Notes on olive oil & taste
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14 articles
Peroxide value (PV) is the quality figure that appears alongside acidity on premium olive oil labels, measuring how far oxidation has progressed. Read together, PV and free fatty acids tell a fuller story about freshness than either number alone.
OLEA Editorial
Flavored olive oils command premium prices and elegant packaging, but the label rarely makes clear whether the aroma comes from real ingredients or a laboratory compound. Here is how to tell the difference.
OLEA Editorial
Finding freshness information on an olive oil label is harder than it looks. A guide to the dates, codes, and quiet signals that reveal what the bottle doesn't say outright.
OLEA Editorial
The EU's geographical indication system assigns olive oils either a PDO or PGI mark — but the two certifications carry different obligations and mean different things on the shelf. Here is what each one guarantees, how producers earn it, and what to look for before you buy.
OLEA Editorial
Every bottle on the shelf says 'extra virgin,' yet prices for 500 ml can vary tenfold. Acidity, polyphenols, harvest timing, and certification are the real dividing lines — and they're all readable on the label.
OLEA Editorial
Harvest year, pressing date, and best-before: every olive oil bottle carries up to three different dates, and each one tells a different story about freshness. Knowing what each number actually means is the most reliable way to avoid buying oil that has already lost its flavor.
OLEA Editorial
From harvest date to pressing interval, bottling day to best-before, every figure on an olive oil label traces a timeline that determines what ends up in the bottle. This guide explains how to read those numbers and what they reveal about freshness and producer intent.
OLEA Editorial
The Italian flag on an olive oil label can mean almost anything — or almost nothing. A practical guide to decoding origin labeling and spotting the legal ambiguity hiding in plain sight.
OLEA Editorial
"100% Olive Oil," "Pure," "Extra Virgin" — the phrases on olive oil bottles carry precise legal meanings that rarely match what shoppers assume. This guide breaks down every key term, grade, and label signal so readers can choose with confidence.
OLEA Editorial
From bottle color to harvest date to acidity figures, the information needed to judge an olive oil's quality is printed right on the label — if you know where to look.
OLEA Editorial
Extra virgin olive oil must fall below 0.8% free acidity, yet premium bottles routinely display figures in the 0.1–0.3% range. Understanding what sits behind those numbers — cultivar, harvest timing, processing speed — is what separates an informed purchase from a lucky one.
OLEA Editorial
Single-varietal EVOO labels often carry tasting notes like "grassy finish with pepper" — but decoding them takes a vocabulary all their own. Here is what each key descriptor actually signals.
OLEA Editorial
The acidity figure printed on an extra virgin olive oil label is not a measure of sour taste — it is a chemical indicator of free fatty acid content that reflects the condition of the fruit before and after pressing.
OLEA Editorial
When two bottles of extra virgin olive oil sit at the same price point, the difference is usually already written on the label. A guide to the five things worth checking before you buy.
OLEA Editorial