What makes the best olive oil - an interview with one of the founders, Floris

We are having a conversation with one of the founders of Gkazas Olive Oil, Floris. After years of searching for what makes high-quality extra virgin olive oil, he is now sharing his knowledge with us. ‘I don’t mind whether people buy beautiful olive oil from us or someone else. What matters is that you buy the best olive oil from someone with a passion for the craft, who is transparent about the entire production process, and whom you trust. My mission is to make high-quality olive oil accessible to as many people as possible.’ So, what makes good quality olive oil? Let’s start with a brief explanation about olive oil itself.

There are 6 types of olive oil suitable for consumption (and another 4 that are not!). In short, this is what it means below. You can find an article about the different types of olive oil here!

1. Organic extra virgin olive oil is the best olive oil and the most expensive form of extra virgin olive oil. No pesticides are used, and you won’t find any in the oil when it’s tested chemically.
2. Extra virgin olive oil comes from the first cold press (without heating) using mechanical presses, with a low acidity (maximum 0.8%) in which most nutrients like vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and antioxidants are preserved.
3. Virgin olive oil has a higher acidity (maximum 2%) and is often lower in taste, color, and aroma compared to extra virgin olive oil.
4. Olive oil is often a blend of (extra) virgin olive oil with refined olive oil, making it suitable for cooking but with little flavour or vitamins.
5. Refined olive oil is low-quality olive oil where impurities are removed (often through a chemical process). This refined oil is then mixed with oils from the first press to give it some flavour and aroma, making it edible for humans.
6. Pomace olive oil is made from the fresh olive pulp left after pressing extra virgin olive oil. We make this olive oil entirely naturally and add extra virgin olive oil for flavour and nutrients. You can learn more about what pomace olive oil is.

What is the best type of olive oil?

What is the best type of olive oil? Now that you have a quick refresher, the answer is organic, extra virgin olive oil that scores highly organoleptically. Now, moving on at full speed to what makes the best olive oil. We’ll begin with ways to test the points above. The first method? Look at the acidity level:

You can immediately test the acidity of olive oil right after pressing. Olive oil is considered to be of high quality (i.e., extra virgin) according to this test when the acidity does not exceed 0.8 percent. What is the best type of olive oil? The acidity of that one is below 0.5 percent. While this is one way to classify different types of olive oil, it is not the best method for determining what is the best type of olive oil. Floris explains: “Determining the quality of olive oil based on acidity doesn’t necessarily say anything about the taste and thus the defects (more on that later) of the olive oil. It’s possible that the olive oil is classified as extra virgin based on acidity, but when you test it organoleptically (see the next section), it may not pass as extra virgin.”

Did you know… that the amount of olive oil per country with an acidity level below 0.8% (and thus classified as extra virgin according to this criterion) is relatively low? In Italy, it’s 30%, in Spain 35%, in Greece 80%, and in Crete 90%. Globally, this number is even as low as 10%. However, if you look at the amount of olive oil in Crete that is extra virgin based on organoleptic criteria (see below), then 40% of the best quality is extra virgin!

Organowhat? Organoleptic! This is a better and more reliable way to know if you’ve got the best olive oil… Floris: “It means determining the quality of olive oil based on taste. You then perform a taste analysis (some experts can do this by tasting, and it can also be done in a lab) where you look for positive attributes and negative defects. In a very high-quality olive oil, you can find up to 25 different flavours, such as nuts, tomato, and artichoke. This, of course, all relates to where the olive tree is located, the type of soil, and so on. There are three main parameters: fruitiness, bitterness, and the peppery taste in the throat. The higher these values, the higher the quality of the olive oil.”

Defects in olive oil can manifest in different ways and can be recognized by a trained taster. For example, the olive oil may taste stale or rancid. You can also see it in the color of the olive oil (other than deep green to golden) or when the oil has mold in it.

“This is about the effect on the integrity of the molecular structure during the lifespan of the olives and, ultimately, on the olive oil itself. And let me prepare you, there are many factors at play. That’s why the best olive oil doesn’t just happen. It’s a constant process of love, care, analysis, improvement, and a little bit of luck!”

If you really want to know the reasons for the difference in quality between olive oils, sit back and get comfortable because here they come. This is the essence of what makes the best olive oil, by the way!

Of course, the surrounding environment is important. The key factor here is the climate. A mild Mediterranean sea climate is perfect. You shouldn’t have too much, but also not too little rainfall. It shouldn’t be too hot, but also not too cold. Additionally, not too much wind, but a nice breeze is important.

Furthermore, the trees should receive water from natural rainfall. Is this sufficient, or does additional water need to be provided? Extra water is superficial, meaning the olive trees don’t need to work as hard to obtain enough water. As a result, the trees are weaker and less resilient. You can taste this in the final harvest as well. It helps when the trees are spaced far enough apart so that there is enough space, water, and sunlight for the trees.

A variety of plants, animals, and insects (also known as polyculture) means richer soil, more nutrients, and thus healthier olive trees and high-quality olives (source). In this context, Demeter (the right soil biodiversity) is a way to measure this effectively. It’s about ensuring, for example, that a certain number of earthworms can be found per square centimetre.

Free-ranging goats and sheep can be very good for the soil, as their manure acts as a natural fertiliser. However, they can also nibble on the leaves and olives. The worst offender, however, is the olive fly (dacus oleae), a type of pest that burrows into the olives and feeds on them. This can be disastrous for the harvest!

