Favorite Olive Oil

shel · #1 05-01-2007, 10:37 AM

Good olive oil is such a wonderful thing. Here in the San Francisco area we are blessed with being able to get innumerable brands and types, and over the years I've tried many, many oils. Although some shops have oil out for tasting, there's no way all the oil that they stock can be tasted. So, with the idea of trying some new oils, perhaps you can post which oils you like and why, and perhaps even add some "tasting notes."

Shel

shroomgirl · #2 05-02-2007, 02:12 AM

hmmmm....like wine the nuiances make olive oil special ......green fruity is probably my favorite and hardest to find.
I've got a few gems around now and will taste them side by side in the next couple of days and give you the results.
MacEvoy's (sp?) has some good ones, they are in CA.

shel · #3 05-02-2007, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

hmmmm....like wine the nuiances make olive oil special ......green fruity is probably my favorite and hardest to find.
I've got a few gems around now and will taste them side by side in the next couple of days and give you the results.
MacEvoy's (sp?) has some good ones, they are in CA.

I enjoyed the McEvoy that I tried, but it was a couple-three years ago. I just picked up a bottle of Arbequina oil from Spain the other day. I've had oil made from that type of olive before, but not this particular brand. IIRC, the label said that it's acidity was .3, or .03 - very low - which is my preference.

hel

MikeLM · #4 05-06-2007, 10:44 PM

You're close enough to check out a local, handcrafted oil:

Bariani Olive Oil
9460 Bar Du Lane Sacramento CA 95829
916-689-9059 (phone & fax)
email: Bariani@aol.com

They show up at most Farmers Markets in Walnut Creek (every Sunday year-round) and have some very nice oil.

Mike

cookie jim · #5 05-16-2007, 07:16 PM

Hi shel; I use Bertoli e.v. for everything. Ive been using it for 30 years so maybe I'm just used to it. I like the nose as well as fruity flavor. I can find it in any market around the country and is reasonably priced. I should add that you sparked my interest and will try something different as soon as I finish my last 3 gal..lol...good cookin...cookie

allie · #6 05-17-2007, 08:10 AM

I've been following this thread with a lot of interest. I've never seen many olive oils available where I am forced to shop. Bertolli is always available so I'll give it a try. I don't remember what brand I've been using but it's not a very expensive one. I only use it for sauteing and it's regular olive oil, not extra virgin. Since I'd like to make some vinaigrettes for the first time, I need some good evoo.

Just a little anecdote that happened to me a few years ago:

BTW, you don't want to ever break a bottle! When I worked in a grocery warehouse, I set a pallet of cake mix on top of a pallet of olive oil that looked full on top. Well, it wasn't so my pallet of cake mix shifted and ended up busting a case of the olive oil. OMG, what a mess that was to try and clean up! The fork lift was sliding around like a car on a sheet of ice and I couldn't get off or I'd slip and get hurt. It was hilarious and took me a long time to live that one down. lol

MattFin · #7 05-17-2007, 04:30 PM

I am a proud Italian, and if my relatives ever got word I was saying this, I would be excommunicated. The best olive oils are the ones from Spain. Greek olive oils are thin on flavor, and Italian oils tend to go towards the grassy taste with a peppery finish. But Spanish oils have big, robust olive flavors.

I was in the town of Olivas (how appropriate) in Spain and bought a bottle of oil that was there local "generic" kind. No, I don't recall the name, and I doubt you could get it here anyway. It was about the single best bottle of oil I have ever had. I have looked for oils from this area of Spain ever since, but with little luck...

Laudemio - from Tuscany - is a very peppery olive oil, but is about the best example of an Italian oil as can be found.

McEvoy is very nice for a Californian oil. They are growing by leaps and bounds, and not at all undeservedly.

As a gift, I was recently given a bottle of Australian Olive Oil - from a company called "Kangaroo Paw" (as in the flower). It has a nice, smooth finish with a hint of pepperyness. I just wish the olive flavor was a little bolder - but it is quite nice.

