Blogs

How to Taste Olive Oil Like a Professional (And Why It's Harder Than It Sounds)

Tasting olive oil like a professional isn't a five-step process — here's an honest look at what it really takes, and what anyone can learn to notice right away.

Cold-Pressed, Filtered, Extra Virgin: What Olive Oil Labels Actually Mean

A plain-English guide to the technical terms on olive oil bottles — what they mean, what they don't, and what actually matters when you're buying.

What Does "Extra Virgin" Actually Mean — And How Is It Tested?

"Extra virgin" is the highest grade of olive oil and the only one with a legally defined quality standard. But what does the term actually mean, how is it tested, and why does so much poor-quality ...

What I Learned About The Olive Oil Industry That Surprised Me Most

I went into this industry with a lot of assumptions. Some of them were partially right. Most of them were wrong — or at least far more complicated than I expected. Here's what actually surprised me...

Grumpy Goats California Olive Oil — The Story Behind Our American Producer

California produces better olive oil than most Americans realise.When I first started looking for producers to work with, the European olive oil world was — and largely still is — a murky place. Fr...

Makaria Terra — The Greek Olive Oil That Started With a Introduction in New York City

Some of the best things in this business happen because of a conversation you weren't expecting. Mine happened in a classroom in New York City, during an olive oil sommelier course that changed the...

The Best Olive Oil Gifts For Food Lovers — A Buyer's Guide

Why Olive Oil Makes Such A Good Gift The best gifts are ones the recipient genuinely uses but wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves. Premium olive oil sits in this category almost perfectly — peo...

Single Origin Olive Oil vs Blended — Which Should You Buy?

What Does Single Origin Mean In Olive Oil? A single origin olive oil comes from olives grown in one defined location — typically a single estate, farm, or region — pressed into oil and bottled with...

How To Store Olive Oil Properly (And The Mistakes Most People Make)

The Three Enemies Of Olive Oil 1. Light Light — especially direct sunlight but also artificial kitchen lighting — triggers photo-oxidation in olive oil, breaking down the polyphenols and flavor com...

What Are Polyphenols In Olive Oil? Everything You Need To Know

What Are Polyphenols? Polyphenols are naturally occurring antioxidant compounds found in plants. In olive oil, they're produced by the olive tree as a natural defence mechanism and are concentrated...