In this installment
Acushla Olive Oil
Is cold pressed olive oil better?
Acushla Olive Oil
Though Italy garners most of the acclaim and attention for olive oil, and Spain is the world’s leading producer of the golden elixir, Portugal is rarely mentioned as an olive oil producer. But since it has essentially the same climate as Spain, it’s a wonderful place to grow olives and the oil they produce is really exceptional.
Acushla began in 2006 in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region in the northeast corner of Portugal. They started with about fourteen hectares of olive trees that are over a hundred years old, and they planted another 200 hectares of new trees that are just now starting to produce a decent volume of olives to press into oil. They also made the decision to be completely organic in their techniques and practices. It’s an investment they feel will pay off down in the future and besides: the traditional methods of caring for olive trees were completely organic. It was only in the last sixty years that some producers decided to boost their harvest with fertilizers or protect their trees with insecticides, so while ‘going organic’ may seem like it’s making a statement, it really is the most traditional way of making olive oil.
Acushla is a blend of four different native olive varieties: Cobrançosa, Madural, Verdeal and Cordovil. It’s well-balanced with some fruity notes, hints of pepper and a bit of bitterness in the finish.Great for garden greens or a caprese salad of basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Certainly one of the most approachable oils we carry and a fantastic ambassador for the quality of Portuguese olive oil.
Is cold pressed olive oil better?
Usually, yes. “Cold pressed” refers to the technique used to extract the best oil from the olives. To get the highest quality oil, the presser cannot use any heat. To accomplish this feat—cold pressing—quality oil producers typically would crush their olives with stone wheels (aka millstones, or, pietre in Italian). Although other methods may work more quickly and yield more oil, the friction caused can damage the quality and flavor of the oil. Cold pressing is one sign that a producer is trying to make good oil. But as with the “extra virgin” label, there are oils labeled “cold pressed” made from mediocre olives that aren’t particularly flavorful. So the name alone is not enough. The bottom line, again, is how oil tastes.
The traditional cold pressing methods would be to spread the olive mash on mats of rope or nylon, stack them between metal discs on a large metal spindle, then hydraulically press the entire thing to extract the liquid from the mash. A recent twist on the cold pressing story is the “sinolea” method of extracting the oil. A notable minority of oil producers has switched to this newer extraction technique, which incorporates modern technology while protecting the delicate flavor and character of the oil. After the olives are crushed, small, paper-thin, crescent-shaped steel blades run quickly and continuously through the mash while maintaining temperatures lower than the 100° F maximum allowed for cold pressing. Only the oil that naturally adheres to the blades is gathered, yielding top quality oil. The result can be excellent oil that has been spared the exertion of high pressure demanded by traditional pressing.
More popular than sinolea is the new “continuous press” technique. Invented by a Polish-born engineer working for the Italian firm of Pieralisi, this method seems to be the favorite of those who are on the cutting edge of olive oil technology. In this method, the olives are crushed, then fed into a twelve foot long, four foot across round metal tube that looks a lot like a hot water heater turned on its side. The olive mash is quickly centrifuged inside the machinery in order to separate oil, solids and water.
Proponents of the continuous process are adamant that the oil it produces is far superior, especially when it comes to the levels of cleanliness and sanitation it offers. “The old system is very dirty,” one quality conscious producer told me. “It’s very difficult to clean. You cannot compare. With this method, in ten minutes it’s done.” Those who use the continuous press insist that producers who still stick with the old stone and hydraulic methods are living in something akin to the Stone Age. Not surprisingly, those who use the traditional methods are equally adamant that the new technology is a sham, and that the oil it produces is inferior. In the end, of course, the true test is in the taste.