About olive oil – origin, production and taste | The Olive Label
About extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil is a pure, natural product packed with flavor, tradition, and healthy antioxidants. On this page, you'll learn how origin, harvest, production, and quality come together—and how to recognize, use, and appreciate true extra virgin olive oil.
What is olive oil?
Olive oil is the juice (oil) from pressed olives.
Quality depends on the olive variety, cultivation method, harvest time, production method, and the degree of oxidation or refining. Good olive oil is rich in healthy fatty acids and antioxidants (polyphenols). Poor quality contains little to none of these.
How is extra virgin olive oil made?
1. Harvesting
Early harvest (greener olives) produces less oil but often more fruitiness, bitterness, and polyphenols. Later harvests produce slightly more oil with a milder flavor profile and, on average, fewer polyphenols.
2. Cleaning
Branches, leaves and dust are removed; the olives are washed with cold water.
3. Grinding
The whole olives, including pits, are ground into a paste to release the oil.
4. Malaxation (mixing)
The paste is mixed slowly at a low temperature (below 27°C) so that small oil droplets come together to form larger droplets.
5. Extraction
The oil is mechanically separated from the water and pulp using a centrifuge or press. The result: a pure, cold-pressed olive oil.
Filtered & Unfiltered (novello)
Many olive oils are filtered to remove solid particles; this extends their shelf life. Unfiltered olive oil (such as Italian novello ) is extremely fresh, still contains micro-residues of olive oil and some moisture, and often has an intense character.
Unfiltered olive oil has a shorter shelf life. It's generally unwise to buy unfiltered oil more than 5–6 months after harvest (roughly until May). It's best to avoid any unfiltered oil you see in the supermarket after June.
The pulp left after filtration is called olive pomace .
What does olive oil consist of?
Fatty acids (± 98%)
- 70–80% oleic acid (monounsaturated)
- ±10% palmitic acid (saturated)
- ±7% linoleic acid (polyunsaturated)
Bioactive substances (± 1–2%)
- Polyphenols
- Squalene
- Vitamin E (tocopherols)
- Phytosterols
- Chlorophyll & carotenoids
- Aromatic compounds
Only extra virgin olive oil can contain high levels of these substances. In refined oil, they are almost completely absent.
Types of olive oil (EU)
In the Netherlands you usually see three categories:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Virgin olive oil
- Olive oil (without "extra" or "virgin")
"Olive oil" (without extra/virgin) is, according to the EU definition, a mixture of refined olive oil and a small amount of virgin oil. It seems harmless, but it's a completely different product than extra virgin.
What is extra virgin olive oil?
Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality category and a legally protected term (EU 2022/2104 and 2022/2105). Only oil that meets strict chemical and sensory requirements may bear this designation.
Quality requirements & tasting panel
Analytical (laboratory)
- Free acidity ≤ 0.8%
- Peroxide value ≤ 20
- UV absorption (K232/K270/ΔK)
- Authenticity parameters
Sensory (tasting)
A true EVOO has fruitiness and no defects (not rancid, stale, moldy, fermented, or metallic).
Color of olive oil
The color ranges from green to golden yellow and is primarily related to the time of harvest and the pigments. Early harvest often produces a greener oil with "green" aromas; later harvest produces a yellower profile with riper notes.
Color plays no role in official assessments; therefore, panels taste in blue glasses.
Recognizing the best olive oil
If you can taste
Smell first. Does the oil smell stale or rancid? Then it's bad. A good EVOO smells fresh and fruity, and upon tasting, it leaves a bitterness and often a peppery tickle in the throat.
If you can't taste
- Packaging: dark glass or bag-in-box
- Label: clearly stating “extra virgin” and origin
- Price: Extremely cheap is almost never top quality
Reading the label
The label of extra virgin olive oil must state: “extra virgin olive oil obtained directly from olives and exclusively by mechanical means”.
Be critical of terms like classico, mild, gentle, blend, light — these are marketing words without a fixed meaning.
Harvest date & harvest year
A premium extra virgin olive oil often lists the vintage year. This is only allowed if the oil comes entirely from a single harvest year. If the vintage year is missing, the oil is usually a blend of several years.
The price of olive oil
Half a liter of genuine extra virgin olive oil can't possibly cost €6–7. The production costs in the country of origin alone are often higher.
Extremely cheap olive oil is almost always a compromise: blends, older oil, refined components or mass production.
Cold pressed & first pressing
“Cold pressed” means that the processing takes place below 27°C and is done exclusively mechanically.
"First pressing" historically refers to the first oil to be released. Second-pressing oil can, by definition, never be extra virgin.
Baking & roasting (smoke point)
Extra virgin olive oil is suitable for baking and frying. Smoke point alone isn't a good indicator; oxidative stability is just as important.
Thanks to its fatty acid profile and natural antioxidants, extra virgin olive oil is stable at normal cooking and baking temperatures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is extra virgin olive oil safe for frying?
Yes. EVOO is stable at normal cooking and baking temperatures.
Why is cheap olive oil usually not a good choice?
Because real EVOO has production costs that are not compatible with extremely low prices.
Is unfiltered olive oil better?
Not necessarily. Unfiltered oil is fresh and intense, but doesn't last as long.
This page is part of The Olive Label knowledge center and is updated regularly.