About Olive Oil

Italy, which produces nearly a third of the world's olive oil, is distinguished by the superior class of its extra virgin, made in all regions of the centre and south and in a few places in the north.

The most flavourful and wholesome of edible oils is used raw in dressings or as a condiment for salads, vegetables, pastas, soups, seafood and meats. Chefs find Extra Virgin unmatchable in cooking because it can reach high temperatures before, despite the higher cost. The best oils show distinct character due to terrain and climate, the varieties of olives they come from and methods of harvesting.

Hand picking of under-ripe olives renders oil of deep green colour, fruity aroma and full flavour (sometimes a touch piquant). Mature olives make oil of paler colour and subtler flavour. Traditional extraction by stone crushing and mat pressing is practiced mainly in mills in Tuscany and Umbria, where oil is especially prized, though most is processed by mechanical mashing and centrifuging.

By law, Olio Vergine di Oliva must come from the first pressing of olives by mechanical (not chemical) means and must contain low percentages of oleic acids - please see the table below for the exact differences between the oils.

VIRGIN OLIVE OILS	Oils obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions that do not lead to alteration in the oil, which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation or filtration, to the exclusion of oils obtained using solvents or using adjuvants having a chemical or biochemical action, or by re-esterification process and any mixture with oils of other kinds.
a) Extra virgin olive oil	Virgin olive oil having a maximum free acidity, in terms of oleic acid, of 0,8 g per 100 g, the other characteristics of which comply with those laid down for this category.
b) Virgin olive oil	Virgin olive oil having a maximum free acidity, in terms of oleic acid, of 2 g per 100 g, the other characteristics of which comply with those laid down for this category.
c) Lampante olive oil	Virgin olive oil having a free acidity, in terms of oleic acid, of more than 2 g per 100 g, and/or the other characteristics of which comply with those laid down for this category.

What does "Cold Press" mean?
Logically first cold press extra virgin olive oil means that the olive oil has been produced without elevated temperatures. This method of stone grinding and pressing without adding chemicals nor allowing the temperature to rise excessively (by Italian law no more than 30 degrees Celsius for the cold press) is ancient and was used already by the Romans and the Greeks who hadn't of course the means to treat their product any less naturally.
It still remains the most natural and less interfering with the composition of the oil, thus the oil keeps its monounsaturated fats and also keeps in tact other beneficial elements such as the antioxidants and vitamins.
This method that hereon will be referred to as "traditional" also guarantees the purest and tastiest product as no other element will interfere with the actual quality of the oil.

Steps of the process of obtaining the oil and our criteria of choosing oils for you:
Step 1: Olives are hand picked after about 120 days after the flowering of the trees. In Tuscany this usually means the beginning or mid November, depending a little on the year. A tree produces different quantities of olives every year all depending on pruning, weather, varietals, age, etc.
Step 2: The contents of the baskets of the olive groves will be put into a separator that will separate the greenery from the olives and the olives will get washed. Olives are gently and slowly mashed by a stone wheel (granite) to a thick paste.
Step 3: The paste is spread on mats made of nylon that are subsequently placed on metal plates. The metal plates are stacked one on top of the other and when the stack is complete it is introduced into the press that will press the olive paste at about 350-450 atmosphere for little more than half an hour.
Step 4: In this manner the liquid is separated from the solid parts (pit and pulp). The liquid coming from the pressing, called must, contains water, oil and small bits of flesh and skin which will be eliminated by a process similar to decanting.
Step 5: The "new" oil is obtained and will be kept in storage in stainless steel tanks at a low temperature (10 degrees Celsius). During the first month the oil will settle and obtain a clear golden color. In Tuscany olive varietals allow 10-15% olive oil per 100 kilos of olives using the cold press traditional technique.
Step 6: The dry parts left over after the pressing and obtaining the olive oil are called "sansa" in Italian and contain 3 elements: more oil (but not of first quality), the pit parts and the skin parts. A lot of olive oil mills sell this part to a "sansificio" that separates the sansa in 3 products: "olio di sansa" is obtained by heating up the mass and adding chemicals (this oil is separated in different qualities depending on its acidity but is really only recommended for the production of soap!), the pit/wooden parts are dried and can be burnt in burners to heat houses, and the skin part are sold to animal food factories.

Cold press extra virgin olive oil is highly recommended in its raw use, so to enhance the flavor of all plates as done in Italy: add a bit of olive oil before serving most anything. Use the oil for your bruschetta, fettunta, salads (together with good vinegar, salt and pepper), etc.

How does Cold Press olive oil distinguish itself in the taste?
First of all, olive oil should remind you of the taste of olives. Cold press means that the olfactory qualities of the oil haven't been modified by heat or other additives such as certain chemicals that are in the big commercial industries to extract more oil. The new oil is always a bit stronger in flavour, and might remind you of artichokes and sometimes has a hint of spicyness. A good cold press oil is rather delicate in taste and has an almondy aftertaste.
What could compromise the quality of a Cold Press Olive Oil:
- Sometimes a cold press oil can have an off taste if the olives were picked either too early (green) or too late (black)
- or maybe cleanliness wasn't a big consideration
- or maybe the leaves were left in the crusher (releasing chlorophylls in the oil)
- maybe the olives were lying around for too long before being pressed (causing oxidization or even fermentation)
- Sometimes the declared "Cold Press" wasn't as cold as it should have been, but since it is not easily controlled someone might get away with declaring it anyway.
Olive oil in Italy is not declared "cold press" on the label, which does not make it any easier for the unknowing consumer. The label will, however, indicate that the oil was obtained uniquely by means of mechanical procedures (as opposed to chemical). This is not much of a guarantee of the real quality of the oil, though, nor whether the oil was obtained by cold press.
Helping the consumer, some regions have now got some kind of control with the introduction of DOPs and IGPs (protected foods from specific regions), but the problem is that these designations cover very small areas compared to the many, many olive oils from different areas and the few traditional producers who might not be in one of these designations - or who's production is simply too small to go through the bureaucratic procedures of obtaining a certification.

So, the mission of TUSCANY IN A BOTTLE is to select for its privileged clients the "true" Cold Press olive oils of Tuscany produced in the traditional way - oils that hardly even make it to the local market as they are rare and normally produced in very limited amounts and only sold locally to the connoisseur who seeks them out. We will select a small quantity of different oils and that may be ordered in small quantities at any time of year. Shipping will take place from December to February every year, when the oils are fresh and new - also the best time to ship for the shipping temperature!