Very simply, Extra Virgin Olive Oil is oil extracted from the first pressing using only mechanical means with an acidity level of less than 0.8 percent, no defects and no additives. The significance of Extra Virgin Olive Oil lies in the taste and the health benefits. Try tasting a store-bought olive oil next to one that you know has been freshly pressed and meets the criteria for extra virgin; there is no comparison. Our customers tell us every day that there is just no going back!
Olive oil is the biggest food fraud in the world. Less than 10% of the world’s olive oil produced each harvest qualifies as extra virgin and that is highly perishable. So, the temptation for fraud is huge. Most of what is in our large grocery stores is low-grade olive oil mixed with vegetable, canola or other seed oils. It has inferior taste and little to no health benefits. To equip yourself to purchase the best, always ask your purveyor the harvest date of the oil and the acidity level. If they cannot answer those questions, you should purchase elsewhere, especially if you are using olive oil for the health benefits. Also, learn the taste and mouth-feel of fresh, extra virgin olive oil. Your palate is your best judge.
First Cold Pressed is just that, the very first oil that is produced when the fruit is pressed. It is pressed using a hydraulic press at temperatures of less than 80 degrees F (27 degrees C). Nearly all mils cold press today, so asking that question will not quarantee the oil is extra virgin.
Estate Grown, Blended, and Light Olive Oil are other designations sometimes seen in the stores. Estate Grown and estate bottled are very desirable olive oil. These terms indicate that 95 percent of the oil is from a particular estate and the oil was bottled under a watchful eye on the estate and hermetically sealed before shipment ensuring freshness. Blended means that olive oils from different regions or cultivars have been combined, a common practice in most olive oil producing countries. Ah love carries a selection of award-winning estate-bottled olive oils along with bulk oils bottled from fusty. The estate-bottled are the cream of the crop and represent the world’s best olive oils.
The term Light or Extra Light on a label are used to make you think your’e getting olive oil with fewer calories. That’s not the case. It actually just means the oil is lighter in color and usually blended, sometimes with something other than olive oil. In other words, it’s a marketing gimmick. Stay clear of these!