Little olives can deliver a potently spicy punch. That’s the case with our Koroneiki olive, one of the olive varietals we grow in northern California. Koroneiki hails from Greece, and it’s become popular among Golden State olive growers. I rate the pungency of our extra virgin olive oils by how many times people cough when they swallow the oil at a tasting. Our Koroneiki EVOO is a “two or three cougher.”

It delivers a deliciously robust flavor, and finishes with a pleasant, peppery zing in the throat. Koroneiki oil, which we blend into our other oils, is the most pungent EVOO we produce. We hold EVOO tastings for chefs and other people and, sure enough, our Koroneiki has people clearing their throats.

In addition to a fruity nose and a strong, peppery finish, our Koroneiki is characterized by aromas of fresh grass and artichokes. Our miller Bob Singletary says the complexity of Koroneiki makes it a favorite of people who enjoy a Tuscan-style flavor profile.

We have some 10,000 acres of olive trees under cultivation in northern California. They produce Koroneiki as well as two Spanish varietals: Arbequina and Arbosana. Arbequina accounts for about 70% of our olives and Arbosana 20%. Koroneiki represents the remaining 10% of the olives we harvest using a system known as “super high-density” (SHD) planting.

Koroneiki also happens to be the third largest olive varietal grown in California. A recent report from the Olive Center at the University of California, Davis, finds that Koroneiki accounts for 6% percent of California’s SHD acreage, or 681 acres.

Unlike Arbequina and Arbosana, we don’t bottle our Koroneiki oil as a single varietal extra virgin olive oil. Instead, virtually all the EVOOs we make get a “shot” of Koroneiki, such as our Miller’s Blend and Everyday California EVOO. (One exception: If we bottle something as “Arbequina” — meaning there’s only Arbequina in the oil — then there’s no Koroneiki in that product.)

Blending Koroneiki into our other EVOOs “kicks up” an oil’s flavor and fruitiness, giving the oil a better and more complex taste.

The Koroneiki olive tree has grown in Greece for more than 3,000 years. It’s cultivated there to produce oil. The tree is a prolific olive producer.

In addition to pungency, the little Koroneiki olive delivers a healthful punch. It has a very high level of polyphenols, the chemical substances found in plants that may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

California’s winemakers looked to countries such as France, Italy, and Spain for the grapes they now grow here and crush into wine. Chardonnay, as you may know, is the white grape of France’s famed Burgundy region. California’s extra virgin olive oil industry is much the same. We use olives that hail originally from Spain and Greece and are now grown and crushed here.

I’ve been writing about our olive varietals, starting with the Spanish Arbequina olive. Next up: Arbosana, another Spanish varietal we grow and crush into EVOO.

We have some 10,000 acres of olive trees under cultivation in northern California. They produce three olive varietals: Arbequina and Arbosana, both from Spain, and Koroneiki, from Greece. Last week I focused on Arbequina, our No. 1 varietal. It accounts for about 70% of our olives.

Arbosana is our No. 2 olive, representing about 20% of the olives we harvest using a system known as “super high-density” (SHD) planting. Arbosana also happens to be the second largest olive varietal grown in California. A recent report from the Olive Center at the University of California, Davis, finds that Arbosana accounts for 16% percent of California’s SHD acreage, or 1,688 acres.

Like Arbequina, the Arbosana tree is small in stature. Similarly, the Arbosana tree is a workhorse, producing large numbers of olives.

Our Arbequina and Arbosana EVOOs also happen to be the two single varietal oils we produce. Our Miller’s Blend, by contrast, combines our Arbequina and Arbosana EVOOs.

How do the Arbequina and Arbosana olives differ?

“The Arbosana variety has fruit that looks very much like Arbequina, but matures about three weeks later,” writes olive oil expert Paul Vossen, farm adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Sonoma County.

Arbosana also yields a more “robust” oil than Arbequina, which produces a “delicate” EVOO. In particular, Arbosana tastes more peppery, or pungent. The olive also delivers a higher level of polyphenols – the chemical substances found in plants that may cut the risk of heart disease and cancer.

And the taste? Arbosana delivers hints of green tomato, almond, and green banana.

