's always better to buy caviar directly from import companies not the re-sellers, that way you may get a better price and fresher caviar.
Bester Caviar imports caviar from Ukraine, Italy, Madagascar and makes sure to supply the freshest (never frozen) batch at the best price to its customers.
Contact us with any caviar related questions 8135109892 or visit bestercaviarstore.com
Written by Inna Polutska
