It is more difficult to buy a good quality black caviar than one can imagine. The profitable caviar business gives birth to numerous forgeries, which represent the poorest quality of the product.

One of the major black caviar suppliers in Europe, Imre Kuuse, tells us, how not to spend a substantial amount of money on a low-grade and unlicensed product.

Imre, the owner of the Elisseeff caviar company, has been in this industry for over 13 years and can distinguish Osetra caviar from Beluga caviar just at one glance. He is also very likely the descendant of the famous Russian merchants, brothers Elisseeffs.

Here are Imre’s rules to choose a good black caviar.

1. I would say that almost any caviar, which is fresh, is good. Therefore, the first thing to look at is the date of production and the expiration date. The difference of taste, color and size varies between Sturgeon species - some of them are tastier and some are less. Overall there are about 20 sturgeon species, not counting the hybrids. 
2. Previously, when wild catch in the Caspian Sea was allowed, nobody cared about the numerous Sturgeon species as the most popular and the tastiest were Sevruga, Osetra and Beluga. But many things have changed since then: the wild catch is prohibited and fish farming is expensive and time-consuming as most of the sturgeons get mature enough to breed after they are about 8 years old. That is why people started to pay attention to species and hybrids that grow quicker and are cheaper to farm and give a nice taste of caviar at the same time - such as Siberian sturgeon or a hybrid of Adriatic sturgeon and Siberian sturgeon.
3. I have many customers who like hybrid caviar of Adriatic and Siberian sturgeons and say that pure Osetra is not that tasty. One of the reasons why that happens is that many companies, who sell caviar, are cheating with the names. For instance, even in UK they sell something called pure Sevruga, but the content is hybrid. The reason why people are mistaken is that they don't know the Latin names of the fish and can't read them out on the jars, that’s why they get easily cheated. And then you here that somebody tried Sevruga once and it was not that tasty at all. Today the caviar of the hybrid of Adriatic and Siberian sturgeon is the cheapest in the market, but because of the way it looks, it can be easily sold as Sevruga, or Siberian sturgeon or even young Osetra caviar.

So the secret to buy natural caviar is to pay attention to the Latin names on the jar. By the law, all the companies have to indicate the Latin name of the fish and when there is no, it is already a sign of an illegal product and poor content of the can.

Here are the best fish species for black caviar by their Latin names

• Sevruga - Acipenser Stellatus
• Osetra - Acipenser Gueldesnadtii
• Beluga - Huso Huso
• Siberian Sturgeon - Acipenser baerii
• Atlantic Sturgeon - Acipenser Naccari

4. The pure black color of good caviar is quite a myth or a wrong belief. The color can vary a lot, but I would say it is more likely a mix of dark-green and brown to black – that kind of caviar is of an outstanding taste and most likely a pure Osetra. The color and size of the eggs depends on the age of the fish.

Once I had a customer, to whom I sold a greenish-dark yellow pure Osetra caviar and he returned the product saying that this is not even close to black caviar! While my intention was the opposite - to send him a really nice product of an impressive taste. 

If you look at the most expensive caviars, you will see that they are hardly ever of a black color, more often they are light green with a bit of a brownish tint.

5. Of course, the price matters. The cost of any good caviar starts from minimum 1000€/kg even in a shop. Usually it's around 1500-2000€. Those who sell it for less than 400-800€ cheat and the content can't be anything else but a hybrid of Adriatic and Siberian sturgeon caviar at best. Yes, this caviar is dark color, mostly black, but of course, the taste is not even close to Osetra or pure Siberian sturgeon.
6. If the product is bitter then it has just gone bad. The best way to understand what is the taste of a real good caviar is to once buy the smallest jar from a reliable company, even if it is expensive. You will discover the unforgettable taste of a fresh and high quality caviar. Then the next time you will already know if it is it.
7. Try to buy unpasteurized products as pasteurization changes the structure of the eggs, they get more firm, while they should be very mild and melting in the mouth.
8. A very good hybrid these days is a hybrid of pure Beluga and Siberian sturgeon. The eggs’ size is big - about 3mm+, it grows faster than pure Beluga, it is easier to farm, but the taste is very mild and pure. Not to mention the price which is significantly lower than the one of pure Beluga.

The conclusion is simple: Do not fall in trap with low prices! Pay attention to Latin names on the can, remember those you liked the most and try to find them the next time! Don't be afraid if the color is not black as most likely it is a natural product with a very nice and melting in the mouth taste!