Education
What’s In a Flavor?
08
Flavored olive oil isn’t a new trend, but it’s one that’s becoming more and more popular. While the classic extra virgin olive oil is exceptional and offers a lot of versatile uses, flavored oils add a bit of personality to the party.
To understand how flavors are made, we first need to understand how the base oil is extracted from the olives. Unlike other oils on the market like canola and vegetable, olive oil is made solely by mechanical processes rather than by using heating or chemicals. The olives are pressed and crushed, and the water is extracted from the pulp by large centrifuges, leaving behind a golden goodness.
It’s as simple as that.
This process is called cold pressing, and when done right, it generates an oleic acid level below 0.8%, which qualifies it as “extra virgin” if it has no other additives (like lemons) that compete with the flavor of the oil.
We know what you’re thinking: “if extra virgin means there aren’t any additives, how can flavored oil be called EVOO?” The answer is it technically isn’t.
But don’t let that scare you away.
When flavors are introduced, that’s when the real fun begins.
Olive oil acts like a sponge, soaking up any aroma in the air—so make sure you keep your oil covered! This property makes it quite easy to infuse oil at home. Take your favorite bottle of olive oil and add the ingredients of your choice to create a homemade concoction.
It’s a decent substitute, but it doesn’t compare to the real way flavors are made: fusion.
We breathe life into our flavors by pressing the ingredients together with the olive at the same time, delivering a deeper, richer taste profile that stands up better to heat than the infusion method. This traditional way of flavoring olive oil is called Agrumato named after the Abruzzo region in Italy.
To us, the authenticity of producing flavors this way is paramount, and we only offer oils that pass our rigorous standards for quality, flavor, and aroma.
Remember: when adding other ingredients to olive oil, it is no longer able to be called “extra virgin”. However, without the added flavor, we are confident that the base oil would qualify as “extra virgin,” meaning you get the best quality you can find with the added bonus of exciting new tastes.
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