How to Tell If Olive Oil Is Really Extra Virgin

"Extra virgin" is the highest grade of olive oil, but not every bottle with those words on it tastes the way it should. Here's how to tell what you're buying.

What "extra virgin" means

To be sold as extra virgin, an olive oil must:

• Be extracted by mechanical means only, with no chemicals or refining
• Have a free acidity of no more than 0.8%
• Pass a professional taste panel with no defects and some fruitiness

What to look for on the label

• A specific origin: a single country, region or, better still, a single estate
• A harvest date or best-before date: fresher is better
• Dark glass or a tin: light damages olive oil
• Lab results: some producers publish acidity and polyphenol figures, which is a good sign of confidence

How to taste it at home

Pour a little into a small glass, warm it in your hand, smell it, then take a sip.

• Fruitiness: it should smell fresh, like cut grass, green apple, tomato leaf or herbs
• Bitterness: a little bitterness on the tongue is a good sign
• Pepperiness: a catch at the back of the throat comes from natural polyphenols

If it smells musty, winey, greasy or like crayons, it's past its best or wasn't good to begin with.

Why polyphenols matter

Polyphenols are natural antioxidant compounds found in olives. They help protect the oil from going stale, and they're responsible for much of its bitter and peppery character. Early-harvest oils and robust varieties like Coratina tend to be richer in them.

Try our single-estate extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed and unfiltered, from Puglia.