I have come to believe that nearly all imported olive oils, especially from Italy, are not pure olive oil but are cut with other cheaper oils. I started buying 100% California olive oils but they have gotten so expensive that I have given up and buy whatever is on sale.
@@Scott_Atlantabertolli rich taste is actually really good for the price. I keep some on hand for recipes that use a lot of oil. It’s very different from the basic bertolli
I buy the California olive ranch 100 % California olive oil Directly from the manufacturer and it’s within nine months of harvest day usually. They offer free shipping and a lot of coupons, so it actually ends up being a lot cheaper to buy in bulk there.
My prayers and wishes finally came to existence. I was hoping for this moment of truth regarding the best olive oils to purchase and which one/ones can I trust. For many years. I thank both of you ladies very much. I feel very good about how it was laid out. Ms. Queen
You guys turned me onto California Olive Ranch years ago. I order the Millers Blend with 3 different Olive types. 100% California olives. It's my favorite!!
When I was still living and working in Italy I knew a couple that had a small olive orchard. They said that when they would take the olives in for pressing, even though they knew the press owner, they would find an excuse to hang around so they could keep an eye on things because EVERY mill cuts with inferior quality oils. Go with your palate for condiment oil, and lowest price for cooking.
@@BernardProfitendieu probably to be able to claim to get a high yield for the growers, or steal some of the pure oo for themselves and cut the product
Testing store brands would benefit many consumers. Knowing when you can opt for the cheapest option without sacrificing quality is a great way to save some money.
I'm not surprised that Julia didn't recognize the 100% California Olive Oil 2022. California had the worst wildfires 2020-2022. It affected a lot of grape and olive crops as well as the ongoing drought that didn't break until 2023.
I prefer organic Spanish olive oil with the harvest date and have been buying Nuñez de Prado for years. It’s pricier than the grocery store brands but the taste is so much better.
Quite educational. Thank you. We've bought the Tunisian Terra Delyssa over the years and never have had a problem. Once the Fall and end of year holidays are nearing we try and find the tinned Terra Delyssa because over the holidays it's rare it sees the end of January. The rest of the year the liter bottle is our go to. This taste test reminded of how wines are tested, some years/vintages are better than other years. It makes sense that olive oil too can go through same seasonal fluctuations.
I think the results can be wildly different too depending on how long the individual bottle sat on the shelf and what temperature it has been stored at.
I like how Julia started singing the Sesame Street pinball song when counting the number of counties that have oils blended into Pompeian. 😀. Clearly she’s having a good time
So taste will depend on the harvest date, the blend, whether the blend has changed without you knowing since the last time you bought it, and whether the company is trying to "up its game." Basically it's a crapshoot every time you buy a bottle.
I'm so surprised by the brands but really enjoyed the video. California Olive Ranch EVOO is my everyday go-to. I also usually keep a single source oil on hand for drizzling & dressings. Oddly enough, my recent take-what-they-have EVOO was Bertolli and it was perfectly suitable.
The Terra Delyssa smooth olive oil I have isn't organic (not the same as Olive Oil #5), but has a smooth flavor, and is cold pressed and it has a harvest date that is recent. I like it, so far.
So glad to hear that. I sent some to my brother, along with huge heritage tomatoes, mozzarella, a basil plant and some very delicious balsamic vinegar as a birthday present. It’s his favorite appetizer, and since I couldn’t be there I sent him instructions. :))
Thanks ladies! Supermarket brands are what most of the people i know use. Food is so expensive, it helps to have info to help choose the best the price and availability in our area.
Great test. I usually buy the California Olive brand. Be careful when buying this though because they have two different oils available. One (the cheaper one) is made from olive sourced from different parts of the world and their premium line is made from 100% California grown olives. What's shocking to me though is how expensive this brand has gotten. The last time I checked, their prices have almost doubled. I think I'll try the Bertolli brand to see how I like it.
I finished a bottle of Lucini earlier this year in 2024. I also thought it was very harsh and decided I would not buy Lucini again. One thing I learned here is that past experiences may not repeat in a brand's current bottle.
Julia doing the Sesame Street counting song with the Pompeian countries of origin, but then realizing she was doing it and stopping, and then realizing it actually ended with 12 and wishing she’d kept going, was adorable and weirdly relatable 🤣
I LOVE the peppery burn, myself. I have a friend who has an olive oil business (olives grown on their land). It's spectacular--complex, and with that peppery burn finish.
I hope you do another taste with the same brands but different dates. I think they might come out different. I love and always use 100% California Oil. Melaney from SoCal
I also agree. The bottle of 100% California olive oil I bought two weeks ago was noticeably less flavorful than the one I bought in June. I’m in the Bay Area and we had heatwaves in July and earlier this month.
I was fortunate to live in Italy for 10+ years. I good friend recommended Carapelli Olive Oil, and it was my choice for 8+ years. I still buy it here in DFW after leaving Italy. Yum!!! 😋😋😋
Perfect timing. I was at that grocery store over the weekend and decided to wait on purchasing olive oil until I researched how to find a good one. Thank you!
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that both have worked for ATK for years, with Julia going back to the late 90's and thus know each other fairly well.
I can't take California Ranch olive oil. It reminds me of the '90's when we were trying to improve our health with shots of wheatgrass. It makes the hairs inside my nose curl. I really enjoyed your method of warming the testing glasses in your hands before sampling and your explanation of harvest dates versus sell by dates. I was shocked that you didn't delve into the worldwide problem of counterfeit olive oil, especially when an oil is sourced from various countries. It gives unscrupulous olive oil producers the opportunity to cut their extra virgin oil with lesser oils such as substandard olive oils or even other oils such as sunflower oil. To hedge your bets, it has been advised to buy olive oils sourced from only ONE country.
