Have you ever tried authentic, high-quality extra-virgin olive oil? You’ll know if you have—the experience is unforgettable. A premium extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) smells just like frolicking through a seaside grove—or, more technically, like grass, fruits, vegetables, and/or flowers. If you taste it by itself, a true EVOO provides a burns-so-good sensation at the back of your throat. It’s an experience so rich and stimulating for the senses that most of us never look back.
The importance of “early harvest” EVOO.
From greasing the frying pan to whisking up a citrusy salad dressing—oils are central to our diet. And while nothing is quite as versatile and popular as olive oil, it exists on a very broad spectrum of quality. We rarely take a stance this strong, but high-quality olive oil is simply better in taste, in health benefits, and for cooking.
- Early harvest extra-virgin olive oils are the best quality out there.
You’ve caught the drift that EVOOs are the best—but now you’ll know why. All olive oils are made by applying pressure to olives in order to separate the liquid oil from the solid matter. “Extra-virgin” olive oil comes from the first press of the olives, whereas virgin oils come from the second press, and “pure” or plain “olive oil” comes from the third press. The very best EVOOs, however, are “early harvest,” meaning they are made from the first press of olives that are still unripe and green. Kosterina is an early harvest EVOO made from unripe 100% Koroneiki olives from the Peloponnese region of Greece… It actually takes 12 pounds of these green olives to make just one bottle! - Best Early Harvest Olive Oil
Early harvest EVOOs have greater health benefits.
Pressing unripe olives yields less juice but also conserves the natural polyphenols found in olive oil—i.e., health benefits galore. Polyphenols are antioxidants that occur naturally in olive oil. Studies1 have shown that polyphenols have anti-inflammatory qualities that may have preventive and therapeutic effects for cardiovascular disease and cancer while also playing a key role in regulating metabolism and chronic disease. More specifically, consuming high-polyphenol extra-virgin olive oil can even help reduce blood pressure. With a deep appreciation for the health benefits of 100% olive oil, Kosterina presses its olives early in the harvest season to ensure high levels of polyphenols are preserved.
Early Harvest Olive Oil Benefits
Our own palate can pick up on the superiority of extra-virgin olive oils (dare you to try them). But to be “extra virgin,” an olive oil also must pass two hurdles: organoleptic testing for the natural tastes and aromas of an EVOO, and chemical analysis, for elements like acidity and polyphenol content. Here’s why this matters: Through testing, Kosterina extra-virgin olive oil was found to have a polyphenol content of 470 milligrams per kilogram as measured at the time of harvest… The standard for extra-virgin olive oils is 55 mg/kg. This means we know the quality of Kosterina early harvest olive oil is nine times higher than the norm—as always, only the best for you!