Friday, March 29, 2024 Mar 29, 2024
60° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Organic

Taste Test Thursday: Olive Oil

We know you like to dunk your bread in these.
By Carol Shih |
Image

I don’t know how civilization would survive without olive oil.

I know I can’t.

Olive oil, at its very base, gives food a sweet fragrance. You can dip plain pieces of bread in it and call it a day. In fact, that’s how we did this taste test. I brought Tuscan bread, people dipped, and we had ourselves a little afternoon feast.

As part of my olive oil criteria, I only picked olive oils that are good for everyday use. None of these are your fancy, you-can-only-buy-it-online kind. You can most definitely find them at Central Market or Whole Foods.

1_taste_test_name
A. Goya’s extra virgin olive oil –  Spain (purchased at Central Market)
$5.89/250ml on Goya’s e-store

B. Texas Olive Ranch‘s extra virgin olive oil – Texas (purchased at Central Market) $19.95/500ml at Texas Olive Ranch’s e-store

C. Colinas de Garzon’s extra virgin olive oil – Uruguay (purchased at Central Market)

D. Whole Foods’ extra virgin olive oil$8.99/lb

E. Colavita’s extra virgin olive oil – Italy  (purchased at Central Market) $6.49/250ml at Colavita’s e-store

A
3_tasting_notes
Extra info: Maximum acidity 0.4%

  • “Bitter, tastes like perfume”
  • “Soapy”
  • “Decent flavor, but very thin. Not good for [bread] dipping”
  • “Lingering after taste. Not great.”
  • “Pungent, leaves a bad taste in your mouth”

 

B
3_tasting_notes
Arbequina variety extra virgin olive oil. Cold pressed within hours of picking.

  • “Tastes like cake, spiced.”
  • “Delicious fruity olive flavor. Clear cut winner.”
  • “Bland and boring, not nice and thickness.”
  • “Sweet, slight salt, nice color”
  • “Beautiful color, almost buttery mouthfeel”

C
3_tasting_notes
Arbequine variety

  • “Tastes like fresh cut grass.”
  • “Good balance of flavors, while still being complex and delicious”
  • “Sort of a bitter olive flavor”
  • “Grassy, with a peppery finish”
  • “Grassy, mild, meh.”

 

D
3_tasting_notes
Unrefined Arbequina olive oil. Non-GMO verified.

  • “Earthy, milk, balanced, nutty”
  • “Subtle, rosemary sense”
  • “Heavy on the garlic”
  • “Garlicky after taste.”

E
3_tasting_notes
Olives harvested and pressed in Italy

  • “Super peppery”
  • “Strongest taste, kind of over-powering”
  • “Mild, bitter after taste
  • “Unctious, bitter finish”
  • “Balanced and light”

 

4_tally_up

4 votes for (D) Whole Foods
2 votes for (B) Texas Olive Ranch
1 vote for (A) Goya
1 vote for (C) Colinas de Garzon
1 vote for (E) Colavita

5_conclusion

Whole Foods’ extra virgin olive oil won this taste test because of its garlicky nature, giving it that extra edge. Texas Olive Ranch, on the other hand, had a great full-bodied texture. It had the darkest, richest, and most olive color of the bunch. There wasn’t an ounce of bitterness in it. Out of all the olive oils, it had the most buttery mouthfeel.

As for Goya, it definitely poured the thinnest. I can’t say it was very distinguishable as an olive oil. Colinas de Garzon, to me, just tasted like oil. I couldn’t discern any hint of olive. Colavita’s almost made me retch. It had the strongest and most bitter after taste out of the five. I wouldn’t use this even if it was the last olive oil left on earth.

For the best bread-dunking olive oil, go with Texas Olive Ranch and Whole Foods. They would make great salad drizzle, too.

Related Articles

Image
Arts & Entertainment

Here’s Who Is Coming to Dallas This Weekend: March 28-31

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend. Pencil in some live music in between those egg hunts and brunches.
Image
Arts & Entertainment

Arlington Museum of Art Debuts Two Must-See Nature-Inspired Additions

The chill of the Arctic Circle and a futuristic digital archive mark the grand opening of the Arlington Museum of Art’s new location.
By Brett Grega
Image
Arts & Entertainment

An Award-Winning SXSW Short Gave a Dallas Filmmaker an Outlet for Her Grief

Sara Nimeh balances humor and poignancy in a coming-of-age drama inspired by her childhood memories.
By Todd Jorgenson
Advertisement