Olive oil is classified into three categories, depending on how it is obtained and how much free acidity it contains. All olive oils are beneficial to human health. The big difference, however, lies in the taste!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

It has been called “the king of olive oils”, and is made from healthy olives exclusively by mechanical means, without heat. The oil is tested in a laboratory and has to meet several chemical criteria such as the content of free oleic acid, which must not exceed 0.8 %.

All Monterosa olive oil varieties are of this quality.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil represents only a very small fraction of the total olive oil consumed. Typically, it lasts up to two years, but is best when fresh. It preserves interesting flavours such as fruity, grassy, nutty, picante etc. and lends itself for dipping, for soups, stews and salads and as a finishing oil at the table.

Our Monterosa olive oil is packed in rather small (500 ml) bottles so that once opened it is consumed in a relatively short time. Its golden colour can be fully appreciated through the transparent bottle. The carton box shelters the oil from light and contains the relevant information: quality, harvest date, olive variety, acidity and name of the producer.

When the bottle is not in use, it should be kept in its box in order to protect it from light. The oil will last longer with its delicate flavours intact.

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Virgin Olive Oil

This oil is made in the same way as the extra virgin quality, i.e. only by mechanical means, but is less flavoursome and the free oleic acid content can be up to 2 %. It has less durability than extra virgin olive oil.

Olive Oil

This is oil of a lower quality whose taste is unpleasant or the acidity too high – or both. It is refined with chemical solvents and most free oleic acid is removed – and so is the taste. It is then mixed with Virgin Olive Oil to give it some flavour back. Most olive oil produced worldwide is of this quality. It lasts several years.

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All three oils are beneficial to human health. The big difference lies in the taste!

All olive oils are sensitive to oxygen and light and should be kept in closed containers and out of the light. When the bottle is not in use, it should be kept in its box. The oil will last longer with its delicate flavours intact..