The best Italian extra virgin olive oil is recognized through three sensory elements:
• appearance
• aroma
• taste
The color does not have as much influence as the first three characteristics
How to Discover the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Italy boasts more than 500 varieties of olives, a number almost 10 times higher than the second largest producing country in the world. Understanding which is the best extra virgin olive oil is truly complicated for many reasons.
For over 30 years, there have been countless discussions, often resulting in lawsuits for having said or not said certain statements or for having praised one oil more than another.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Commercial or Farmer’s Better?
We must first distinguish between two different types of extra virgin olive oil
• Commercial EVOO: sold in large stores and supermarkets
• Farmer’s EVOO: productions often limited to a few dozen liters of extra virgin olive oil
It’s not a given that the commercial product is inferior to the farmer’s.
Companies that work well and conscientiously have technologies capable of guaranteeing and preserving all the qualities of the olives that arrive at the mill to be processed, thus obtaining an extra virgin olive oil of very good or excellent quality. They often achieve a preservation of extra virgin olive oil on the verge of perfection, extracting it from olives and storing it in the absence of oxygen to avoid any oxidation and lowering of organoleptic properties.
This is the case of Redoro Frantoi Veneti which boasts the most modern technologies available today for the production and preservation of extra virgin olive oil.
The Farmer or agricultural producer produces extra virgin olive oil from their own harvest, often taking it to the nearest mill to process the olives and obtain the relative quantity of oil, depending on the yield that “the olive is able to give during the” year.
Once the oil is produced and brought home, it must be preserved from light, moisture, and heat. It is usually distributed and consumed within a year.
The Characteristics of Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
As we mentioned at “the beginning, there are three main characteristics for recognizing the quality of” extra virgin olive oil. Appearance, aromas, and flavors.
On this page, you can read some tips on “how to recognize a good oil”
Production
E “xtra virgin olive oil is produced exclusively by cold pressing” the fruits of the olive tree. This ensures that it is rich in nutrients and has a more or less intense flavor depending on the variety of olives pressed.
Appearance
An extra virgin olive oil can be cloudy or transparent, and this does not affect the quality of the product. A cloudy oil is a raw extra virgin olive oil, probably just extracted from the pressing of olives and not yet filtered.
It certainly has a more intense taste than the other and maintains the classic more persistent pungency.
F “iltered oil maintains the original characteristics with a slightly” more delicate perceptible flavor compared to its raw brother. It’s a matter of personal taste that has nothing to do with the final quality.
Aroma
A very important factor that immediately identifies the excellence of quality.
A quality extra virgin olive oil presents to the nose aromas of fresh grass, artichoke, almond. The scent is immediately pleasant and reminiscent of the fragrance of meadows and fields.
To learn how to perceive all the aroma of the oil, take a small glass and pour a “little” of your oil. Cover the top with one hand and with the “other, completely wrap the glass to slightly increase its” temperature.
After a minute or two, uncover the glass and smell the “extra virgin olive oil: you will discover all the aromas and quality of the” oil you have purchased.
Taste
Another crucial characteristic for recognizing a good extra virgin olive oil is its taste.
The flavor of “extra virgin olive oil varies” greatly depending on the variety of olives that produced it, or depending on the selection of olives in the case of a blend. Also in this case, when tasting the “oil, one should perceive a degree of bitterness, fresh grass, almond, and artichoke. Very often, elements reminiscent of dried fruit can be noticed.”
“Tasting the” Oil
“Tasting” extra virgin olive oil is done by performing the same ritual used to smell the product.
Once the small glass is freed from the hand, a few drops of oil are placed on the tongue and stripping is performed to bring the “oil to be tasted into” the mouth and to mix it with “oxygen. In practice, the” action is carried out as follows: after collecting the “extra virgin olive oil in the mouth, we clench our teeth and insert” air into the mouth, simulating the behavior we have when we exclaim: “”Ooh, how cold!””
Characteristic: the Classic Tingling in the Throat.
Once the stripping is performed and the “oil is swallowed, a tingling sensation is felt in the throat due to the polyphenols present in the” oil. Initially a bit irritating and intense depending on the quantity of elements present, it should disappear quickly, leaving an excellent final flavor.
The Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil Can be Seen from the Label
“”Eat healthy, eat well””. I bet you know that eating healthy means eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods. But did you know it also means choosing healthy oils and fats?
Extra virgin olive oil is one of the best types of fats “you can use in cooking, and it’s particularly suitable for dressing salads and all dishes in our cuisine (even sushi and desserts)! It’s rich in antioxidants and helps the” body absorb nutrients from the vegetables you eat.
Here are some tips for choosing an extra virgin olive oil at the supermarket:
1. Look for the term “extra virgin” on the label.
Extra virgin means it’s the best product obtained from olives: it hasn’t been chemically altered or treated in any way. If there’s no “extra virgin” label on the bottle, don’t buy it!
Make sure to choose a superior quality oil with a high acidity percentage, that is, less than 1%. Read here all the characteristics of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Look for a yellow/green color (not brownish).
The darker green color means more antioxidants! Green olives are harvested during the veraison stage when they are ripe but not yet completely black, so their oils have higher levels of these important compounds.
3. Verify the origin of the olives and the extra virgin olive oil
Both the olives and the extra virgin olive oil must be Italian products, compliant with the strictest regulations and rules that determine and guarantee the quality of the product.
Finally, we also give this advice:
4. Check the farmers’ market or local cooperative to find deals on local varieties of olive oils: they often have unique flavors not found in commercial brands.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Redoro Shop in Grezzana or the Antico Frantoio Redoro in Mezzane during the olive harvest, in addition to immersing yourself in incredible aromas that will envelop you in an ecstasy of sensations, you will taste the freshly produced oil and discover that the one brought to the shelf or purchased online in our e-commerce maintains the same quality.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or EVO Oil?
Have you ever heard of “EVO Oil”?
In any case, it’s the same thing: the term EVO (or EVOO) stands for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and originates from the English term curiously invented during a television broadcast. In this article, you will find the meaning of EVO Oil and the origins of the name.
What is the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
If your choice has passed all the advice listed above, the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the one you like. It turns out to be the best based on your diet, your origins, your taste for stronger or milder flavors. It can be different depending on the dish it will accompany: Extra Virgin olive oil is an ingredient!
Further Information:
• Sensory Analysis of Olive Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Other Types of Olive Oil