An Invitational Oyster Tasting Event

Monday, April 7 at 7 pm

Westin Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island

I apologize for not getting these results out earlier, but I have been wrapped up in meetings at the National Shellfisheries Association Conference for the past several days.  I will attempt to quickly distill the event and the judges' results so that everyone who wants to write about the event can do so. It will be a few more days before we will be able to get pictures up on the web site for downloading.

Everyone seems to agree that the event was a fantastically good time and an instructive opportunity to meet with knowledgeable growers and discuss the finer points and nuances of different oysters. While the judging did not go as orderly as I had envisioned, it seemed that everyone was enjoying themselves and the chaos seemed to add to the fun. The wine was good and the oysters were great.

We had a few last minute changes in the list of chefs and oysters. There were only 19 varieties. Logistical considerations led to the elimination of Cherrystones' entry (Eastern Shore's White Gold #16 ) and Carolina Cups from Beaufort, SC and we were able to bring in a local substitute entry from Rhode Island; Matunuck Oysters from Potter's Pond in Wakefield RI. (#12). The descriptions have been updated here: 19 Varieties of American Oysters We also had a few chef judge swaps at the last minute. The updated list is here: The Judges.

Keep in mind that oysters tend to be a little thin in the spring (especially those from northern harvest areas) because they don’t feed when water temperatures fall below 40 degrees, so many had not eaten since November. The next time we do this we should try and do it in the fall when oysters are most sweet and plump (they store up glycogen to make it through the long winter).

We had about a dozen food writers at the event. Twenty-eight grower representatives from as far away as Grand Isle, LA (Wilbert Collins) and Willapa Bay WA (Bill Dewey of Taylor Shellfish) were there to help shuck. We had 40 guests and about a dozen assistants.

I have not had a chance to review the data for errors in entry, but here are what I have been able to glean quickly from looking at the data.

• The overall winner was Island Creek from Duxbury Ma. (#9 total score of 130.9 out of a possible 170 points).

• Second place went to Totten Inlet Virginicas (Washington State) (#2) (126.4 pts)

• Third place was virtually a tie going to Ninigret Cups from Charlestown, RI (123.9pts) and Sweet Petites from Edgartown, MA (123.5 pts).

• Runners up included Mystics (120.2 pts) Snow Hills (116.4 pts) Toby Island (110.0 pts) and Moonstones (109.3 pts) Cape May Salts (107.7 pts) and Watch Hills (107.3 pts).
  
   

• The best looking oysters (external shell) were the Island Creeks followed by the Sweet Petites.

• The "shuckablity" champs (I am sure that is not a word) were tied Mystics and Snow Hills.

• Internal appearance - Sweet Petites took top prize for internal appearance followed by Totten Inlets and Cape May Salts (who tied).

• Best aroma - Snow Hills took top honors for aroma.

• For best flavor – Totten Inlet took top prize, followed closely by Ninigret Cups and Island Creeks.

• Best aftertaste – Ninigrets; Island Creeks and Mystics tied for second.

Everyone was pleased to be able to talk with the growers at the event. They were more than happy to answer questions about growing oysters. Their passion and enthusiasm for their products was infectious.

We will be sending samples to Brown University for chemical analysis of their salt and mineral contents in an attempt to glean a little information about why one oyster tastes so remarkably different than another. We want to gain a better understanding of the chemistry behind the various tastes – the "meroir" of oysters from different growing areas. We should have those results in a few weeks and will ensure that everyone gets copied on that.

Attendees were also schooled on the sustainability of oyster culture and treated to a slide show of various oyster culture techniques from around the country. Besides tasting great, oysters clean the water, help thwart eutrophication by removing excess nutrients, and they provide great habitat for multitudes of little critters that make a home among their shells.

We will be putting more info and photos on our website soon.  Here's the link to photos.  If you have suggestions for how to improve the event for the next time please send them on.

Thanks to all the participants.

For more information contact:
Bob Rheault
401 783 3360
bob@moonstoneoysters.com

Official Scorekeeper’s Booklet (MS Word)

Original Invitation (pdf)