How to read the label on that new $40 olive oil.
-
cold pressed
-
extra virgin
-
early harvest
-
polyphenol count
- cold pressed - extra virgin - early harvest - polyphenol count
Olive oil is getting a makeover. But ever wonder what makes an oil fancier than another?
There are two types of people in 2024.
One is reaching for the high shelf in the cooking oil aisle, won over by a wave of new brands preaching better oil. The other is wondering why their friend, Steve, just spent $45 on a bottle of olive oil.
Whichever one you are, you’ve probably seen some fancy terms thrown around to get people part with their money. Cold pressed and extra virgin. Early harvest, late harvest. High polyphenol count. High on bio-available antioxidants…
We run through the most important terms your find olive oil labels and why they matter.
high smoking point
-
monounsatruated fats
-
bioavailable antioxidants
-
high smoking point - monounsatruated fats - bioavailable antioxidants -
What Matters on a Label
Let’s start with the basics. Olive oil without any of the other labels simply refers to oil that has been extracted from the olive fruit. This doesn’t tell you much about how the oil was extracted or the quality. More on that later.
In general, the tell of a high-quality bottle of olive oil is the amount of information you’ll find on the label. As with wines or coffees, quantity is an indication of quality when it comes to the amount of details the producer is bothered to add. One could even say…. more is more. 🙃
Origin, Freshness, and Bottling
Olive oil is mainly a mediterranean thing, with Spain, Greece, and Italy being the top producers, followed by other countries in Southern Europe & North Africa, like Tunisia, Portugal, and Turkey. Most of the production in the US is from California - which is now producing some great olive oils.
In general, smaller productions produce better quality than big industrial producers and single origin brings more character to the taste of an oil than blends simply by the fact that it is specific to a region or producer. For example, oils from Spain tend to be sweeter, oils from Italy are known to have a grassier taste, and oils from Greece often have a peppery undertone.
You also want to check the bottle for a best by date - while olive oil holds pretty well, anything with a use by date over 18 months of bottling should raise a brow.
Harvest Time
Around the mediterranean, harvesting can happen anytiem between October (early) and February (late) and hen they were harvested matters for a lot of things.
Early harvest (Oct-Nov) tends to give smaller yields using less ripe olives. These olives are not fully ripened, so they are still green or starting to change color. The flavor is more intense - the pepperiness or grassy-ness is more intense, it tends to be more bitter, and in general has a more complex flavor profile. They are also known to have more of the healthy-stuff - antioxidants and popolyphenols.
Late harvest (Dec-Feb) tends to be milder, fruitier, and smoother. It can have slighly lower polyphenol count because the olives were more ripe when they were harvested but it still maintains a lot of the health benefits for olive oil in general.
How it was Manufacturered
Most of the terms we’re used to seeing on labels refers to how the oil was manufactured. Phrases like Cold Pressed, First Pressed, Extra Virgin all refer to how the oil was extracted and at which temperatures.
The amount of processing matters because the things that manufacturers do to prolong shelf life - heating, filtering, adding chemicals - also ruins the quality of the olive oil by removing a lot of the flavor and reducing the health benefits. The more it is processed, the more it is stripped of the good stuff and left with the bad stuff. Boo! We want it to be Cold Pressed and we want it to be Extra Virgin.
The Characteristics of the Oil
When we start getting fancy, we’ll also see some claims about the specific characteristics of the oil itself, which of course is a direct result of everything we’ve talked about so far.
Let’s start with flavor intensity. As you can imagine by now, high intensity means you’ll taste a lot more of the oil in your dishes. It’s not inherently good or bad, since it depends on what you like or the dish you’re using it for. High intensity works for drizzling over salads, grilled vegetables, and dishes where a strong olive oil presence is a good thing. For more subtle dishes, you might want to go for an oil with lower intensity.
Next, there’s acidity level. For this one, there is a good and a bad and lower is better. Acidity in this case is talking about the relative amount of free fatty acids in the oil, since these fatty acids are what we’re talking about when we say there are “healthy fats” in olive oil. In poor quality olive oil, more of the fatty acids have been broken down.
Then there’s polyphenol count and antioxidants. Polyphenols are a by product of photosynthesis in plants that are known to be antioxidants, meaning they reduce the risk of heart disease and a long list of other diseases by neutralizing free radicals in the body. A high-polyphenol count is a good thing.
What Does Cold-Pressed Olive Really Mean?
The cold-pressed label means the oil was mechanically extracted from the olives at temperatures that don’t rise above 80.6 F. Low heat means the oil stays unaltered and remains high quality.
The Origin of the Term
Modern olive oil extraction doesn’t look like the process from hundreds of years ago. Back then, olives were crushed by stones and the mushy goodness was then spread on mats. Here, the olive water and oil would be separated through a manual pressing process.
Machinery has since developed and most “pressing” is done with technology like the centrifuge, a high-speed spinning device that separates liquids based on their density. Think of it like being in the Disneyland teacup ride at 10x speed where the “olive water” teacups fly to one corner and the “oil” ones glide to the opposite side.
