What is Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)?

Extra virgin olive oil is made from pure, cold-pressed olives, whereas regular olive oil is a blend, including both cold-pressed and processed oils. There's no heat or chemicals involved, hence the "cold-pressed" label you often see. The resulting oil has a better taste, aroma and contains more natural vitamins and minerals found in olives. This time-consuming method, while effective, creates a higher price but the highest quality you can buy.

How to tell if your Extra Virgin Olive Oil is good?

People tell us all the time they have the best olive oil or Italy makes the best olive oil. Well yes, it may be true that you have a high quality EVOO but how do you really know? 

The only way to know if an EVOO is fresh, pure, high quality, and full of healthy components is through lab testing. Lab testing immediately following the olive crush is the ONLY way to level the playing field thereby allowing consumers to compare different EVOOs. Laboratory analysis can tell us about the levels of beneficial polyphenols and oleic acid, and the products of deterioration free fatty acids and peroxide. To learn more, click here.

How are your olive oils flavored?

We carry both 'fused' and 'infused' olive oils that have been flavored with all natural ingredients.  When an oil has been 'infused' with flavor, it means that the herbs, spices, fruits or vegetables that it is being flavored with are infused into the olive oil after the olive oil is crushed, until the desired flavor is achieved. It is then removed.  Some olive oils are 'fused' with whole fruits (generally citrus fruit), which means that the pulp of the fruit is pressed with the olives when the olive oil is made.  This helps to intensify the flavoring, and is also known as agrumato. 

What is the best way to store olive oil?

A cool, dark place is ideal, like a pantry is best. EVOO may turn rancid quickly if exposed to light and heat. Our bottles are made from dark glass for this reason.

Does age really matter in an olive oil?

Yes! Unlike wine, olive oil does not get better with age. Think of olive oil as a juice, the juice of the fruit of the olive tree! Fresher is better! If kept in a cool place and in a dark bottle, our oils will hold their fresh flavor and aroma for 9 to 12 months. As time passes, all oils will begin to decrease in flavor and health benefits like polyphenols (antioxidants).

Is it okay to cook with olive oil?

Yes, and we love it! You will find that the fresher the olive oil, the higher the smoke point. Always be careful not to heat the oil so hot that it smokes, and always work with controlled heat when using olive oil.

Where do your olive oils come from?

We strive to offer only the freshest oils. We sample all of the newly harvested oils from different places including Spain, Greece, Italy and even California. Because olive groves in the northern hemisphere harvest in the fall, and groves in the southern hemisphere harvest in the spring, we renew our oil offerings every 6 to 8 months to maintain the freshest product all year long.

What is balsamic vinegar?

In Italy there are strict regulations to differentiate between TRADITIONAL BALSAMIC VINEGAR and the commercially made, inferior product. Sweet Trebbiano white grapes produced in and around the area of Reggio Emilia and Modena, Italy form the base of the world’s only true balsamic vinegar. The grapes ripen on the vine for as long as possible to develop their sugar. The juice, or “must”, is pressed out of the grapes and cooked in copper kettles.  Balsamic vinegar is aged in the “solera” style method in the attics of vintners where acetic fermentation begins from naturally present bacteria. The vinegar slowly oxidizes and is reduced naturally over time. The vinegar is transferred into progressively smaller barrels each year. The vintner will blend each year’s production to create a complex balsamic.  You will notice that our vinegar has the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity from the grapes and complexity from the wood the vinegar is aged in.