The Art of Olive Oil: Grading and Tasting

I drink oodles of extra virgin olive oil.   Every day.   My kids and wife do too. It's a crucial staple in our diet...yet there's plenty of confusion around olive oil...   Can you cook with olive oil? How should you store olive oil? What should you look for in a good olive oil? How do you differentiate between all the different certificates and grades of olive oil?   And much more!   So in today's podcast, I interview T. J. Robinson, aka "The Olive Oil Hunter ®" who is one of the world's most respected authorities on all matters olive oil.   Known for his “platinum palate,” he is one of the few Americans invited to serve as a judge in prestigious Italian olive oil tasting competitions.   These days he is dedicated to importing rare fresh-pressed olive oil via The Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club, the most flavorful and healthiest extra virgin olive oil on the planet, until now virtually impossible to obtain year-round in the U.S. All his oils are independently lab tested and certified for 100% purity. During our discussion, you'll discover: -What makes olive oil so efficacious to our health...5:13

• Science database of olive oil research, including studies Ben mentions
• Olive oil leads to a distinct drop in blood pressure w/ no change in cholesterol; increased triglyceride, decreased HDL count (atherogenic index)
• Bigger predictor of C/V disease is the HDL to triglyceride ratio (more so than total LDL cholesterol)
• Research on mental health and depression
• Stabilization of blood glucose w/ small amounts of olive oil throughout the day
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Mediterranean diet associated w/ improvements in longevity (not the modern bastardized version)
  • Fasting
  • Sprouting, fermenting, etc.
• The primary fatty acid in olive oil is oleic acid (C18:1)
  • It's a double bond (less oxidation); safe for cooking at high temperatures
  • Two fatty acids for the brain: Oleic acid, and fish oil (sardines, mackerel, salmon, herring)
• Other bioactive compounds:
  • Bi0phenyls (found in the olive fruit that scavenges free radical species)
  • BGF podcast w/ Dr. William Li (author of Eat to Beat Disease)
  • Oleocanthol has the same anti-inflammatory pathways as ibuprofen (sans the gastric side effects)
  • Phytosterols
  • Squalines (extra virgin olive oil has high amounts) to protect the skin
  • Alphatocopherols (Vitamin E)
  • Hydroxy turpenic acids (lowers inflammation, risk of cancer, decreases blood pressure)

-How T.J. Robinson became acquainted w/ the olive oil mafia...20:18

• Grew up in Asheville, NC
• Scored a gig w/ the Food Network; was sent on assignment to Sicily, Italy, where he became acquainted w/ olive oil
• Harvest of the olive fruit is celebrated widely in Italy and Greece
• New Yorker article: Slippery Business -- The Trade in Adulterated Olive Oil
• Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller, author of the aforementioned New Yorker article
• Rampant fraud: It is easy to package cheaper, lesser quality oils as olive oil and sell at olive oil prices
• Olive oil sold in bulk is far more susceptible to adulteration than an artisan oil
• Polyphenols and antioxidants deplete by up to 50% during the first 6 months after distribution

-What you need to know about the dates on the package, and how to store your olive oil...33:52

• Three killers of olive oil: light, time, temperature
• Look for the "harvest date" rather than the expiration date
• Look for dark plastic or glass bottles
• Don't store olive oil above the stove or in the fridge
• Store in a pantry at room temperature, away from light
• Polyphenols and antioxidants prevent the olive oil from oxidizing
• Restaurant olive oils are often adulterated w/ GMO's, soy, etc.
• Spirulina and glycine protect the gut from oxidized oils
  • Ben discusses this in his book, Boundless
• Olive oil has similar fat makeup as human breast milk
  • Olive oil is used as a delivery mechanism for food to babies

-How olive oil is actually produced...44:07

• Olives are picked from the tree, contain 10% oil when they're green
• Deleafed and washed at the mill
• Crusher (like a food processor) turns it into a paste
• Goes into the millaxer (paste begins to break into parts: solid, water, oil)
• Oil is spun via centrifuge, then goes into the tasting cup
• The solids are dried out and reused as organic fertilizer for the crops

-The process by which T.J. inspects and selects the olives he uses for his customers...51:08

• Flos Olei (website is written in Italian)
• A Guide to the World of Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Flos Olei (2019 edition)
• Samples are collected, big tasting party
• Identify the farms to visit (5-6)
• Trees that are stressed (less water) produce a higher quality oil, higher polyphenols
• Developing relationships: A farm that's not the right fit at a particular season may be in the future
• Two criteria for extra virgin olive oil:
  • Meet a chemistry panel for quality parameters
  • Panel of tasters looking for taste defects
• Most oil in the U.S. doesn't go through this tasting panel
• Oils labeled as extra virgin may not pass the criteria by the time it's purchased

-How you can assess (and enjoy) olive oil on your own...1:00:51

• "Single variety" refers to one olive fruit used
• Watch out for oils that are labeled as "blends"
• Color of the oil isn't necessarily an indicator of its quality
• Smell the oil
• Swirl the cup (to release the aromas)
• The taste test:
  • Fruitiness (flavorfulness)
  • Bitterness (high in polyphenols)
  • Spiciness
• People are using olive oil as a tool for weight loss
• It's great as a skin, hair and face moisturizer
• Can be used as protectant from the sun and skin healer
• Used to clean tile
• Drizzle fresh pressed olive oil over vanilla ice cream for dessert

-How to cook w/ extra virgin olive oil...1:23:27

• If you cook w/ a subpar product, you get a subpar result
• Article: Research Finds Extra Virgin Olive Oil Safest, Most Stable for Cooking
• Purchase small amounts
• Don't use olive oil that is older than one year from the harvest date

-And much more... Resources from this episode:  - The Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club (click here to get a free bottle with just $1 shipping and handling)   - Boundless, Ben's newest book   - Article: Research Finds Extra Virgin Olive Oil Safest, Most Stable for Cooking   - Article: The World of Olive Oil Is Murky. Here’s Help for the Home Cook.   - Article: Don’t Sleep On This Game-Changing Ingredient   - Science database of olive oil research, including studies Ben mentions

- New Yorker article: Slippery Business -- The Trade in Adulterated Olive Oil

- Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil by Tom Mueller, author of the aforementioned New Yorker article

- Flos Olei (website is written in Italian)

- A Guide to the World of Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Flos Olei (2019 edition)

- BGF podcast w/ Dr. William Li (author of Eat to Beat Disease)

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