In addition to knowing the varieties of caviar, one must understand the four different processing types.

Malossol caviar

The Malossol method is preferred by carviar aficionados. The term Malossol means to be lightly salted and specifically describes caviar with less than five percent salt content. Today's caviar often has a much lower salt content, averaging approximately 3.5 percent. The term Malossol is often mistakenly utilized to describe any caviar of high quality.

Salted caviar

Salted caviar is the second caviar type, and slightly less desirable in quality. This is sometimes referred to as semi-preserved caviar. It has a higher salt content, up to eight percent salt. Salt is used to increase shelf life; however, the increased salt can negatively affect flavor.

Pressed caviar

Pressed caviar is the next lower quality type. Pressed caviar is made from caviar that is too soft, broken, damaged, or roe that is overly ripe. When processed, Pressed caviar is highly salted and pressed into a consistency similar to jam. The strong, concentrated flavor of Pressed caviar makes if a favorite of many.

Pasteurized caviar

Lastly, Pasteurized caviar offers the longest preservation of the product. During the pasteurization process, fresh caviar is heat treated and then placed in glass jars where it is vacuum packed. Although it has a long shelf life, the taste and texture of pasteurized caviar is often compromised.