And I have also tried Giulianno Hazan's line of oils and vinegars - A&H brand. The olive oil was thin and totall uninteresting, but the red wine vinegar they make is the single best I have ever had.

Hope this all helps!

Jannie · #8 05-19-2007, 09:16 PM

I just bought a bottle of Arbequina at my neat little market a couple of blocks from home. Tasting it straight I wasn't too excited but dipping it with Whole Foods 365 basalmic and wow, the combination really sharp, funny but tasting that basalmic alone, it seemed a little softer than I thought I would like but using it in a ceaser dressing made with buttermilk instead of eggs it's pretty good too, but dipping, the combination

really hit my yummy button.
Jannie

notoriouslyKEN · #9 05-21-2007, 12:27 PM

I am an Italian as well, and they don't offer a huge selection around my grocery stores, but the best bang for the buck is the Goya. I never tried it until The Washington Post had an olive oil review and rated that as one of the better oils.

notoriouslyKEN · #10 05-21-2007, 12:36 PM

I found the Washington Post's comparison:

Dr. Zoidberg · #11 05-24-2007, 09:20 PM

I second that..... Bertoli's

Mannlicher · #12 05-26-2007, 02:23 PM

In all honesty, I don't see any meaningful difference between brands of Olive Oil. A good quality, first pressing oil will do for me what I require in cooking. The brand is not as important as some make out.
I don't know if the same pretensions abound in discussing Olive Oil as with wine, but I have always felt folks make way too much out of small distinctions, the most subtle of nuances, and over wrought descriptions.
That said, I usually buy Bertolli extra virgin, in the large jugs.

shel · #13 06-02-2007, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeLM

You're close enough to check out a local, handcrafted oil:

Bariani Olive Oil
9460 Bar Du Lane Sacramento CA 95829
916-689-9059 (phone & fax)
email: Bariani@aol.com

They show up at most Farmers Markets in Walnut Creek (every Sunday year-round) and have some very nice oil.

Mike

I'm goping to hit the farmers market in berkeley today or next week and will look for them. I think I tasted their oil a few years ago. In any case, I'm down to only two bottles and need to replenish my supply ....

The oil can be found at many other places as well: Bariani Olive Oil

Shel

shel · #14 06-02-2007, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mannlicher

In all honesty, I don't see any meaningful difference between brands of Olive Oil. A good quality, first pressing oil will do for me what I require in cooking. The brand is not as important as some make out.
I don't know if the same pretensions abound in discussing Olive Oil as with wine, but I have always felt folks make way too much out of small distinctions, the most subtle of nuances, and over wrought descriptions.
That said, I usually buy Bertolli extra virgin, in the large jugs.

Using OO for cooking is only one way to use the oil. Using it as a condiment, for dipping, for adding flavor to a dish - like drizzling it on certain salads, crostini, etc., the nuances become a lot more clear. There are so many variations that, for many of us, we'll have several varieties and brands on hand.

IAC, it's not only the brand of OO that matter but type of olives used and how they've been pressed and treated. I think you're missing out on some wonderful taste experiences if all you use is Bertolli.

Shel

shel · #15 06-02-2007, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattFin

I am a proud Italian, and if my relatives ever got word I was saying this, I would be excommunicated. The best olive oils are the ones from Spain.

Indeed! There are many wonderful Spanish olive oils. In one of the "gourmet" shops around here they sell three bulk oils, one from Italy, one from Spain, and one from California. They always have some of each out for tasting. A lot of people prefer the Spanish oil over the Italian ... of course, that's just between those three bulk oils, but it shows how nice a good Spanish oil can be. The shop carries about forty different olive oils, covering a wide range of tastes and prices.

A good, inexpensive oil is made by Sagra - a lot of people I know like it. I certainly enjoy it, and for years it was my "go to" oil untill I decided to try some others. Even Trader Joe's has a couple of good oils ;-))

Shel