Castillo de Canena - Extra Virgin Olive Oil Picual - Family Reserve - Early Harvest - Cold Pressed - Notes of Tomato and Herb - Gourmet EVOO - 500 ml Bottle

I've been buying good-quality olive oil for the only the last 8 months or so, including several bottles of this one. So I'm no expert, and my review should be read in that light.But I wouldn't have made repeat buys of this oil and given it as a gift if I wasn't impressed. It has a greenish-yellow hue that supports its claim to be harvested early from green olives. The smell has a slightly sharp tang of fresh grass or tarragon, which is a pleasure to inhale. ( I always spend a zen moment smelling this oil before using it, something I've never done before with olive oil.) I don't cook with this oil; I just use it fresh on salads or as a dressing or add it straight to hot food, such as pasta or rice, even potatoes. And I glug a shot of it each morning to help against my arthritis. (My bones and teeth feel much improved, but I'm taking other stuff for that as well, so I'm not going to claim medicinal power for this oil. Sure does no harm, though.)The trouble with supermarket oils, even some of the more expensive ones, is that they're made out of mixed batches from wholesale bulk tanks, meaning they've no traceable source to the land. Clearly that opens the door for the mixing in of lower-grade oils, old oils, and of oils not even from olives. The buyer is vulnerable to unwittingly consuming the very thing they buy olive oil t to avoid: unhealthy oil.But with Castillo de Canena, the origin of the oil is clear. As the bottle declares, it is harvested and bottled on the estate, a use-by date marked. And we know the olives for this label were of a single variety, harvested and bottled early. In short, this olive oil has provenance. For me, after a lifetime buying dodgy olive oil, that's a guarantee worth paying for.

The single best olive oil I've ever had

Excellent olive oil.Item arrived well packaged.

This is a beautiful tasting deep green olive oil with a distinctive grassy taste and a good itchy back of the throat aftertaste [it's supposed to be like that] - interestingly I read one of the reviewers describing it as bitter and wondered if it was any good? The answer is YES, YES and YES again as the bitterness is the taste of polyphenols which are incredibly good for your health. Have a good Google and you will be able to read all about the huge health benefits of a genuine extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. The crop details are printed on the back label with the best before date which is good evidence that the crop is traceable and controlled which helps guarantee authenticity as it is quite a minfield in pursuing genuine and authentic olive oil globally. Give it a try as you'll love it! MD

Really not worth the price tag. Very mild and soapy. Better than what you would normally buy at the supermarket in the UK, but that doesn't mean much.....

Is it supposed to be bitter or did I get a bad batch? I used it on a salad and it ruined the taste as it was so bitter. Maybe I don't know a good oil from a bad one but this just didn't do it for me taste wise.