About this deal
We’ll be avoiding terms such as “cold-pressed” — this refers to an olive oil that is made without heat treatment — but this is already the case for EVOO and virgin-certified oils, so we don’t consider it a helpful metric; all EVOOs are by design cold-pressed. We’ll also be looking at PDO/DOP certifications, which are given to companies that grow, produce, and bottle their olive oils in a designated area (it stands for “Protected Designation of Origin” or “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” in Italy). “Single-origin” is also a term used when only one variety of olive is used in an oil — this typically indicates higher quality. Finally, we’ll be looking for both filtered and unfiltered oils — the differences are largely down to personal taste. Unfiltered olive oil is like natural wine — it is cloudier, has a more raw taste, and will have sediment, which will reduce the shelf life. Filtered olive oils will be cleaner tasting and have a slightly longer shelf life.
Over the last couple of years, my own interest in olive oil has gone up considerably as I’ve spent more time cooking at home. Choosing a nice bottle with an interesting profile is no different for me than looking for a particularly fruity red or a barrel-aged sour beer. In fact, I’ve often taken to gifting a nice-looking bottle to a friend instead of bringing over wine — not just because it’s a nonalcoholic alternative, but because people seemed genuinely excited to try an olive oil they wouldn’t have thought to buy for themselves.