How to choose olive oil

Hello everyone! 😉 If this is the first time that you decide to buy a Premium olive oil, let me give you some advice on how to choose the best olive oil, even in a general way.

Premium Olive Oil

In the first place, inform you that a Premium olive oil has organoleptic properties (taste, smell, …) that are much more enhanced than conventional extra virgin olive oils (olive oils for cooking). Something that “Gourmet” consumers know and appreciate. This is due to the time when the olive is harvested, about a couple of months earlier than usual. The olive has a very pronounced fruity taste and smell. Also, it has not yet matured enough and still retains antioxidant properties such as polyphenols at a high level. What are polyphenols? Antioxidant chemicals typical of vegetables and how healthy they are in the long term for our body.

Varieties of olives

In these “Premium” olive oils, smells and flavors related to herbs, vegetables, nuts or fruits can be distinguished more clearly. In addition to bitterness and itching in the mouth and throat. Likewise, all the commented organoleptic properties depend on the variety of olive from which the olive oil in question is composed and the moment in which the olive is harvested.

As an example of the olive oils that we offer at latinajadelgourmet.com, the most widely used varieties of olives are Picuda, Hojiblanca and Picual. As for the Picuda variety, common in the Cordoba subbetic area, it gives the olive oil a sweet entry on the palate with fruit aromas. Hojiblanca, a very widespread variety typical of Córdoba, gives olive oil an itch in the mouth and throat and aromas of herbs and vegetables. And finally the Picual, mainly from the province of Jaén, and which provides olive oil with a mild bitterness in the mouth and smells of vegetables and fruits.

In addition to these three varieties so characteristic of the Cordoba subbetic area, some olive oil is also produced with the Arbequina variety. The properties of this olive give the juice a sweet entry and mild itching in the mouth and throat, as well as a fruity aroma and flavor.

Monovarietal or Coupage

If we choose a type of single-variety olive oil from the Picuda variety, for example, it will be a juice with the characteristics of this variety. This is because only olives of this type have been used for its production. Whereas if we select an olive oil “coupage” or “blend“, which are synonymous with the word “blend”, the olive oil is produced from more than one variety of olives. Consequently, the juice has the properties of these varieties in the desired proportion.

Strictly speaking, when an olive oil is made up of more than one variety of olives, it is called multivarietal. This circumstance is independent of whether it is mixed in the desired proportions such as blends. Or they have simply been mixed because there are olive trees of different varieties on the same farm. In fact, this situation is very common, so the olives are mixed at the moment of being harvested and transported to the mill. And proportions are not attended to.

Obviously, the fact that the olive oil is from one variety of olive or another, and whether it is produced from one or more varieties, are very relevant keys when choosing a Premium olive oil.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)

In addition to the variety of olives, and its proportion in the production of juice, another relevant factor is whether it is included in a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). There are two PDOs in and around the subbetic region of Córdoba: the POD Priego de Córdoba and the PDO Baena. Both with a very demanding regulation. Likewise, this regulation by the PDOs provides a guarantee of indisputable control in the process of production, conservation and dispatch of olive oils by the producer. In addition to ensuring maximum quality of them.

Organic Olive Oil

Something as fashionable as “organic” is, and it turns out that some of the olive oils that we sell on latinajadelgourmet.com have been produced according to organic standards for more than twenty years. We work with producers who are careful with the environment and with the idea of giving the consumer a healthy product. The most remarkable thing about an organic olive oil is its production from only natural elements; dispensing with any chemical product and being respectful with the olive groves. The resulting olive oil is a fully organic juice.

How to choose olive oil

Finally, let me tell you that regardless of whether these olive oils are from one olive variety or another, or produced from one or more. These are not characteristics that determine that one olive oil is “better” than another. These are simply characteristics that can help you learn more about these olive oils and choose according to your preferences.

Obviously, if the olive oil is organic, it will add health benefits. And if the olive oil complies with any of the PDOs, it will add a guarantee of quality control. But it’s not until you taste it that you decide whether you like it or not.

I hope I have clarified some general concepts and that these keys will help you when choosing a good olive oil.

See you in the next post!

Summary

Article Name

Keys in selecting a Premium EVOO

Description

I explain in a general way a series of criteria or concepts in relation to the world of olive oil that can help you in the selection of a Premium EVOO.

Author

Fran

Publisher Name

La Tinaja del Gourmet

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