Did you ever find yourself standing in front of a supermarket’s olive oil shelf, wondering how to find the best olive oil? While most people believe that the “Extra Virgin Native” stamp puts an olive oil to the top of the shelf, there are more indications that will help you select superior quality oils.
Here are four secrets to look for on your search for quality olive oil:
#1 Unblended
The most precious olive oils are pressed of a single type of olive, ideally cultivated in the same region. There are over 130 types of olives, with different flavors, colors and health benefits. Similar to wine, blending varieties of olives (known as “Cuvée” in wine jargon) will negatively impact the oil’s purity and lead to poorer quality levels. Unblended olive oils on the other hand promise distinctive flavors.
Look for olive oils that are 100% pressed of the same type of olive, and you will taste the difference.
#2 Point of origin
Olive oils originating from a distinct area promise better quality and authentic taste notes. Why? Cultivating olives in one region means that the olive trees grow on similar types of soil, with the same seasonal implications like favorable sun hours and rain. Similar external exposures result in pure and unique taste notes that make the difference.
It is recommended to look for olive oils that originate from a distinct region. However, indications like “Product of Italy” may be misleading. This could mean the olive oil was bottled in Italy while the olives originate from multiple locations like Spain or France. Your best bet is to choose an olive oil that indicates the producer and a distinct point of origin. You will be rewarded with an authentic taste!
#3 Acidity levels
Olive oil quality depends on its acidity levels. The faster olives are pressed after picking them off the tree, the lower its acidity and the better the oil’s quality. A sloppy process that takes longer than 48 hours from harvest to pressing will result in odd flavors and uninviting oil colors.
While not all olive oils show acidity indications, choose those that do! As a rule of thumb, acidity levels below 0.8% are expected to warrant good quality, while levels below 0.5% are deemed superior.
#4 Filtered vs unfiltered
Most olive oils in grocery stores are filtered because filtering prolongs the oil’s shelf life. While unfiltered oils are harder to find, they generally offer stronger taste notes compared to filtered oils, simply because the filtering process extracts flavors and nutrients. Unfiltered olive oils are additionally said to have higher levels of healthy antioxidants. You can often find oils with indications like “unfiltered, extra virgin olive oil”, which taste great and offer superior health benefits at the same time.
When buying your next olive oil, picking an extra virgin cold pressed oil will be your best bet. If you are willing to go the extra mile for an extraordinary taste and quality, choose an olive oil that is produced by small scale brands like Olive3. Olive3 takes pride in offering extra virgin oil that is unfiltered and exclusively pressed from Koroneiki olives that grow on the sunny hills of southern Greece.
We promise, you will taste the difference!
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