My first bottle of Terra Delyssa was delicious, peppery yet fruity, and well-balanced. Bought with reservations off of Amazon, but was pleasantly surprised. Eagerly bought a second bottle once that was gone, but at a grocery store. Zero flavor. Might have been a factor of age and exposure to light, but it may as well have been grapeseed oil. Re: Colavita, I haven't had it in years, but they have a lot of varieties from many different countries, and the one sampled here wouldn't represent them all. Thank you for doing this, and if there's a follow-up, please mention how to look out for counterfeit oils, as some of these brands have been brought into question.
Am tunisian, Our olive oil should be the most expensive & the best quality among all others, but for gaining international markets that brand is selling for cheap
@@JCVD87 I would have happily paid more for the bottle that was fresh, flavorful and well protected. Your country produces beautiful products, and I agree with your statement.
So I have a bottle of "Terra Delyssa" in my pantry. After this I checked it out using their method. Soft and fruity scent, no strong back taste, certainly no chemical taste at all, overall quite fresh. My bottle has both picked date as well as use by date. Picked date was early Jan 2024, so about 10 months old right now and use by early 2026. I have to wonder what the dates were on their bottle. [edit] You can barely see the date - looks like very late Mar 2024. Makes me wonder if being a bit later in the season changed the flavor!
I generally like Terra Delyssa, but I will admit, it is inconsistent in flavour. Sometimes it's absolutely delicious, other times it's pretty meh, but as one of the cheapest oils available, I'm willing to risk it.
As a Tunisian who harvests their own olives and make my own olive oil, I can confirm that the best olive oil is actually the one that's made from the earliest harvest in the season. Even January is a bit too late haha.. We actually just started harvesting this year's crop last week! Also the temperature at which the oil is extracted from the olives is very important. Usually the colder the better quality but also the less quantity you get. That's why it's not very common to find the ones that are cold-pressed in supermarkets.
I also have a bottle in my cupboard, 2 bottle pack purchased at Costco, and it definitely does not have a chemical taste, just like wine, I can never pick out these other tastes people talk about..... Good thing about Costco, if you hit on a bad bottle, you can get a refund, no questions asked.
For years, I mean years, I have purchased Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sad that the bottle size has decreased over these years, but the bottle is still pretty 😊 Thank you for this episode, I wanted to switch to a bigger bottle EVVO and Bertolli and Pompeian Smooth were the two that I was looking at for the switch. I saw Pompeian had Robust or Smooth (and I was looking at Smooth). I also saw Bertolli had several versions of light for salad dressing, etc. Now, I will continue looking for Carapelli in a bigger bottle 👍🏽👍🏽
The Bertolli light isn’t cold press EVOO. try their classic. I find it works for most things, even drizzled over a soup or in a salad. Meanwhile I’ll look for Carapelli - always willing to try one more.
I'm in SoCal so I just checked my bottle from the California Olive Ranch. It has a harvest date of November 2023. So there are fresher bottles out there.
Sorry about buying all the fresher bottles of California Olive Ranch. I had to confit all my Gilroy garlic, lol. All joking aside, that 2022 vintage you tried represents the last of our dry years. Try it again with an early 2024 bottle. You’ll notice the difference, as I did. A bottle I purchased last month was lifeless compared to one I bought in May. We had a pretty good winter 2023-24, but our summer was very dry with heat waves in July and again just two weeks ago.
Thank you both. I can't wait to buy FLAVORFUL full bodied again. The bottom line is that I haven't been trusting my nose and taste pallet as I should. I waited much to long before admitting California Ranch had changed. Got Terra Delyssa and wondered with each bottle was it me or them. The bottle, organic and packaging kept me hanging on but now Im gone. Three new exciting choices, yeah!
Impressive review. thank you. We don't buy anything stored long-term in plastic bottles any more. We have a enough micro-plastic in us for a lifetime already. So the oil has to be in metal or glass.
Thank you so much! I have really learned a lot from this episode! ~4 brands featured here I have actually been seeing at my local supermarkets consistently for years. Now I have more confidence and awareness of my taste in olive oil!
If you've never experienced an expensive olive oil you should! The difference between the best oils in this test, and a high grade expensive oil is night and day! Really good olive oils are drinkable they taste so good, and don't have any of the bad nuances noted here with the less expensive oils. Spend $30/$40 on a bottle, and try some of the good stuff!👍🎃✌🗽
Some UA-camrs tasted $10 vs $47 bottles and the tasting was in favor of the cheaper one. But…. We all, each have a different palate. Isn’t there a saying “you cannot argue about the taste”(?)
They know that. This was testing for "everyday" just saute something oil, and many people won't pay $40 a bottle for something that just is there to soften the onions.
I like the Bertolli as a daily oil. Used to get California Olive but a couple of years ago, they changed from all-California to a mix of different countries - taste changed and not for the better. Think I’ll try Carapelli next time.
I think they should do this test again with like fan favorite/social media brands like Grazza, TJ's, partana, brightland etc. I'd really be interested to know how they taste and if they're worth the hype/$. I've had Grazza and I wasn't impressed but could've had a bad batch or something because California Olive Ranch def used to be our household favorite.