Olive oil expert and cookbook author Fran Gage recommends serving robust oils such as Arbosana brushed atop bruschetta, in Spanish romesco sauce, and with all things chocolate. We’ve baked chocolate  madeleines using our Arbosana EVOO, substituting the olive oil for butter. They were phenomenal.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Think of extra virgin olive oil like wine. That’s what we sometimes tell people when we talk about the different extra virgin olive oils we produce. Just like different wines are made from different grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc, different olive oils are made from different olives. Each olive varietal has its own flavor profile and personality, just like wine grapes.

Hundreds of varieties of olives are grown around the globe. We grow three varietals in California: Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki. We use the olives to produce single varietal oils — namely our Arbequina and Arbosana EVOOs — as well as blended oils like Miller’s Bend.

I’ll focus on the Arbequina olive here and look at Arbosana and Koroneiki in future posts.

We have some 10,000 acres of olive trees under cultivation across northern California, from Fresno north to Corning. Arbequina is our No. 1 olive. It represents 70% of the olives we harvest using a system known as “super high-density” (SHD) planting.

The Arbequina olive hails from Catalonia, in Spain. It has become a favorite among growers here in the Golden state. A recent report from the Olive Center at the University of California, Davis, found that Arbequina accounts for 78% percent of California’s SHD acreage, or 9,400 acres.

The Arbequina tree is relatively small. It has weeping branches. The oval-shaped olives the tree produces are small, too. The olive resists frost well. It ripens relatively early versus other varietals.

In Europe, you can sometimes find an Arbequina olive tree put in a pot and placed at the front entrance of cafés.

Our Arbequina EVOO is a “delicate” oil that delivers a lot of fruit aroma, balanced pungency, and a very pleasing clean taste. In particular, we find it tastes of ripe tropical fruits, apple, and fresh artichoke.

Our Arbequina EVOO won raves from Cook’s Illustrated for the oil’s “fresh, sweet, fruity flavor and pleasing hint of bitterness.”

Different olive oils, like different wines, pair well with particular foods. Arbequina goes well drizzled over meats to bring out the meat’s sweetness. It also goes well with “strong” pestos such as one made from wild arugula and dishes that use blue cheese. Arbequina makes a delicious ice cream, too.

We recommend using Arbequina for baking, particularly when substituting olive oil for butter. Try it in pound cake. You won’t be disappointed.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Nancy Ash says people give her a “funny look” when she tells them what she does for a living. She spends a lot of time slurping olive oil and biting into slices of tart green apple. “I’m an olive oil taster,” says Nancy.

As a trained taster and owner of the consulting firm Strictly Olive Oil, Nancy walked a group of chefs and culinary pros through an olive oil tasting at our recent Harvest Retreat in northern California.

Here’s how she does it.

An extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)  tasting – like a wine tasting – really lets you experience an olive oil’s aroma, flavor and peppery quality, or pungency. You can also figure out what might be wrong. Mustiness or rancidity are “defects” found in lesser quality oils.

To be certified as  true “extra virgin,” an olive oil must pass a barrage of tests – some conducted by lab technicians, and others done by a panel of olive oil tasters, such as Nancy.

“The definition of extra virgin olive oil is based on chemical factors tested in a lab and specific flavors in the olive oil,” she told us.

It’s the taster’s job to analyze the aroma, taste, and pungency of the oil to see if it passes muster.

Here’s how to conduct a thorough tasting  – something you could do with friends at home. (By the way, biting into a tart green apple is a way to cleanse the palate.)

First, pour about a tablespoon of oil into a wine glass, or similarly tapered glass. (Expert olive oil tasters sip from the blue olive oil tasting glass, like the one pictured here.) Cover the glass with one hand while you hold the bowl of the glass in the other hand. You want the oil to be about 70 degrees Fahrenheit – considered the best temperature for tasting.

Next come the “Four S’s,” as Nancy describes them:

1. SWIRL – While you cover the top of the glass with one hand, swirl the oil to release the aromas.
2. SNIFF – Uncover the glass and hold the top up to your nose and quickly smell the oil. The scent is key to the oil’s fruitiness. You want to get one big “sniff impression” of the oil.
3. SLURP – Take a sip of the oil while also “sipping” a bit of air. The slurping action combines the oil with the air and spreads it throughout your mouth. Notice the oil’s “smell” in your mouth – the retro-nasal aromas – as well as the different sensations throughout your mouth.
4. SWALLOW – Don’t worry, it’s just a small amount of oil! Notice if there is a peppery or stinging sensation in your throat, and how long the sensation lingers.

