I heard good reports about this oil, so I bought a bottle. The price is very reasonable for California olive oil. Its a dark green extra virgin oil, with a nice buttery taste-except it does a have a peppery finish. What causes this? Do they add pepper to it?
California olive oil seems to have a stronger bite to it in general. I think they would tell you on the label if there are any other seasonings.
I like Trader Joe’s, but they do seem to go overboard on the pepper pretty frequently. I don’t mind it, but my family has complain about the extra pepperiness in some things that shouldn’t really be that spicy, like spaghetti sauce and quinoa pilaf.
A peppery finish is not unusual in olive oils. Some of my favorite olive oils (like Frantoia from Sicily) I would describe as being particularly peppery and spicy. That’s just the way the oils taste. I’ve never had the TJ oil, but I’m curious now, as fruity and peppery is what I like in my olive oils.
Olive oil that is not yet ready for prime time has a very strong and peppery flavor. There is a local place that makes their own oil and has tastings every year. The new stuff always has a real bite.
That’s interesting. I’ve never had a “vertical” tasting of olive oils. I like that peppery finish, so it seems like i should like younger oils then?
Quality Olive oil is supposed to have a peppery finish.
Agreed. Get a run of the mill brand for everyday cooking. If you want to taste it, like dipping bread in it, get the good stuff which should be peppery.
Early-harvest olive oils tend to be peppery. Also, olive oils tend to get less peppery as they age.
Olive oil ages? Not in MY house!
Zingerman’s gives a good description of the four basic types of olive oil flavors: Peppery, fruity, grassy and, IIRC, buttery. Of course, many are combinations. Trader Joe’s house brand must be of the peppery sort. You get what you want for what you’re doing – I use a fruity oil for sauteeing and a peppery for baking (focaccia, etc.) Look at their catalogue and check out some brands, and, as Chefguy says, find a place that does tastings.
There’s a franchise called The Olive Tap with six locations; there may be others. I was in Virginia once and went to an olive oil store very similar to The Olive Tap.
That peppery tingle in the throat is a desirable trait and is a sign that you have “real” extra virgin olive oil; much, and maybe even most, of the extra virgin olive oil sold around the world is mislabeled so they can sell it at a higher price. The olive oil industry has been a dirty game for a couple thousand years.
The Olive Oil Source has a lot of good information. From the page on tasting advice:
Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil is a very interesting read.
If you are ever in the Sonoma, Ca area, stop by a place called The Olive Press. Coming from Scandanavian stock that settled in the upper Midwest, I had no idea that olive oil could have so many different natural flavors in it. At first I was rather taken aback by the idea of a “shot” of olive oil, but it turned out to be tasty and informative.