Did Graza gr viral on TikTok or something? I work for a cat-centric pet sitting company, which involves going into people's homes to take care of their cats. I've been seeing the Graza olive oil is so many client's homes for a while now. I got it once, and thought it was fine. I feel like the packaging of having it in a squeeze bottle makes it more "unique". I wasn't going to buy another bottle of Graza olive oil again, but the grocery store I go to had this special sale where if you got a bottle of the Graza olive oil, you'd get a can refill of the Graza olive oil for FREE. So it was 2 for 1 price, as the can was the same oz as the bottle. I'm sure that "chaos packaging" that's becoming a trend makes Graza even more popular/appealing when you can buy olive oil in a can. The company must be making bank off of virality to be able to allow grocery stores to do a sale like that.
Always on an extremely tight budget, even before the inflation spike of the last few years, I used to watch stores like Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Cost Plus for a shapely little bottle of olive oil labelled "Monte Pollino", because I had tried it once and found it to be quite, QUITE to my taste for all purposes -- brushing on bread, skillet frying, key salad dressing ingredient, basting on chicken breasts, and even baking. Finding it was hit-and-miss, though, and I was always a little worried that one day I'd be down to the last tablespoon in a bottle and I wouldn't be able to find another Monte Pollino anywhere. One day on a stroll through Trader Joe's, a shapely little bottle of olive oil caught my eye. Could it be one of TJ's famous re-brandings? I decided to give it a try, and whether or not it's the same olive oil, Trader Giotto's Sicilian accomplishes that same all-purpose goal for me. Not too strong, not too weak, hint of buttery-ness, lovely ripe golden color. Of course, with TJ's business model, now I walk nervously by the olive oil section in the store when I go there, and pause to make sure the Sicilian is still there for sale, even if it isn't on the current shopping list. (As a Trader Joe's customer going all the way back to when all of their stores were only in California, I have seen pretty much all of my favorite items disappear, including the Gingeroo cookies that were absolutely legendary at work, and some magical zinc and propolis chewable lozenges that seemed to bring peace and quiet to my out-of-control crazy immune system for the first time in my life.) I live walking distance from a very-well-stocked Mediterranean / Middle Eastern market with a boggling selection of olive oils, so I always have a lot of options for when I want something a little stronger, a little greener, a little darker, or even unfiltered (yum) -- but there is ALWAYS a bottle of either Monte Pollino or Trader Giotto's Sicilian on the oil-and-vinegar shelf in the cabinet in my little kitchen. And that's my review, October 2024. 😊
They did, last year. ATK compared Graza Drizzle, Brightland Awake and Kosteria Original with their favorite mild, medium and robust premium olive oils (i.e. not ones from this test).
Yeah, especially for the all california variety. I buy the blended medium as that's what my store carries. Wished they sold the stronger, richer variant of that oil as it's reasonably priced.
@@aiai-j7i I’ve tried different ones and just haven’t found a really good one but I usually just use on my salad and I’ll use a little for my meats! I don’t think I’ll be using this one again
I refuse to purchase any olive oil in plastic bottles so my choice is glass or metal containers purchasing from those choices what my budget can afford.
You guys should add Costco's Kirkland line into these tests. So many people shop at Costco. I would venture to guess that Kirkland extra virgin olive oil outsells many if not all of these brands by a wide margin.
Lisa's got you covered. There's an article on the ATK website where she tested the Kirkland brand extra-virgin olive oil. The signature 100% Italian EVOO got positive responses from the tasters. It is recommended BUT only if you can go through a two-liter bottle within a reasonable time, otherwise it'll go rancid.
I am seeing from this that I can't assume Best By means anything at all. I also thought that keeping OO in the fridge would help preserve it, so I wish they had discussed that. I often open a large bottle, decant into my stove-side pouring bottle and put the rest in the fridge to help preserve it, but now I think I should just buy smaller bottle more frequently and not get the larger sizes. Such good info!
You must only purchase ones that are certified. Also the very least in phylates/nanoplastics and less process and that is Filippo Berio organic extra virgin or whole foods brand.
00:19:39 Lucini was the a favourite, (robust, for stronger tasting foods) 00:20:06 Carapelli and Bertolli 00:20:19The rest tasted the same, it will depend on the harvest date and price I love the one we buy is one of the bottom ones. Thats how you know that the cheap ones really do taste cheap
I found an olive oil at Alldi that was wonderful but I expect that much like wine. It would depend on the harvest date and how long it was stored. My taste test is to use a good bread and dip.
I was always led to believe that blended olive oil was a no no because bottlers use the oils from different countries as a way of dulling and cheapening the final product. I only buy olive oil that was produced from a single source and buy mostly the Costco Kirkland olive oil.
I got a bunch of CA Olive Ranch olive oil at Sam's Club last month and it was all the most recent harvest (2023). Maybe they had a deal on it to move out the inventory before this year's harvest. It seems fresh to me.
I've always had a great California Olive Ranch oil. It's 100% real and in my kitchen at all times. I also like the Mina brand from Amazon. Both have great olive oil peppery burn and taste. Another 100% real oil is a Costco one, but they have two. You have to get the right one
Very interesting. I’ve bought the Terra Delyssa twice and it has been brilliant. I lived in the Middle East for a long time so I appreciate very good olive oil. It’s interesting that it’s not consistent. I’m worried about getting it next time. Bertolli’s has always been a consistent product for me though. More of a cooking oil.
Good timing for this! I have to get a new bottle. Where I live a larger bottle of the CA olive ranch is like $40 or more. I’ll definitely check harvest dates
When I tried the Star evoo years ago, I thought the flavor was artificial, didn't feel right on the palate. I never looked for the harvest date on the evoo bottles, and I'll be doing that going forward.
