The Ultimate Guide To Buying Olive Oil - Tasting Table

"Have you ever perused bottles of olive oil at your favorite grocery store and wondered what terms like "extra virgin," "cold pressed," or "early harvest" mean? If you aren't familiar with the methods used to harvest and extract olive oil, these terms can be far from intuitive. As a result, you might feel so overwhelmed by the numerous varieties in front of you that you just pick a bottle at random."

"We asked two experts our most pressing questions about olive oil (pun intended) and how to pick the right bottles. Emily Lycopolus is an olive oil sommelier who shares her expertise on her website, Olive Oil Critic, and holds a coveted spot on the International Registry of Olive Oil Tasters. Meanwhile, Sam Miller is the head of marketing at Sunshine Olive Oil, a family-run business that produces award-winning olive oils using organic and sustainable methods."

"The International Olive Council develops rigorous standards used to assign grades to olive oils, each of which must undergo chemical testing and be judged by a professional tasting panel. The golden standard is extra-virgin olive oil, where the oil resulting from the process above is filtered to remove any remaining sediment. This extends the oil's shelf life by as many as 14 months, Emily Lycopolus said."

Consumers often feel overwhelmed by labels like "extra virgin," "cold pressed," and "early harvest" when choosing olive oil. Those terms reflect harvest timing and extraction methods that produce distinct flavor profiles. The International Olive Council sets grading standards that require chemical testing and evaluation by professional tasting panels. Extra-virgin olive oil is the highest grade and is often filtered to remove sediment, which can extend shelf life by up to 14 months. Varietal, harvest timing, and production methods influence bitterness, fruitiness, and pungency, affecting suitability for tasting and various cooking applications.

Read at Tasting Table