I use extra virgin olive oil for some cooking - where taste matters, but never knew what to look for.
Several years back, we did a taste test of brands and styles found in my grocery, and settled on one that was good, but they no longer stock it. Now I need to look for a new one but still have no idea what to look for, so what do you look for?
I used “Philipo Berio” brand robusto. I don’t know if that’s considered good but it tastes good to me and has a reasonable price. My grocery still carries the brand but not robusto and the other styles don’t have as much flavor.
Apparently robusto is not a thing, since no other brand uses that nomenclature, so what can I look for to find one with a strong flavor? How can I find a “good” brand without spending a lot? Is there a price sweet spot, like with wine?
It should be green in color. It should have a date on it so I know it’s not been in a warehouse for a year. It should be using olives grown somewhere between Spain and Turkey †. It should be in an air tight container. It should be in a non clear bottle or in a tin. It should say it’s cold pressed. It should say it’s first press.
Some will say that it should gel if you put it in the fridge. Some say it shouldn’t gel if you put it in the fridge. The fridge gel test is a myth that doesn’t offer any usable data on purity or quality.
† there are some fine examples from California but you are going to pay extra for that.