I recently bought a bottle of the California Olive Ranch, and the harvest date was November/December 2023. It is fine. I'm in Washington state, so I imagine that the 2023 harvest date should be making its way to the east coast soon, if it hasn't already.
#2 was Filippo Berio and they had nothing real negative to say and yet in the lineup it came in next to last. I don’t get that result. I have found it a little inconsistent, but usually very good.
Iliada Extra Virgin from Crete or the first press from Iliada is incredible. Much better than over flavored California oil and the Tunisian oil which is not good. I've been using Iliada and (sometimes) other Cretan oils in my cooking and solids for the last 18 years and have searched them out because other oils mess up the taste of my food.
Pretty sure the pricier-but-not-niche oils have been selling more slowly from supermarkets post inflation, so you're getting a lot of older stock still out there. The niche ones that are like $35-40+ for a liter are often amazing. The lucini premium select is pretty consistently good in my opinion. As always, it's fruit juice. Always buy the freshest if you can.
no 5 - you just got the old bottle! I live in Europe and this olive is the freshest, sweetest, mildest and most delicious olive oil I EVER had. bad luck!
Poor Julia... The results of this test are shocking, and I guess the big takeaway, for me, is to stick with Carapelli (my go-to) & Bertolli & also look for a harvest date.
Lucini has been the choice here for a while, but it's gotten so incredibly expensive (talking nearly $40 for a 500ml bottle at the one place that carries it) it's just not an option any longer (so thanks for this review!). We accidentally bought one of their "lesser" labels, with the olives being Argentinian instead of Italian. To our palates, that was a big step-down, and wasn't very good. Our two "supermarket" choices only have the Argentinian.
I was hoping the olive oil that I buy was on the list and it was the Lucini. I have used it for years. I may try some of the other brands. Thanks for this video.😊
Very interesting info and tastes on the store brands. My favorite store brand is the Target Good and Gather EVOO. You do feel the polyphonol burn at back of throat for a second, the lingering flavor is nice grassy olive oil taste. Recently I bought the tasters kit from Olive Oil Lovers. Wow! What a difference in the higher quality, high polyphenol EVOOs. I do wish the labels had the polyphenol count.
Now I'd like to hear which brands are actually 100% olive oil like they claim to be.
But such a positive review of Pompeian and Bertolli. 🤡🤡
More like which are actually 100% extra virgin olive oil.
Look for those that are DOP certified. Is the easiest and safest
I have come to believe that nearly all imported olive oils, especially from Italy, are not pure olive oil but are cut with other cheaper oils. I started buying 100% California olive oils but they have gotten so expensive that I have given up and buy whatever is on sale.
@@Scott_Atlantabertolli rich taste is actually really good for the price. I keep some on hand for recipes that use a lot of oil. It’s very different from the basic bertolli
I buy the California olive ranch 100 % California olive oil Directly from the manufacturer and it’s within nine months of harvest day usually. They offer free shipping and a lot of coupons, so it actually ends up being a lot cheaper to buy in bulk there.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t know this.
My prayers and wishes finally came to existence. I was hoping for this moment of truth regarding the best olive oils to purchase and which one/ones can I trust. For many years.
I thank both of you ladies very much. I feel very good about how it was laid out.
Ms. Queen
And you're supporting an American business. They really do have some excellent olive oils.
useful to know, thanks.
what do you consider "in bulk"? are you buying commercial volumes?
You guys turned me onto California Olive Ranch years ago. I order the Millers Blend with 3 different Olive types. 100% California olives. It's my favorite!!
When I was still living and working in Italy I knew a couple that had a small olive orchard. They said that when they would take the olives in for pressing, even though they knew the press owner, they would find an excuse to hang around so they could keep an eye on things because EVERY mill cuts with inferior quality oils.
Go with your palate for condiment oil, and lowest price for cooking.
what's a mill's motivation to cut when they're processing someone else's product? doesn't make sense to me
@@BernardProfitendieu probably to be able to claim to get a high yield for the growers, or steal some of the pure oo for themselves and cut the product
Testing store brands would benefit many consumers. Knowing when you can opt for the cheapest option without sacrificing quality is a great way to save some money.
My favorite store brand extra virgin olive oils are ShopRite and Trader Joe’s :😊
@@RealJZ1 I found Trader Joe's to be extremely harsh.
I agree. The bitterness in the one I tried bordered on tasting metallic-wrong kind of bite. I can chew aluminum foil if I want that hit.
PS--I'm a guy who always loves watching Lisa, such a joy to still have her on the channel.
I'm not surprised that Julia didn't recognize the 100% California Olive Oil 2022. California had the worst wildfires 2020-2022. It affected a lot of grape and olive crops as well as the ongoing drought that didn't break until 2023.
That makes perfect sense. Too bad that they didn't think of that.
I prefer organic Spanish olive oil with the harvest date and have been buying Nuñez de Prado for years. It’s pricier than the grocery store brands but the taste is so much better.
Quite educational. Thank you. We've bought the Tunisian Terra Delyssa over the years and never have had a problem. Once the Fall and end of year holidays are nearing we try and find the tinned Terra Delyssa because over the holidays it's rare it sees the end of January. The rest of the year the liter bottle is our go to.
This taste test reminded of how wines are tested, some years/vintages are better than other years. It makes sense that olive oil too can go through same seasonal fluctuations.
I've used Filippo Berio olive oil for many years now, and I've never found anything I like better.
I'm glad to learn that Bertolli did well in the taste test. That's what I have in the pantry.
