FAQ's

Q: What is the shelf life of Olive Oil? 
A: Consumers should use Olive Oil within 14 months from crush/harvest date. Olive Oil benefits and quality decreases with time. It's important to remember olive oil is a perishable food – all bottled oil will go rancid eventually – but it is said when properly handled, sealed and stored in a cool dark place, olive oil will be 'good' for 18-24 months from the date it was harvested. If your bottle is older than two years, consider starting with a fresh one.

Q: Can I cook with Extra Olive Oil? 
A: Extra virgin olive oil is one of the best oils to cook with! Extra virgin olive oil is perfect for not just cooking, it is great for frying, sautéing, poaching, dressing, and baking. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a high smoke point that can hold up to high cooking temperatures (410 F).

Q: Are your Olive Oils filtered? 
A: No – our Olive Oils are not filtered. We pump our oils into large stainless steel tanks housed in our warehouse. Gravity then causes particulates that were separated out with the oil during milling to sink to the bottom of the tank. This process is called “racking.”

The most noticeable difference between an unfiltered and a filtered oil is appearance. The unfiltered oil may look a bit cloudy, because of residual particles that weren’t removed through gravity in the settlement tank.

Q: What affects the quality of Olive Oil? 
A: Time – Olive Oil health benefits and quality decreases with time.

Light – Extended exposure to light can deteriorate the quantity and quality of the antioxidants found in olive oil.

Heat – The optimal storage temperature for olive oil is 60 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm temperature causes olive oil flavor and chemical to change.

Oxygen – oxidation of the oil occurs, which causes off flavors in the olive oil and changes the chemistry of the oil.

 

Q: Are your Olive Oils cold-pressed? 
A: Though there are no internationally agreed upon definition of “cold pressed,” our extra virgin olive oils are extracted at temperatures below 27ºC (80.6ºF). 

Q: Can I substitute Olive Oil for butter in baking? 
A: Yes – below is the conversion chart. Note that solid fats act different than liquid fats. When substituting liquid for liquid (such as veg oil) the results are the same. When substituting solid to liquid there may be a change in texture and crispiness.​

Butter / Margarine	Olive Oil
1 teaspoon	3/4 teaspoon
1 tablespoon	2 1/4 teaspoons
2 tablespoons	1 1/2 tablespoons
1/4 cup	3 tablespoons
1/3 cup	1/4 cup
1/2 cup	1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
2/3 cup	1/2 cup
3/4 cup	1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
1 cup	3/4 cup

 

Q: Are your Olive Oils organic? 
A: We sometimes carry US certified organic olive oils. Many of the small farms we work with implement organic practices, but have not had the need to go through the US certification process.

 

Q: Are your Olive Oils Kosher? 
A: Yes – Our EVOO's and our Custom blend Oils are certified – Kosher (Pareve)(Kosher Certification)

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Q: Are your Olive Oils Gluten Free? 
A: Yes – All our Olive Oils are gluten free. (Allergen Statement)

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Q: Are your Olive Oils Dairy Free? 
A: Yes – All our Olive Oils are dairy free. (Allergen Statement)

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Q: Is your butter olive oil dairy free? 
A: Yes – the butter flavor is derived from a plant based natural essential oil. Proprietary blend of botanical herbs.

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Q: Is your butter olive oil soy free? 
A: Yes – the butter flavor is derived from a plant based natural essential oil. All our flavored oils are soy free and this is listed in our Allergen Statement.

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Q: Are your balsamic vinegars Kosher? 
A: No – our balsamic vinegars are not Kosher certified.

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Q: Are your balsamic vinegars Gluten Free? 
A: Yes – All our balsamic vinegars are gluten free. (Allergen Statement)

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Q: Are your balsamic vinegars Dairy Free? 
A: Yes – All our balsamic vinegars are dairy free. (Allergen Statement)

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Q: Are your balsamic vinegars Vegan? 
A: Yes – they are both Dairy Free and Vegan. (Allergen Statement)

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Q: Is there added sugar to your balsamic vinegars? 
A: No – the sugar found in the balsamic vinegars are natural sugars from the fruit/plant/ingredient. We do no not add any artificial colors, artificial flavors, ingredients, or preservatives to our products. Products are all natural.

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Q: Are your balsamic vinegars pasteurized? 
A: No – our balsamic vinegars are unpasteurized therefore contain antimicrobial compounds, acetic acid, and antioxidants.

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Q: What is the shelf life of your balsamic vinegars? 
A: We recommend 5 years. The acidity in the vinegar acts as a natural preservative. We suggest to use within 5 years to obtain the best flavor profile. Vinegars do not really expire they simply becomes more acidic causing a change of appearance and flavor.

Q: Does your Espresso Balsamic Vinegar contain caffeine? 
A: No, there is not caffeine in the product, flavoring comes from botanical essential oils.

Q: Do your Balsamic Vinegars contain soy lecithin? 
A: No, they are soy free as stated in our allergen statement. This applies to both the White and the Dark Balsamic Vinegars.

Q: What is the difference between White Balsamic and Dark Balsamic? 
A: Dark Balsamic Vinegar is made with Trebbiano grapes and on occasion with some Lambrusco grape must. The balsamic undergoes cooking and caramelizing in a copper kettle over an open wood fire before being aged the traditional Solera Method – Modena, Italy. The balsamic is placed in old wood barrels that previously held older batches of aged balsamic vinegar. These barrels, similar to wine barrels, are made from different woods including oak, chestnut, acacia, cherry, mulberry, ash and juniper. These woods add character to the vinegar.

White Balsamic Vinegar is made by blending white grape must with 100% Italian barreled aged white wine vinegar, both made from Albana, Trebbiano and Montuni grapes which grow exclusively in the region of Modena, Italy. The traditionally cooked grape must is then lightly filtered to remove any skins from the cooked must and is placed into new white oak barrels for aging. The white balsamic condimento is less complex and has not been caramelized over an open wood fire in copper kettles, as the dark condimento has been.
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Q: What is the base oil of the infused varieties? 
A: The base oil is always an Arbequina, as this variety is mild in bitterness and intensity. The base oil changes every 6 months just like our EVOO change. During the Northern Hemisphere harvest the base oil is a Portuguese Arbequina, when the harvest is during the Southern Hemisphere the base oil changes to a Chilean Arbequina. The rotation is done usually when the bulk of the oils change hemispheres.
Oct- Nov crush = Late January, early February.
May- Jun crush = Late August, early September.