What are SELECT Extra Virgin Olive Oils? 8 Things To Know

March 27, 2024

When it comes to describing olive oil, there are a lot of words we can use, like "buttery" or "robust". "Extra virgin" olive oil is important when it comes to determining the quality of the product.

While we love infusing fresh flavors into our olive oils, such as Blood Orange or Tuscan Herb, we also pride ourselves on the SELECT extra virgin olive oils that incorporate their own flavor profile and intensity.

Other factors such as the location, growing conditions and time of harvesting all factor into the flavor as well. You can also use the term “Single Varietal" or"Mono Cultivar” to describe these SELECT olive oils.

8 Things to Know About SELECT Extra Virgin Olive Oil

So what really sets our SELECT extra virgin olive oils apart from other olive oils? Here, we share eight things you should know about these single varietal oils.

1. Freshness is Key for SELECT Extra Virgin Olive Oils

Flavor and overall quality come from how recently the olive oil was pressed, or crushed. Once those olives are crushed to make that pure and wholesome oil, the shelf-life clock of freshness begins.

To maximize that oil freshness, Fustini’s is intentional about moving that extra virgin olive oil right from its source in either the Northern or Southern Hemisphere into stores and kitchens. With freshness that good, there’s no time to be waiting around.

2. Location Matters

Like different fruits and vegetables come in during different seasons, olives from different parts of the world are also brought in throughout the year. At Fustini’s, that distinction comes in oil from olives from the Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere.

3. SELECT Extra Virgin Olive Oils Have Different Intensities

Based on the growing and milling processes, Fustini's SELECT extra virgin olive oils vary both in intensity level and flavor. Extra virgin olive oil has three main intensities: delicate, medium, and robust. As the names imply, the flavor components intensify as you move from delicate to robust. This has nothing to do with the quality of the oil, instead it relies on the actual flavor of the olive oil. These range in their bitterness and ripeness.

Delicate - The delicate flavor of olive oil is the lowest intensity of bitterness and pungency. They have just a slight bitterness to them but are overall mild, smooth, and buttery.

Medium - The medium flavor olive oil has a moderate level of intensity. They tend to have a balanced level of bitterness and pungency while also having a peppery finish.

Robust - The robust flavor olive oil has the more intense level of pungency and spiciness. It captivates with a grassy and bold flavor that can be a fun add to dishes.

4. Varying Olive Oil Flavor Profiles

Like varieties of apples have their own unique taste, so do olives when pressed. The flavor is different, even subtly, depending on which olive variety you select.

There is a whole range of flavor profiles you can detect in olive oil, including descriptions like pungent, fruitiness, grassy-ness, and creamy-ness. The different flavors don't relate to the quality of the oil but rather the profile of the olives.

You can learn more about terms to describe your olive oil in this blog article.

These flavor characteristics of some of our many SELECT olive oils include:

Arbequina - ripe fruit, low bitterness
Coratina - herbaceous, bitter, pungent, stable
Picual - fruity, medium bitterness, high stability

Whether you’re looking for a very light flavor to use in all your dishes or a more bitter, pungent oil that pops some flavor, you can find it in SELECT olive oil.

5. Olives are Harvested at Specific Times

The flavor of an olive, and therefore the oil made from such olive, also depends on the stage at which it is harvested. With a SELECT extra virgin olive oil, the flavor distinctions that come with different stages of harvest greatly influence the profile of the oil.

These three stages include;

Green Fruit: The green or immature olive is one that is firm in texture. The oil that comes from these is bitter, grassy and pungent.
Veraison: The veraison fruit is at the peak for oil production as it turns to a more yellow-green color. The flavor of these oils still has some bitterness and pungency but is not as strong as green fruit.
Black Fruit: As the olives continue to ripen, their color turns darker and tastes much less bitter and pungent. These olives produce a lot of oil and are often sweeter.

6. No Crush is the Same

Beyond the variance in flavor profiles of different olives, each crush of a particular olive harvest may also have subtle differences as well. Since each crush comes from a different harvest, despite being the same variety, it may still have an exact flavor that’s all its own.

It’s like how a glass of wine from one year may have a subtle yet noticeable difference from the same wine but of a previous year.

7. Fustini's SELECT is From the Top 1% Of Olive Oils

With a focus on quality, Fustini’s SELECT fresh crush only accepts the very best. Guidelines for olive oil varieties are set at a high standard, putting it in the top 1% of quality olive oil. Fustini’s oils are often at just 0.1% - 0.3% acidity, giving it a rich and smooth flavor profile at maximum quality.

8. You Can Use SELECT Olive Oils in Many Ways

Just like flavor-infused extra virgin olive oils, you can use these SELECT olive oils in many ways as you cook and prepare your favorite dishes.

Cooking
Cooking up a recipe that needs oil? Using extra virgin olive oil will bring out its natural flavors.

Remember that while it varies from oil to oil, the average smoke point of EVOO is 350 degrees, with olive oils with higher polyphenol counts having a higher smoke point. It’s also best to cook with robust green oils, which have the highest smoke point.

Need some ideas?

Sauté your onions and peppers for a fajita.
Incorporate in your next pan of brownies
Roast your meal’s meat.

Adding In
When you’re not preheating the oven or turning on the stove or grill and instead just adding in some flavor, you can also incorporate these healthy, flavorful SELECT olive oils.

As you pair your food with olive oil, remember that robust oils go well with strong-flavored foods. Delicate oils go well with more mild foods.

However, there are always exceptions to this trend depending on what you’re preparing and which flavors you want to bring out in the dish. When it comes to deciding which oil - robust - medium - or delicate - it often just comes down to a matter of preference and personal taste.