Olive Oil Quality 101: Your Essential Guide

Understanding the basics about olive oil empowers us to begin navigating and exploring the world of olive oils and to avoid the pitfalls laid by wily marketing labels and terms. Due to a general low awareness about olive oil, many consumers often solely rely on their grocers’ choices of available olive oils. Reputable grocers carry a diverse range from one end of the quality spectrum to the other i.e., from extra virgin to olive pomace oil. Understanding the basics about olive oil empowers us to begin navigating and exploring the world of olive oils and to avoid the pitfalls laid by wily marketing labels and terms. In this post, we try to cover the olive oils you would see on your grocer’s shelves so that the next time you see a label you know exactly what it means.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting

Take a peek behind the scenes of what happens at formal olive oil tastings and how the rest of us can be empowered to navigate and appreciate the complex world of olive oil.

Learn why a professional tasting panel is still the only approved method for quality control in olive oil grading, when completed in tandem with physicochemical lab analysis. Read about the factors that influence tasting accuracy and the steps and protocols that tasters observe to ensure accuracy of sensory assessments. Find out how a guided tasting with a sommelier can help the rest of us become more empowered consumers of a product that can seem shrouded in mystery and jargon.

Part 3: 3T's of Home-cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Taste)

Learn what great extra virgin olive oil should REALLY taste like and how to pair different flavour profiles with your favourite food and ingredients.

In this final part of a 3-part blog series we share about Taste and Extra Virgin Olive Oil from our perspective as certified olive oil tasters and home-cooks, like you. You will learn what great EVOO and infused olive oils should REALLY taste like so you can make better buying decisions. You will also find 2 comprehensive food pairing guides within the post, so you can start exploring Olivo New Zealand olive oils according to how you cook and prepare your meals. Also check out part 1 and 2 of this blog series for useful tips about Temperature and Time when cooking with EVOO.

Part 2: 3T's of Home-cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Time)

Learn why observing certain time-related tips can enhance the taste and health benefits of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).

In this second part of a three-part series blog post divided into Temperature, Time and Taste, we discuss how Time plays an important role in our pursuit of optimal taste and health benefits when cooking with and consuming extra virgin olive oil. As with the previous article about Temperature, you will find research-based findings and pick up some easy tips. Also watch outlook-out for an equally fascinating Part 3, where we will share about the exquisite tastes of extra virgin olive oils.

Part 1: 3T's of Home-cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Temperature)

Learn why extra virgin olive oil can be used for frying, even deep frying in part one of this blog series.

In this three-part series blog post, we share with you Why and How you can maximize the health and taste benefits of cooking with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). The series is divided into Temperature, Time and Taste. Within each part you will find research-based findings and some easy tips.

Meet Olivo New Zealand

The people and the land that bring you exceptional olive oils.

“Do olive trees grow in New Zealand?” is probably the most frequently asked question we have encountered since we started doing business in Singapore. This blog post introduces Olivo, our flagship brand while providing you a brief look at why olive trees not only grow but thrive in New Zealand.

Making sense of it all

Extra virgin, cold-pressed, early-harvest and the myriad of label information.

It is not uncommon for us to see shoppers at grocery stores looking slightly overwhelmed at the olive oil shelves, shopping list in-hand trying to get through the essential errand for the day. If this sounds familiar, we hope this article will help you get through your shopping list quicker on your next trip for groceries.