What is the best olive oil? As mentioned earlier, it is best when the trees, for example, are naturally fertilised by free-ranging sheep and goats. This is the most beautiful (and there is of course a sustainability argument, heading ‘Sustainability Aspects’ associated with the best olive oil), as this is how nature intended it and, above all, it is better for the soil than the use of synthetic fertilisers is. The production of synthetic fertilisers, for example, requires energy and contains a lot of salt by nature. And let’s not even get started on pesticides and how they are harmful to biodiversity and your health…

The timing of your harvest affects the quality of the oil. An early harvest generally means smaller olives. This leads to a more concentrated olive oil, meaning that the oil is produced from less pulp. As a result, it often has a stronger flavour and relatively more nutritional value. This, in turn, has a positive effect on the quality of the olive oil, of course, assuming the other variables are favourable as well.

Olives are typically harvested in the autumn or winter. Harvesting at lower temperatures is better. This is why harvesting often takes place at night or very early in the morning.

There are three ways to harvest olives. In the past, everyone used wooden sticks to knock the olives off the tree. This method causes the least harm to the tree (i.e., minimal damage). However, it is very labour-intensive and time-consuming. For this reason, almost everyone now uses electric rods that rotate. This is slightly less gentle on the tree (since it can cause some damage) and, of course, requires energy. However, there are now also large machines that shake the olives off the tree. These machines consume a lot of energy and damage the tree!

It is important to transport olives in the best possible way. The less pressure and the more airy the olives are transported, the less damage they will sustain. This means that the molecular structure remains intact, and the quality is preserved. The best method of transportation is in crates. They provide the best protection because they absorb all the bumps in the vehicle. Transporting olives loose in trucks is also a good option, as the olives are close together and absorb shocks. Jute sacks are also widely used. They provide slightly less protection than crates but are still a very good alternative. Plastic bags, however, are a poor choice, as olives ferment more quickly in these bags.

Olives begin to ferment as soon as they are separated from the tree, and fermentation does not do the quality any good. The sooner they are pressed, the better! The general rule is within 24 hours of harvesting, but the best producers go straight to the press on the same day as the harvest! For what is the best olive oil, this is essential.

There are several ways to press olive oil, with the oldest method being the stone press using horses or donkeys. Other methods include the vertical press with mats or a hydraulic press with stamps. However, the modern method of pressing, where the olive oil comes into contact with minimal or no oxygen, is the best. This is how it works:

1. The flesh of the olives is scraped off the pit by a rotating blade
2. The flesh is placed in a kind of container where it is ground for about 2 hours with water, allowing the olive oil to separate from the pulp
3. The olive oil and water are separated
4. The olive oil is coarsely and then finely filtered
5. The olive oil is stored in large tanks without coming into contact with oxygen
6. The olive oil undergoes a self-filtration process for 3 months, after which the sediment settles at the bottom of the tank, and the clear olive oil can be bottled or canned

De Griek (en inmiddels wij en iedereen die al jaren met ons omgaat) eet de olijfolie het liefste op deze manier… direct van de pers! Deze heldergroene olijfolie wordt gelijk in een fles getapt en met brood, over salades en in gerechten verwerkt. Lekkerder kan niet!

Floris: “Je kunt olijfolie echt wel een flinke tijd bewaren. Er zijn zelfs verhalen dat er op Knossos kruiken olijfolie van 2000 jaar oud zijn gevonden en nog steeds eetbaar zijn! Echter is het voor de smaak van de olijfolie het beste wanneer-ie zo kort mogelijk wordt bewaard. De vuistregel is: hoe jonger de olijfolie hoe krachtiger van smaak. Wederom hebben we het dan over de pijlers fruitigheid, bitterheid en pittige smaak in de keel. De kans op defecten is ook kleiner wanneer de olijfolie korter staat.”

Oxidatie is een vijand die op de loer ligt. Gelukkig hoef je je hier geen zorgen om te maken als je olijfolie zoals een Griek gebruikt. Die gebruiken namelijk gemiddeld 27 liter per persoon per jaar. Naast dat dit ontzettend gezond is, blijft een geopend 5 liter olijfolie blik met extra vierge olijfolie van hoge kwaliteit onder de juiste omstandigheden prima een jaar smaakvol. Lukt het niet om een olijfolie blik binnen 12 maanden op te maken? Zorg er dan voor dat je het bijvoorbeeld in aparte flessen overschenkt, dit zodat er dan relatief weinig zuurstof bij komt. Check deze tips omtrent olijfolie bewaren goed, zodat je ervoor zorgt dat je olijfolie zo lang mogelijk de beste olijfolie blijft. Daarnaast is het belangrijk dat je olijfolie in een donkere fles of blik is afgevuld.

What is the best olive oil? It’s a lot to take in, all the factors that influence what makes a good olive oil. It might make your head spin for a moment, but hopefully, it has also become a bit clearer. The essence of the best olive oil lies in knowing exactly where it comes from. This is because you trust the person or brand, as they transparently do their utmost to offer you the best possible quality at a fair price. It’s mainly about the taste (attributes and defects), not just the numbers, and what you see.

And once you have that best olive oil in your possession, you should let it flow generously and, of course, store it properly so that it stays as delicious as possible for as long as possible. Got it? 🙂 Then quickly get yourself a 5-litre olive oil tin!