It’s not for nothing that olive oil is called “liquid gold”. This product is appreciated not only for its undoubted health benefits, but also for its delicate taste and unique smell. The best olive oil is obtained from a mixture of ripe and a small fraction of green olives, this is the oil of the first extraction and cold pressing. When buying oil, you need to focus on color, transparency, taste, aroma and acidity. If there is no way to try the oil, you should know which labels on the labels should pay attention to.
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Instruction manual
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Color and transparency Extra virgin olive oil is the best and, as a result, expensive oil. The color may resemble good champagne (light straw color), it can also be greenish-golden or bright green. The more intense the color of such an oil, the richer the taste. The green color indicates that unripe olives were used in its production. This oil is to the taste of some connoisseurs. Filtered extra virgin olive oil is crystal clear, without precipitation and impurities. Virgin Olive Oil is also a low-acid first-squeeze oil. May be a bit cloudy, but not cloudy. The color is the same shades as Extra virgin. Fino olive oil is a mixture of the previous two oils. Light cloudiness is allowed. Color from light straw to greenish golden. Light olive oil - Refined olive oil. Always transparent, color from light yellow to dark yellow. The rich yellow color indicates that it was made from overripe olives. For such an oil, this is permissible, since it is it that is less aromatic and is recommended for heat treatment.
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Taste and smell Green olives, harvested in early autumn, have a distinct pungent taste, characterized by a grassy or woody and equally fresh aroma. This oil is for true connoisseurs, many will not be able to immediately appreciate its thin, but distinct bitterness. Oil from ripe olives, harvested from the beginning of winter to spring, is famous for its harmonious rounded fruity taste and aroma. The oil intended for frying has a muffled taste and unexpressed aroma. Good olive oil never smells like earth, mold, or fat. All these and any other unpleasant odors, a sign of rancidity. To taste, only very expensive green oil can be bitter; for everyone else, any bitterness is also a bad sign.
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Acidity It is not possible to determine acidity by color, taste or smell. Trust manufacturers here. Expensive oil has the lowest acidity, up to 1%. Valid value is up to 3.3%.
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Important mandatory information on expensive oil labels: grade (Extra Virgin, Virgin, Ordinary, etc.); acidity level; varieties of olives from which it is prepared; olive harvest time; origin (Spain, Italy, Greece, America).
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Unnecessary information posted on bottles of oil that is issued as expensive. "First cold pressed" - all olive oil is obtained only by cold pressing, expensive oil is always first pressed. "Does not contain cholesterol" - olive oil - a healthy oil, it never contains cholesterol. "Natural, unrefined, without preservatives" - it is also natural for olive oil. "Made without chemicals."
Useful advice
The taste and aroma of good olive oil varies from the variety of olives, their place of growth and time of collection. Try different varieties to choose it as a good wine, depending on your personal individual preferences.
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