While tasting the oil, keep in mind the three positive attributes of true extra virgin olive oil:

• Fruitiness, which you can sense from smelling the oil.
• Bittery, reflected in a pleasantly bitter taste. “It’s a natural expression of the olive,” said Nancy.
• Pungency, the peppery or stingy sensation in your throat when you swallow the oil.

If you plan to sample another oil, take a bite from that tart green apple I mentioned, followed by a swig of water. That will cleanse your palate.

Finally, here’s something to keep in mind while you taste. Unlike other countries, the United States hasn’t adopted standards defining extra virgin olive oil. The bottom line: Not all “extra virgin olive oil” sold in the United States is the real thing – although EVOO produced in California must be officially certified.

That said, slurp away!

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

A colleague of mine trolling the Internet last night came across an electronic version of an article from this September’s issue of Cook’s Illustrated. I’ve been anxious to read the piece: It details a blind tasting of California extra virgin olive oils the magazine’s staff conducted earlier this year.

I already know the results. Food guru Jack Bishop of Cook’s Illustrated announced on NBC’s Weekend Today show earlier this month our Arbequina extra virgin olive oil was the best California EVOO among the 10 sampled.

We were told the details of the tasting would emerge in the September issue of Cook’s Illustrated. Now that the article is on my screen, I can tell you what the magazine said about our Arbequina: “This extra-virgin oil, made from Arbequina olives, won raves for its fresh, sweet, fruity flavor and pleasing hint of bitterness.”

The article also praised the quality of California extra virgin olive oils in general versus their European counterparts: “The California growers—particularly the folks behind our favorite, relatively affordable oil—have clearly struck something promising.”

To use a term the pros use when tasting olive oil, I’ll “slurp” to that.

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

I tuned in to NBC’s Weekend Today show yesterday and was thrilled to see Cook’s Illustrated magazine has rated our Arbequina the No. 1 tasting California extra virgin olive oil.

Food expert Jack Bishop, who oversees editorial operations at the magazine, raved about our Arbequina during a segment of the show focusing on olive oil and how to taste EVOO.

“We love this,” Bishop exclaimed to Weekend Today co-anchor Jenna Wolfe, as they stood on the set of the show with a bottle of our Arbequina on the counter. “This is California Olive Ranch. It was our top-ranked of the 10 California oils that we sampled.”

Bishop went on to say our Arbequina “tastes delicious.”

“We thought this was as good as any European oil.”

Cook’s Illustrated plans to publish its list of the top olive oils in its September issue.

Bishop – who also is editorial director of the popular public TV cooking show America’s Test Kitchen – praised California’s olive oil industry, likening it to the state’s world famous wine industry.

“The California olive oil industry is sort of like the wine industry was in California back in the 1970s. Nobody’s heard of it. But you’re going to hear about it very soon,” said Bishop. “They’re doing a tremendous amount of olive oil now out in California.”

And Bishop predicted strong growth for California olive oils: “They’re going to be in supermarkets all over the country in coming years.”

I couldn’t agree more!

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch

Here’s something you can do with your friends that’s a bit out of the ordinary: hold an extra virgin olive oil tasting at your home. It’s similar to a wine tasting – except you “slurp” the oil rather than sip it. You also bite on a tart green apple to cleanse your palate rather than nibble on a cracker or piece of bread.

You can read a great article on holding an olive oil tasting at home. It was published originally in the Spring 2007 issue of California magazine. Its author, Nancy Ash, is a trained olive oil taster and owner of the consulting firm Strictly Olive Oil.

A tasting lets you learn the oil’s aroma, flavor and peppery quality, or pungency. Those features form the core attributes of true extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). A tasting also can help you gauge defects – such as mustiness – found in lesser quality oils.

I’ve been to a number of tastings, including one California Olive Ranch held in March for chefs in the San Diego area. The chefs we spoke to afterward enjoyed it. “By slurping the oil you really get the taste,” said James Montejano, executive chef at Vista Valley Country Club north of San Diego, in Vista.

Why slurp the oil? Let me explain. When you sip the oil you also sip in a bit of air. That slurping action combines the oil with the air and spreads it throughout your mouth. You’ll notice the oil’s “smell” in your mouth – the retro-nasal aromas – as well as the different sensations throughout your mouth.

Have a good time – and slurp away with your friends!

Bon appétit,

Claude S. Weiller
Vice President of Sales & Marketing
California Olive Ranch