Title: Types of Olives and Olive Oil | Berkeley Wellness
Headings: Types of Olives and Olive Oil
Types of Olives and Olive Oil
Types of olive oil

Content: In addition to the varietal differences, the style of an olive oil also depends greatly on the ripeness of the fruit. When olives ripen—in the fall and winter—the olives change from green to dark purple. Olives harvested early will produce a more robust, peppery oil with lots of green, vegetal notes such as artichoke and grass. These peppery and bitter flavors in an olive oil are attributed to polyphenols. Olives that are picked later on in the season tend to produce a milder oil with a less-robust character and more ripe fruit flavors. The price of olive oil is determined by numerous factors including production cost and any given year’s crop and weather conditions. Genuine extra virgin olive oil is more expensive because of the higher costs at each stage of production, from grove to bottle. In addition, olives for the best olive oils are often harvested by hand, a cost that is passed on to the consumer. Virgin olive oils: Virgin olive oils are extracted from olives solely by mechanical means, without chemicals.