How to recognise a high quality olive oil

5. Seek if it’s a first cold extraction olive oil.

The way extra virgin olive oil is produced is also directly related to its value. Therefore, you should look for an extra virgin oil that guarantees the first cold extraction, avoiding those with cold-pressed indication in their labels.

Nowadays only modern oil extraction machines guarantee the quality we are looking for in this product. Bear in mind, traditional cold pressing methods can prematurely start the oil oxidation process, which affects its organoleptic properties.

On the other hand, centrifuge machines –which are currently used to carry out the first cold extraction– avoid contact with air and aim at obtaining a higher quality oil, free of impurities.

6. That it comes from a single olive variety.

Coupage olive oil is the product obtained from different varieties of olive. Although in some cases this mixture doesn’t have to affect its quality, in others, it’s a practice that is used to refresh the old olive oils. That is, some extra virgin olive oils are obtained from the mixture of old oils and new oils of another variety. In these cases the flavour may be more rancid, which is why it’s always safer to choose oils from just one variety, be it Arbequina like ours, Picual, Hojiblanca, and so on.

7. With a distant best before date.

Unlike good wine, extra virgin olive oil doesn’t improve with age. It’s true that this product doesn’t expire and that, by keeping it properly, we can extend the period of consumption in its most optimal condition. However, over time olive oil will lose its organoleptic properties due to processes such as oxidation and exposure to light.

For this reason, you need to look for the production date and a distant best before date in its packaging. Look for a younger olive oil, which has not been in the bottle for more than a year, as this will preserve its best properties.

8. That is not excessively inexpensive.

The truth is the higher the quality of an extra virgin olive oil is, the more expensive this might be, especially those Premium-quality ones.

However, a higher price doesn’t always mean its quality is a Premium on –remember that sometimes packaging can raise its cost. On the other hand, an excessively cheap price does indicate that the product is not good enough and doesn’t maintain the same organoleptic properties of a high-quality olive oil.

Think of it this way, investing in a good extra virgin olive oil is investing in health.

9. Don’t judge the olive oil by its colour.

You may have certain preconceptions regarding the colour of a high quality extra virgin olive oil. Especially since some oils have made the colour green fashionable. But you should know that this feature doesn’t tell you its value.

In fact, if you have ever seen or attended an olive oil tasting, you may have noticed that the glass we use is blue and opaque. This is precisely in order to learn to appreciate the quality of an extra virgin olive oil for its flavour and not for its colour.

10. Try it and check for an itchiness in your throat.

Finally, on the palate, extra virgin olive oil should have a distinctive yet balanced flavour. It’s important to find its bitterness, its fruity flavour and its spicy touch in the throat, which are attributes of its quality, unlike its acidity.

Depending on the variety of oil, that is, depending on which type of olive the oil comes from, these attributes may differ, may have different nuances. But to determine its quality, you should perceive in the taste buds on the back of your tongue and in your throat the characteristic bitterness of green or veraison olive and the spicy taste that indicates that the oil has been obtained at the beginning of the campaign.