5 Things to Look for When Buying Olive Oil

You're standing in front of forty-seven bottles of olive oil. Some have medals. Some have Italian flags. One says "first cold press" and another says "extra virgin" and they're both 79 kr. There's a fancy dark bottle for 450 kr that looks like it belongs in a museum.

You pick one up. You put it back. You check your phone.

Here's the thing: the olive oil section is designed to confuse you. Most of what's on that shelf is fine. Some of it is great. A few bottles are truly special. But unless you know what you're looking at, they all just look like green liquid in glass.

So instead of getting lost in all the labels, let's break it down to the few things that actually make a difference

The 5 Things That Actually Matter

Forget the marketing. Here's what separates good olive oil from the rest:

1. Harvest date (not just "best by")
Here's the thing about extra virgin olive oil: it's the opposite of wine. Older is not better.

Older is worse. Extra virgin olive oil has a shelf life of about 18-24 months from harvest, but fresher is always better. Look for a harvest date within the last year. If there's no harvest date on the bottle, that's already a red flag.

2. Dark bottle
Light kills olive oil. 

Good producers know this. If it's in clear glass, it's either not going to last or they don't care enough. Remember this when you store your olive oil too.

3. Low acidity
Extra virgin olive oil means under 0.8% acidity.

Really good oils are often under 0.4%. You won't taste this directly, but it's a sign of quality and care.

4. It should taste a little bitter and peppery
That kick in the back of your throat when you taste it straight? That's polyphenols, natural antioxidants. That's freshness. That's what you want.

Good extra virgin olive oil should make you cough a little. If it tastes like nothing, it's not worth your money.

5. Single origin or single variety
Not always necessary, but it usually means someone's paying attention.

Blends can be great, but "mixed oils from EU countries" is code for "we bought the cheapest stuff we could find."

And once you start noticing these things, the next question is: what kind of olive oil do you actually like?

Varieties - each olive has a its own taste

Here's the thing: there are over 1,300 olive varieties in the world. Around 200–250 of them are actually used to make olive oil at any real scale. The rest might be for eating, some are local treasures that barely leave their village, some exist mostly as genetic heritage. Each variety has its own personality—different flavor, different intensity, different kick.

You don't need to know them all. But here are the main ones you'll see from Spain, plus what happens when producers get creative

Variety	Personality	Tastes Like
Picual	Bold, intense, unapologetically peppery	Fresh grass, bitter greens, very spicy
Arbequina	Smooth, sweet, easy to love	Almonds, ripe fruit, barely any bite
Hojiblanca	Balanced, elegant, versatile	Herbs, tomato leaf, medium spice
Blends (Chamomile + Lechin, Frantoio + Leccino, etc.)	Depends on the mix—can be complex, balanced, or surprisingly bold	The best of multiple personalities combined

You don't need to memorize this. Just know that Arbequina is the gentle one, Picual is the intense one, Hojiblanca sits in the middle, and blends can be just as good (sometimes better) when done right.

So what now?

Next time you're in that aisle, squinting at labels, start with the harvest date. That's your first filter. Then look for: dark bottle, low acidity if they list it, a variety name you recognize.

Remember: extra virgin olive oil isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age. You want it fresh, ideally within the last year, and you want to actually use it.

The rest is just taste. Some people love aggressive, grassy oils. Some people want smooth and buttery. You'll figure out your thing.

And honestly, That's a good problem to have. Good oil isn’t complicated, it’s fresh, it’s flavorful, and it should taste alive. The rest is just finding the style you enjoy