We know EVOO is good, but, do we know when an EVOO is good? It is important to know what we are buying, even more when we want to buy a quality EVOO.
Steps to recognise it
The Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a certified quality product that has been gaigning more and more recognition and it is important that we know how to recognise when it is good or not when we buy it, as in many cases we could be buying a product of a lower category than we thought.
When an EVOO is good, there are a series of qualities that identify it: biochemical qualities, such as its purity, acidity, peroxide content…; and its organoleptic qualities, such as taste and smell (a good oil should not smell and taste of olives but of herbs, green apple, rocket…).
But these qualities cannot be measured with the naked eye. So today we take some notes on how to tell if the oil you get your hands on in the supermarket is a good quality EVOO.
The degree of acidity: its label says «Extra Virgin»
The degree of acidity has nothing to do with bitterness, intensity or anything else, but determines the amount of free fatty acids in the product. This is determined by the type of process to which the olives have been subjected, both during cultivation and harvesting, which must take place at an optimum moment.
The more acdity, the worse the oil. Thus, refined oils are those with a higher degree of acidity. The least (in other words, the best ones)? Those whose label says «Extra Virgin»: an extra virgin never exceds an acidity of 0,8º.
Processing: to be cold.
The oil should not be obtained at high temperatures, as it changes its properties with the heat. Its optimum temperature is 27º more or less. The lower, the best quality.
Date of harvest: less than one year old
Unlike wine, oil does not improve with age. If you are in the supermarket and you want to buy a good EVOO take a look to its date.
Designation of origin: it must indicate its provenance
Oxidation is not good fot oil. Therefore, the indication of origin and packaging at origin is always an indication of good quality.
Colour: forget about its colour and focus on its sharpness.
A quality EVOO has no specific colour: depending on the variety there are different shades (greener, more yellow…). However, it is important to pay attention to it brightness and sharpness: it should never be cloudy.
Guarantee: SIQEV seal
The last step is not the least important, but the most obvious one. If you want to be 100% sure that you are going to buy a good EVOO, always look for the SIQEV quality seal, as a SIQEV EVOO is guaranteed to have all the qualities and properties necessary for it to be a top quality product.
