How To Buy High Quality Olive Oil Like A Pro

I used to walk into grocery stores thinking I knew exactly how to buy high quality olive oil. Boy was I wrong (lol). My “expert” elimination process consisted of scanning the abundance of choices and then settling on a fancy looking bottle with some buzzwords on the label such as “cold-pressed” or “Extra Virgin” and a mid-ranged price tag. My nonna would surely not approve!

I have a hunch that you might also have a similar buying process.

Turns out, that’s not a great way to choose a high quality olive oil (shocker). About 80% of the olive oils on the market are fake, (via Forbes) cut with blends of vegetable, soybean, palm and canola oil and on top of that most oils are stale or rancid by the time you buy them. This makes shopping for high quality olive oil overwhelming and confusing especially if you are unsure of what to look for.

To make things worse, the FDA does not heavily regulate olive oil imports, so there are many oils on the shelves that would not pass extra-virgin certification even though they claim to be. It’s a terrible tragedy that has been happening since Ancient Roman times. If interested in learning more about the scandalous world of olive oil check out this book “Extra Virginity”.

I mean, we have high standards for our eggs, milk, fish and meats so why not demand the same in your olive oil? My goal is to make sure you never buy mediocre, stale or counterfeit oil EVER again. Here is what you need to know.

Harvest Date

The #1 tip for buying high quality olive oil is check for the harvest date or bottled date. Don’t be confused by the “Best by” or “Use by” dates, those are there to trick you into buying an older olive oil that is stale or rancid. Freshness is key! The most flavorful, nutritious olive oil is fresh-pressed from the latest harvest. If your bottle has a harvest date within the last 12-14 months, it is as fresh as possible. Always check for that harvest date and if there is none…on to the next bottle.

Buy “Extra Virgin”

Only buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil, this is the highest quality, most flavorful and most nutritious version of olive oil. Extra Virgin means the oil is not treated with heat, chemicals or other added refining processes so it retains it’s natural high antioxidant levels. Other versions such as “virgin”, “pure”, or “light” are heated and refined, stripping away the healthy antioxidants. If the bottle has the two words “Extra Virgin” you’ve already eliminated a vast majority of crappy bottles.

Dark Containers Only

Only buy olive oil in containers that are opaque, made of either dark glass or metal. Olive oil is a fruit oil and goes bad fairly quickly. Exposure to light and heat will make the quality deteriorate even more quickly. A producer that cares about the quality of their product is never going to put their olive oil in a clear glass bottle, ever! You must avoid the four great enemies of olive oil freshness: time, heat, light, and oxygen. At home, store olive oil in a cool, dark place, not next to the stovetop.

Does Olive Oil Go Bad?

Unlike wine, olive oil does not improve with age. The shelf life of a high quality olive oil is about 18-24 months from the time they are bottled and sealed. So the oil reaches its peak right away and the freshness clock starts ticking. This is why checking the harvest date is so important. So watch out for those stale supermarket olive oils that have spent months on cargo ships, been stockpiled in warehouses, and sat on retail shelves until existing inventories are sold!

On your next trip to Costco, think twice about buying olive oil in bulk. Once you open the bottle, olive oil should be used within a maximum of six months before it goes bad.

Check For An Estate Name

It’s a good sign if there is an estate name on the bottle, meaning it’s probably legit. Small producers take pride in their name and their quality product. They might also include the olive varietal (most common varietals are: Arbequina, Picual, Frantoio, or Hojiblanca). Bottles with more specific information are less likely to have been diluted with fillers. The more general the information, the more likely they are hiding something. Look for producers that have third-party testing on their oils and report important data, like polyphenol count, which is an important measure of quality. 

Know The Country of Origin

Always know the country of origin and where the oil is coming from. Most will come from the world’s largest producers like Spain, Italy, and Greece, but high-quality olive oils are also being produced in Chile, Australia, the United States, Argentina, South Africa, Croatia, and New Zealand. You should be skeptical of a label saying “Product of Italy”, look carefully on the back label for the initials of the true country of origin: IT for Italy, GR for Greece. Blends are also common and can be as flavorful, sometimes even more so, as single-varietal oils. For example, this California Olive Ranch Global blend won a prestigious 2024 Gold Award with olives from Argentina, Chile, Portugal and California.

Read The Labels

Price is not necessarily an indicator of high quality and a “fancy bottle design” can be deceiving. Stick to the label facts from above and try not to get lured in with the cool labels and higher prices. However, high-quality olive oil with character and personality will not be cheap because there is a lot of labor and expertise are involved in high quality products. Another layer of legitimacy while shopping for brands look for bottles that carry a PDO (Protected Denomination of Origin) or PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) certification or look for a seal from a third-party certifier, such as the California Olive Oil Council (COOC) or the International Olive Council (IOC).

Winners of international olive oil competitions will almost always feature these honors prominently on their labels. Gold and silver medals are especially prestigious, meaning they were exceptionally ranked by the world’s best olive oil palates. Check out the newest 2024 winners of the World’s Best Olive Oils by NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition.

Taste Test

Those sharp, peppery and grassy notes signify that you are tasting super fresh olive oil and the polyphenol levels are high. If you are not experiencing a certain pepperiness and bitterness with the oils you use, they are likely old and stale, rancid, or fake. Fake olive oils will taste dull and greasy. Olive oil that is past its prime will taste waxy or crayon-like, meaning it has likely gone rancid. Check out Brightland’s beginner guide to tasting olive oil.

Don’t Judge The Color

It’s a myth that the darker and greener an oil, the higher the quality. The colors can be deceiving and have no bearing on the quality or the taste. Professional judges during olive oil competitions use blue colored tasting glasses to not fall prey to color prejudices.