Extra virgin olive oil appreciation thread

I do love olive oil, probably as much as I love coffee. I was bought a selection from Spain - 6 or so tiny bottles that must have been about 50ml - of high quality oil. I can't remember where it was from as it was about three years ago, but the stuff was lovely. Each bottle was a different colour and had a different flavour and body. Colours ranged from a fairly dark green to a very bold gold colour. Flavours ranged from delicate and floral to bold and nutty to strong and peppery, but not bitter. Of course, I didn't have them with food, I just drank them so as to enjoy the full flavour. Yum! Can anyone recommend some good olive oils to try? Preferably not huge bottles.

I do love olive oil, probably as much as I love coffee. I was bought a selection from Spain - 6 or so tiny bottles that must have been about 50ml - of high quality oil. I can't remember where it was from as it was about three years ago, but the stuff was lovely. Each bottle was a different colour and had a different flavour and body. Colours ranged from a fairly dark green to a very bold gold colour. Flavours ranged from delicate and floral to bold and nutty to strong and peppery, but not bitter. Of course, I didn't have them with food, I just drank them so as to enjoy the full flavour. Yum! Can anyone recommend some good olive oils to try? Preferably not huge bottles.

Must be as good as Jamaican Rum as this post is a random as they get

nunez del prado (sp?) from spain is meant to be very good, not tried it though.
expensive though.

Rule of thumb with good olive oil is: The more expensive it is, the better it is.....generally. Was told that by an Italian and that's why I get my (good)olive oil from Italy(I go about 6x a year)

Can get a decent 1ltr bottle for about 12/15Eur - over here the same equivalent would be about £30, such is the state of rip off UK

aldi and lidl allow you to enjoy the delights of EVOO without breaking the bank.

recomended

have a word with dante - his mum brings back a pretty amazing white truffle oil from Italy

I've just run out of Olive Oil. Must buy more.

Thanks.

Extra virgins ftw!

i did that

have a word with dante - his mum brings back a pretty amazing white truffle oil from Italy

you just made me hungry, i want to be in croatia eating streak and truffles. truffles are so cheap there. mmmmmmmm

here's a pic of a retired truffle sniffer-outer

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aldi and lidl allow you to enjoy the delights of EVOO without breaking the bank.

recomended

Lidl FTW!

Aldi is full of imitation blended olive/pomace/roughness

But lidl sells two good sorts, one greek and one italian if I remember right, both great.

I do love olive oil, I use it on my toast too.

i get mine from a co op in puglia off the trees at my mates house, first pressing etc. it's great and you can get 5/10 drums. they bring it back in jerry cans.
it's cheap as everything down there is, along as you stay clear of the trulli's

Nothing like fresh bread with good evoo and balsamic vinegar

Lidl FTW!
lidl sells two good sorts, one greek and one italian if I remember right, both great.

I do love olive oil, I use it on my toast too.

thanks for the greek italian tip.

on toast you say? that i must try.

Aldi is full of imitation blended olive/pomace/roughness

Lies!

The spanish evoo from aldi is fucking acely fruity with a peppery finish

you open the bottle and that fresh, bold fruity smell is so strong and appealing it's enough to cure a hangover

Powerful dredge.

I recently brought back from Italy what is easily the best evoo I’ve ever eaten. Strictly for dipping/dressing but utterly bonkers in flavour. Bit spendy but totally worth it if you’re the type of human that likes strongly flavoured fat poured over their edible substances.

For those who don't fancy the peppery flavour of olive oils, the Greek extra Virgin olive oils are sweet and light, not overshadowing the flavour of fresh vegetables on salads, with really subtle flavour.
Also, not meaning to sabotage the market, but most 'Italian' olive oils are mixed with greek, as production doesn't meet the demand and they import and mix before distribution. :)
I'm a producer and my family has been running olive oil factories for generations in Crete. :)

Has anyone else tried the Cypriot stuff from the electrical shop in North London? Heard great things, rode up there for a couple of bottles, wasn't very impressed... #secretlondon

It's good, but like you say, I think it's a bit underwhelming. Better than the normal stuff I buy in the supermarket, though.

Sounds good, What brand did you buy?

Can you suggest any particular ones?

I haven't done any excessive research but I have purchased a 5lt can of Cretan extra virgin olive oil from the Hellenic Gourmet, near Bowes Park/Bounds Green stations, which was just as the oil I have always known. :)
They import lots of Greek products; my fav is feta cheese straight from the barrel!
Unfortunately I don't find myself frequently in that area, so I haven't been there for a while.
I haven't imported any oil myself, as I haven't ever asked around to see if there's interest but I have the ability to bring some limited quantity from Greece, as we are wholesale producers and I can bring it in cans (not officially packaged). If you are interested, the new production will start coming out around November/December, so I can see if I can accommodate this and will need to see what the rates are around that time of the year. :)