I feel like you can run this taste test every year and the results will be wildly different given how blended they all are
Wow! Feels are both scientific and modern!!
Yup. Exactly. It's a cultivated taste. Pun intended. Unavoidable, really.
I think the results can be wildly different too depending on how long the individual bottle sat on the shelf and what temperature it has been stored at.
I like how Julia started singing the Sesame Street pinball song when counting the number of counties that have oils blended into Pompeian. 😀. Clearly she’s having a good time
The Pointer Sisters are the singers of that!! Fact! Almost as good as the Singing Orange!😊😊😊
So taste will depend on the harvest date, the blend, whether the blend has changed without you knowing since the last time you bought it, and whether the company is trying to "up its game." Basically it's a crapshoot every time you buy a bottle.
I've tried number 9 & 10 and they are my top 3. Number 10 has been my number one for a few years. I love the butteriness of it. Great with bread.
Love seeing Lisa and Julia together on this show--I feel like an olive oil expert after watching this!
I'm so surprised by the brands but really enjoyed the video. California Olive Ranch EVOO is my everyday go-to. I also usually keep a single source oil on hand for drizzling & dressings. Oddly enough, my recent take-what-they-have EVOO was Bertolli and it was perfectly suitable.
The Terra Delyssa smooth olive oil I have isn't organic (not the same as Olive Oil #5), but has a smooth flavor, and is cold pressed and it has a harvest date that is recent. I like it, so far.
The regular version is a little peppery from the back of my throat and smells a little crayon-y, but it's better than nothing.
My Terra Delyssa bottle is organic, Jan 2024 harvest date. Tastes and smells great.
So glad to hear that. I sent some to my brother, along with huge heritage tomatoes, mozzarella, a basil plant and some very delicious balsamic vinegar as a birthday present. It’s his favorite appetizer, and since I couldn’t be there I sent him instructions. :))
Thanks ladies! Supermarket brands are what most of the people i know use. Food is so expensive, it helps to have info to help choose the best the price and availability in our area.
Great test. I usually buy the California Olive brand. Be careful when buying this though because they have two different oils available. One (the cheaper one) is made from olive sourced from different parts of the world and their premium line is made from 100% California grown olives. What's shocking to me though is how expensive this brand has gotten. The last time I checked, their prices have almost doubled. I think I'll try the Bertolli brand to see how I like it.
I finished a bottle of Lucini earlier this year in 2024. I also thought it was very harsh and decided I would not buy Lucini again. One thing I learned here is that past experiences may not repeat in a brand's current bottle.
I really liked this format of taste testing. Well Done!
The California Olive Ranch 100%CA EVOO I opened in my house this week was harvested Oct-Dec2023 & is good!
Julia doing the Sesame Street counting song with the Pompeian countries of origin, but then realizing she was doing it and stopping, and then realizing it actually ended with 12 and wishing she’d kept going, was adorable and weirdly relatable 🤣
I stayed at a farm in Tuscany and brought their olive oil home. It was amazing.
I LOVE the peppery burn, myself. I have a friend who has an olive oil business (olives grown on their land). It's spectacular--complex, and with that peppery burn finish.
I hope you do another taste with the same brands but different dates. I think they might come out different. I love and always use 100% California Oil. Melaney from SoCal
I also agree. The bottle of 100% California olive oil I bought two weeks ago was noticeably less flavorful than the one I bought in June. I’m in the Bay Area and we had heatwaves in July and earlier this month.
Just checked my bottle of California Olive Ranch olive oil and it was harvested in late 2023, i.e. a year more recently than the batch reviewed here.
Mine, too. December 2023.
I was fortunate to live in Italy for 10+ years. I good friend recommended Carapelli Olive Oil, and it was my choice for 8+ years. I still buy it here in DFW after leaving Italy. Yum!!! 😋😋😋
I love Carapelli. Albertsons often has it on sale
Perfect timing. I was at that grocery store over the weekend and decided to wait on purchasing olive oil until I researched how to find a good one. Thank you!
Loved the interaction between Julia & Lisa :)
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that both have worked for ATK for years, with Julia going back to the late 90's and thus know each other fairly well.
I can't take California Ranch olive oil. It reminds me of the '90's when we were trying to improve our health with shots of wheatgrass. It makes the hairs inside my nose curl. I really enjoyed your method of warming the testing glasses in your hands before sampling and your explanation of harvest dates versus sell by dates. I was shocked that you didn't delve into the worldwide problem of counterfeit olive oil, especially when an oil is sourced from various countries. It gives unscrupulous olive oil producers the opportunity to cut their extra virgin oil with lesser oils such as substandard olive oils or even other oils such as sunflower oil. To hedge your bets, it has been advised to buy olive oils sourced from only ONE country.
My first bottle of Terra Delyssa was delicious, peppery yet fruity, and well-balanced. Bought with reservations off of Amazon, but was pleasantly surprised. Eagerly bought a second bottle once that was gone, but at a grocery store. Zero flavor. Might have been a factor of age and exposure to light, but it may as well have been grapeseed oil.
Re: Colavita, I haven't had it in years, but they have a lot of varieties from many different countries, and the one sampled here wouldn't represent them all.
Thank you for doing this, and if there's a follow-up, please mention how to look out for counterfeit oils, as some of these brands have been brought into question.
Am tunisian, Our olive oil should be the most expensive & the best quality among all others, but for gaining international markets that brand is selling for cheap
@@JCVD87 I would have happily paid more for the bottle that was fresh, flavorful and well protected. Your country produces beautiful products, and I agree with your statement.
