With all the news we've heard about olive oil big companies blending their oils and fake oil scams, it's sometimes hard to judge a good oil from a bad one. Here are some tips, and why we believe ours is above the rest!
Greek Quality
The excellent soil and climatic conditions that prevail on the island influence to a great extent the quality of Greek olive oil. Although Greece shares second place with Italy in world production of olive oil after Spain, it continues to hold first place for quality.
It is this high quality olive oil that is sought by big international companies every year in order to improve the quality of various kinds of other olive oils on the market. It's worth noting that about 75% of the olive oil produced is of the very best extra virgin quality out of Greece's approximate 350,000 tons per annum production. Also, note that Italian buyers to flavour their own oils immediately snap up about 80-100,000 tons!
Shopping For Olive Oil
The colour may range from green to golden-yellow but this is never an indication of quality, as most believe. Consumers should instead read the label on olive oil containers and look for the following:
date of bottling (aka, batch number) and/or expiry date (olive oil can last for up to a year and a half)
level of acidity
country of origin (Greece, without question!)
the amount in the container (price per litre)
the name of the olive oil producer or company clearly indicated
The taste and aroma of olive oil can vary enormously from one olive growing country to another. And, even from region to region in the same country! Generally speaking, the preferred choice is a matter of personal taste.
Acidity
The degree of acidity in olive oil indicates the oleic acid content. According to the International Olive Oil Council, it is edible when the acidity does not exceed 3.3 degrees (content of oleic acid 3.3%). In reality, olive oil that has an acidity level of no more than 1 is much better, and you should always read the label to verify this. But Greek extra virgin olive oil tends to be less than 0.5 degrees! The degree of acidity greatly affects the taste. (That's why Greek olive oil tastes so good!)