First Pressed
So how is cold pressed different from first pressed? The first “pressed” label also refers to the old method of extraction. Olives would be pressed multiple times to get as much oil as possible. The first press was considered the best quality while any subsequent pressings were seen as “inferior” oil.
Because this term applies to the first batch of extraction, this also means the olives are pressed while cold. So an olive oil labeled as the first press is almost always cold-pressed.
EVOO
Now, let’s discuss how these labels apply to extra virgin olive oil. By definition, and based on international oil regulations, olive oil can only earn the title of “virgin” or “extra virgin” if it is cold-pressed. This means all extra virgin olive oil, regardless of whether it slaps it on its label or not, is cold-pressed.
For the most part, extra virgin olive oil is always first, cold pressed to achieve the best quality standards. This doesn’t apply if you buy a bottle with “virgin,” “refined,” or “blend” on the label. Those may have been pressed multiple times or with heat and are of a lower quality.
Health Benefits of Cold-Pressed Olive Oil
The labels might not mean anything, but the benefits of cold-pressed (aka extra virgin) olive oil have evidence to back them up.
EVOO is mostly made up of healthy, unsaturated fats –75% by volume– and packed with antioxidants. Together, these two powerhouses support the immune system, reduce inflammation, and boost brain health. Who doesn’t want a stronger mind and cleaner body?
There’s also growing research that cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oils can:
Promote healthy hair, skin, and nails
Lower blood sugar levels
Reduce the development of osteoporosis
Decrease the likelihood of type 2 diabetes
You can enjoy a similar ratio of unsaturated fats in regular olive oil as well, but some experiments have shown that oils processed with high heat or chemicals contain fewer antioxidants. For the best options, you want to stay away from olive oil blends which have been mixed with other suspicious oils and light olive oil which is ultra processed.
The New Kids on the Block
These are four of the recent, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil brands causing some hype in LA.
Brightland
Brightland produces their olive oil on the central coast of California and they have 7 extra virgin olive oil products. Two are EVOO with either a robust or grassy flavor profile. To excite your taste buds even further, Brightland has olive oils infused with chili, garlic, lemon, rosemary, and basil.
If you’re wondering how you can combine these in one bottle, their pizza oil made with jalapeños, garlic, oregano, and basil, might be your next fav. Just keep in mind that this brand makes splurge items and one bottle costs about $40.
Graza
Finally, an oil that meets all EVOO standards for under $20. Graza prides itself in its Picual olives from Jaen, Spain where they pick, press, and bottle their oils all in one place. This single source and one location process is not common for the price point. A 25.3 oz (750 ml) bottle sells for only $16. Not only is it a great price, but the product is also squeezable. This gives those of us who can’t be bothered with measuring spoons more control over how much oil we use.
Graza’s “Drizzle” extra virgin olive oil is made from young fruit, has a bold flavor, and is meant only as a topping for soups, salads, and anything else that needs a little kick. You want “Sizzle” to cook and will notice the milder taste due to the riper olives.
Olizzi
At first glance, you might think Olizzi sells shampoo, but this brand’s USDA organic and Turkey-grown EVOOs are worth discussing. Olizzi has 5 oil options: premium, everyday, chili-infused, garlic-infused, and even baby! Yes, they made a baby-friendly oil from late-harvested olives that is much fruitier and less bitter than typical EVOO.
Now, what if you want to take your olive oil on the go? Olizzi has 3.4 oz (TSA-friendly!) bottles and even single-serve 0.34 oz packets. No need to take the entire bottle with you to work, the beach, or on your next flight. Prices start at $9.
Erewhon’s Own
Erewhon, the place where a ½ loaf of bread costs $10, has a store-brand organic extra virgin olive oil. There are two sizes: an 8.5 oz for $12 and a 25.3 oz bottle for $24. Even with the market’s notoriety for luxury-priced items, these costs are average and even lower than some of the other brands on this list.
Erewhon uses Koroneiki olives which lend a peppery flavor and create a fruity taste. They grow, press, and package the oil in Greece across three locations: Kalamata, Crete, and Aegina.
The Bottom Line
Olive oil labels are confusing, but here’s a refresher. Because of food standards, all extra virgin olive oil is cold-pressed and extracted at low temperatures. To maintain the highest quality oil, only the liquid from the first press is used. So if you see a brand labeling itself as “extra virgin olive oil,” “cold pressed,” and “first pressed,” they generally refer to the same process.
Eating olive oil can promote hair, skin, nails, and brain growth. It’s packed with antioxidants that may reduce the symptoms of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Add it to your diet for everyday cooking at temperatures up to 410 F.
As some final advice, don’t feel overwhelmed by olive oils that cost more than a meal at a nice restaurant. There are options for several price points with Graza, Erewhon, Olizzi, and Brightland.
More is More
We’re building a hub for food brands to collaborate with the best restaurants in the US. Read more about the work we do here.
MORE IS
MORE IS