My go to olive oil is the Cobram Estate Robust EVOO from Australia. It's grassy good.
Yes, love that grassy flavor.
So I have a bottle of "Terra Delyssa" in my pantry. After this I checked it out using their method. Soft and fruity scent, no strong back taste, certainly no chemical taste at all, overall quite fresh. My bottle has both picked date as well as use by date. Picked date was early Jan 2024, so about 10 months old right now and use by early 2026.
I have to wonder what the dates were on their bottle. [edit] You can barely see the date - looks like very late Mar 2024. Makes me wonder if being a bit later in the season changed the flavor!
I generally like Terra Delyssa, but I will admit, it is inconsistent in flavour. Sometimes it's absolutely delicious, other times it's pretty meh, but as one of the cheapest oils available, I'm willing to risk it.
As a Tunisian who harvests their own olives and make my own olive oil, I can confirm that the best olive oil is actually the one that's made from the earliest harvest in the season. Even January is a bit too late haha.. We actually just started harvesting this year's crop last week!
Also the temperature at which the oil is extracted from the olives is very important. Usually the colder the better quality but also the less quantity you get. That's why it's not very common to find the ones that are cold-pressed in supermarkets.
@@greenk89 Thank you for confirming what I suspected. Peace to you!
I also have a bottle in my cupboard, 2 bottle pack purchased at Costco, and it definitely does not have a chemical taste, just like wine, I can never pick out these other tastes people talk about..... Good thing about Costco, if you hit on a bad bottle, you can get a refund, no questions asked.
It’s good on salads but too thin to cook with
Very timely! I need to replenish my olive oil - it doesn’t have to be gourmet, just something good enough.
For years, I mean years, I have purchased Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sad that the bottle size has decreased over these years, but the bottle is still pretty 😊 Thank you for this episode, I wanted to switch to a bigger bottle EVVO and Bertolli and Pompeian Smooth were the two that I was looking at for the switch. I saw Pompeian had Robust or Smooth (and I was looking at Smooth). I also saw Bertolli had several versions of light for salad dressing, etc. Now, I will continue looking for Carapelli in a bigger bottle 👍🏽👍🏽
The Bertolli light isn’t cold press EVOO. try their classic. I find it works for most things, even drizzled over a soup or in a salad. Meanwhile I’ll look for Carapelli - always willing to try one more.
Carapelli had been the best for my kitchen and dishes for about a decade. I’ve tried a lot of brands and it’s my fave.
Pls do this with BALSAMIC VINEGAR! There r so many diff ones!!❤❤❤❤❤
Decent balsamic vinegars start at around $50 for a small bottle, and go up from there. They are rarely found in average grocery stores.
And WITH delicious bread
I really love this! I now know what to buy here in the Philippines. Thank you so much.
I'm in SoCal so I just checked my bottle from the California Olive Ranch. It has a harvest date of November 2023. So there are fresher bottles out there.
Sorry about buying all the fresher bottles of California Olive Ranch. I had to confit all my Gilroy garlic, lol. All joking aside, that 2022 vintage you tried represents the last of our dry years. Try it again with an early 2024 bottle. You’ll notice the difference, as I did. A bottle I purchased last month was lifeless compared to one I bought in May. We had a pretty good winter 2023-24, but our summer was very dry with heat waves in July and again just two weeks ago.
Thank you both. I can't wait to buy FLAVORFUL
full bodied again.
The bottom line is that I haven't been trusting my nose and taste pallet as I should. I waited much to long before admitting California Ranch had changed. Got Terra Delyssa and wondered with each bottle was it me or them. The bottle, organic and packaging kept me hanging on but now Im gone.
Three new exciting choices, yeah!
Impressive review. thank you. We don't buy anything stored long-term in plastic bottles any more. We have a enough micro-plastic in us for a lifetime already. So the oil has to be in metal or glass.
Thank you so much! I have really learned a lot from this episode! ~4 brands featured here I have actually been seeing at my local supermarkets consistently for years. Now I have more confidence and awareness of my taste in olive oil!
Good review. Thanks for mentioning harvest date and that blending is not bad. Man, I need to start taste testing.
If you've never experienced an expensive olive oil you should! The difference between the best oils in this test, and a high grade expensive oil is night and day! Really good olive oils are drinkable they taste so good, and don't have any of the bad nuances noted here with the less expensive oils. Spend $30/$40 on a bottle, and try some of the good stuff!👍🎃✌🗽
Exactly!
Some UA-camrs tasted $10 vs $47 bottles and the tasting was in favor of the cheaper one. But…. We all, each have a different palate. Isn’t there a saying “you cannot argue about the taste”(?)
They know that. This was testing for "everyday" just saute something oil, and many people won't pay $40 a bottle for something that just is there to soften the onions.
I like the Bertolli as a daily oil. Used to get California Olive but a couple of years ago, they changed from all-California to a mix of different countries - taste changed and not for the better. Think I’ll try Carapelli next time.
@@jasonbrodess5242 yikes!!!!
Pompeii has been my least favorite although it is the most affordable but I’m glad to hear they’re making it better.
I think they should do this test again with like fan favorite/social media brands like Grazza, TJ's, partana, brightland etc. I'd really be interested to know how they taste and if they're worth the hype/$. I've had Grazza and I wasn't impressed but could've had a bad batch or something because California Olive Ranch def used to be our household favorite.
Did Graza gr viral on TikTok or something? I work for a cat-centric pet sitting company, which involves going into people's homes to take care of their cats. I've been seeing the Graza olive oil is so many client's homes for a while now. I got it once, and thought it was fine. I feel like the packaging of having it in a squeeze bottle makes it more "unique". I wasn't going to buy another bottle of Graza olive oil again, but the grocery store I go to had this special sale where if you got a bottle of the Graza olive oil, you'd get a can refill of the Graza olive oil for FREE. So it was 2 for 1 price, as the can was the same oz as the bottle. I'm sure that "chaos packaging" that's becoming a trend makes Graza even more popular/appealing when you can buy olive oil in a can. The company must be making bank off of virality to be able to allow grocery stores to do a sale like that.
Always on an extremely tight budget, even before the inflation spike of the last few years, I used to watch stores like Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Cost Plus for a shapely little bottle of olive oil labelled "Monte Pollino", because I had tried it once and found it to be quite, QUITE to my taste for all purposes -- brushing on bread, skillet frying, key salad dressing ingredient, basting on chicken breasts, and even baking. Finding it was hit-and-miss, though, and I was always a little worried that one day I'd be down to the last tablespoon in a bottle and I wouldn't be able to find another Monte Pollino anywhere.
One day on a stroll through Trader Joe's, a shapely little bottle of olive oil caught my eye. Could it be one of TJ's famous re-brandings? I decided to give it a try, and whether or not it's the same olive oil, Trader Giotto's Sicilian accomplishes that same all-purpose goal for me. Not too strong, not too weak, hint of buttery-ness, lovely ripe golden color.
Of course, with TJ's business model, now I walk nervously by the olive oil section in the store when I go there, and pause to make sure the Sicilian is still there for sale, even if it isn't on the current shopping list. (As a Trader Joe's customer going all the way back to when all of their stores were only in California, I have seen pretty much all of my favorite items disappear, including the Gingeroo cookies that were absolutely legendary at work, and some magical zinc and propolis chewable lozenges that seemed to bring peace and quiet to my out-of-control crazy immune system for the first time in my life.)
I live walking distance from a very-well-stocked Mediterranean / Middle Eastern market with a boggling selection of olive oils, so I always have a lot of options for when I want something a little stronger, a little greener, a little darker, or even unfiltered (yum) -- but there is ALWAYS a bottle of either Monte Pollino or Trader Giotto's Sicilian on the oil-and-vinegar shelf in the cabinet in my little kitchen.
And that's my review, October 2024. 😊
Grazza is a marketing company. It’s fine evoo, but nothing worth the price
also the coscto evoos
They did, last year. ATK compared Graza Drizzle, Brightland Awake and Kosteria Original with their favorite mild, medium and robust premium olive oils (i.e. not ones from this test).
I bought the California olive oil today (San Diego). Harvest was late 2023 (October/November). It's been my go-to for some time.
I was happy with the California olive ranch but the price went from 18$ to 28$ now
Yeah, especially for the all california variety. I buy the blended medium as that's what my store carries. Wished they sold the stronger, richer variant of that oil as it's reasonably priced.
Thank you, Joe
Why would you buy that brand?? It is just marketing; it's not good quality.
@@aiai-j7i I’ve tried different ones and just haven’t found a really good one but I usually just use on my salad and I’ll use a little for my meats! I don’t think I’ll be using this one again
Eggs went from 75 cents $4.50...everything is outrageous
I refuse to purchase any olive oil in plastic bottles so my choice is glass or metal containers purchasing from those choices what my budget can afford.
Very interesting! I learned a lot and I already use one of the best, Bertoli.. Yay!
I like the bottle for the California Olive Ranch because it's the best at preventing drips.
You guys should add Costco's Kirkland line into these tests. So many people shop at Costco. I would venture to guess that Kirkland extra virgin olive oil outsells many if not all of these brands by a wide margin.
My thoughts exactly. Leaving the Kirkland brand EVO out of this taste test is an unfortunate omission.
Didn't ATK do a previous testing in which Costco EV organic came out number 1?
@@oneworldawakening Kirkland brand tested 100% pure olive oil.
Lisa's got you covered. There's an article on the ATK website where she tested the Kirkland brand extra-virgin olive oil. The signature 100% Italian EVOO got positive responses from the tasters. It is recommended BUT only if you can go through a two-liter bottle within a reasonable time, otherwise it'll go rancid.
@@halfthefiber Thanks for the info!
I am seeing from this that I can't assume Best By means anything at all. I also thought that keeping OO in the fridge would help preserve it, so I wish they had discussed that. I often open a large bottle, decant into my stove-side pouring bottle and put the rest in the fridge to help preserve it, but now I think I should just buy smaller bottle more frequently and not get the larger sizes. Such good info!
I just used the Carapelli oil when making ATK's Pork Roast with 40 cloves of garlic for lunch yesterday. Very good flavor.
And saffron,all over.
You must only purchase ones that are certified. Also the very least in phylates/nanoplastics and less process and that is Filippo Berio organic extra virgin or whole foods brand.
Loved this! Yes been a Cali buy, but will check out the top two! For eating, salads,.... a friends family has a tree in Greece.....
00:19:39 Lucini was the a favourite, (robust, for stronger tasting foods)
00:20:06 Carapelli and Bertolli
00:20:19The rest tasted the same, it will depend on the harvest date and price
I love the one we buy is one of the bottom ones. Thats how you know that the cheap ones really do taste cheap
This was super fun and informative! Julia and Lisa have the same back and forth that Julia and Bridgette do! Loved this and I learned something!❤❤❤
I didn't taste OO until I was in my 20's.I'm not a big fan of the darker oils but I love balsamic vinegar mixed up with the OO for bread dipping.
Seems like multi-origin oils would vary in quality a lot. Even single-source quality could vary by year.
Thank you for doing this taste test. It’s always difficult to decide what to get!
Just checked the harvest date on the COR 100% CA that I got on Saturday and it’s Oct-Dec 2023.
I found an olive oil at Alldi that was wonderful but I expect that much like wine. It would depend on the harvest date and how long it was stored. My taste test is to use a good bread and dip.
I was always led to believe that blended olive oil was a no no because bottlers use the oils from different countries as a way of dulling and cheapening the final product. I only buy olive oil that was produced from a single source and buy mostly the Costco Kirkland olive oil.
How about the olive oil in the trader's joe? I used them and have no complaints. 😊their products are fairly good. 😉
Dang I have Felipo in the pantry now. But I have to pick based on what I can afford. This was very interesting.
Never actually ever looked at the date. Will start now.
What about Kirkland olive oil???
I switched from California growers to Terra Delyssa when I couldn't get recent harvest dates. I have found it to be really good. 😊
I got a bunch of CA Olive Ranch olive oil at Sam's Club last month and it was all the most recent harvest (2023). Maybe they had a deal on it to move out the inventory before this year's harvest. It seems fresh to me.
I've always had a great California Olive Ranch oil. It's 100% real and in my kitchen at all times. I also like the Mina brand from Amazon. Both have great olive oil peppery burn and taste. Another 100% real oil is a Costco one, but they have two. You have to get the right one
I love that this will actually change Julia's buying habits with olive oil
Maybe not?? I'm still going to buying my California Ranch 100% olive oil, Melaney from SoCal
The Lucini oil is my favorite as well. I use it mostly on salads.
Very interesting. I’ve bought the Terra Delyssa twice and it has been brilliant. I lived in the Middle East for a long time so I appreciate very good olive oil. It’s interesting that it’s not consistent. I’m worried about getting it next time. Bertolli’s has always been a consistent product for me though. More of a cooking oil.
Good timing for this! I have to get a new bottle. Where I live a larger bottle of the CA olive ranch is like $40 or more. I’ll definitely check harvest dates
When I tried the Star evoo years ago, I thought the flavor was artificial, didn't feel right on the palate. I never looked for the harvest date on the evoo bottles, and I'll be doing that going forward.
I recently bought a bottle of the California Olive Ranch, and the harvest date was November/December 2023. It is fine. I'm in Washington state, so I imagine that the 2023 harvest date should be making its way to the east coast soon, if it hasn't already.
I love the Pompeian “Robust” version. I also find I prefer oils from Spain/Portugal/Argentina over Italy/Greece/California.
Point well taken. It’s about each palate. It’s about different people will prefer DIFFERENT olive oil.
#2 was Filippo Berio and they had nothing real negative to say and yet in the lineup it came in next to last. I don’t get that result. I have found it a little inconsistent, but usually very good.
Iliada Extra Virgin from Crete or the first press from Iliada is incredible. Much better than over flavored California oil and the Tunisian oil which is not good. I've been using Iliada and (sometimes) other Cretan oils in my cooking and solids for the last 18 years and have searched them out because other oils mess up the taste of my food.
Fantastic video. I learned a fair bit with this one. Thanks ATK.
Interesting. We've bought Terra Delyssa many times. It's always been excellent, never rancid or off.
Pretty sure the pricier-but-not-niche oils have been selling more slowly from supermarkets post inflation, so you're getting a lot of older stock still out there. The niche ones that are like $35-40+ for a liter are often amazing. The lucini premium select is pretty consistently good in my opinion. As always, it's fruit juice. Always buy the freshest if you can.
I've been using Lucini for years. Love it!
no 5 - you just got the old bottle! I live in Europe and this olive is the freshest, sweetest, mildest and most delicious olive oil I EVER had. bad luck!
I buy the regular Terra de Lyssa, not the organic, and I have never had a bad bottle.
Poor Julia... The results of this test are shocking, and I guess the big takeaway, for me, is to stick with Carapelli (my go-to) & Bertolli & also look for a harvest date.
Why am I addicted to olive oil videos
Lucini is what started by love for olive oil and made me start paying attention to it. haven't bought any in a while, might have to pick some up again
excellent and helpful review, you guys are both very entertaining and knowledgable :)
Lucini has been the choice here for a while, but it's gotten so incredibly expensive (talking nearly $40 for a 500ml bottle at the one place that carries it) it's just not an option any longer (so thanks for this review!). We accidentally bought one of their "lesser" labels, with the olives being Argentinian instead of Italian. To our palates, that was a big step-down, and wasn't very good. Our two "supermarket" choices only have the Argentinian.
I was hoping the olive oil that I buy was on the list and it was the Lucini. I have used it for years. I may try some of the other brands. Thanks for this video.😊
Kudos on EVOO tasting for consumers! I wanted to buy my one “go-to” olive oil for salads and high end sautés and you gave it to me!❤
I found this very informative, and entertaining!
Do it again sometime and use Colavita Premium Italian (instead of Premium Selection). There's a huge difference between the two.
Very interesting info and tastes on the store brands. My favorite store brand is the Target Good and Gather EVOO. You do feel the polyphonol burn at back of throat for a second, the lingering flavor is nice grassy olive oil taste. Recently I bought the tasters kit from Olive Oil Lovers. Wow! What a difference in the higher quality, high polyphenol EVOOs. I do wish the labels had the polyphenol count.