Day 45: "Ice Pressed" Olive Oil from McEwan's

This is the private label brand (kind of like the "President's Choice" of McEwan's) of Olive Oil. I was lucky enough to meet the farmer and processor of the oil who was in store that day, and sampled it, and talked a bit about the process.

A really fresh, refreshing flavour, with that grassy, earthy flavour that is a bit of an acquired taste, especially if, like me, you're more used to lighter tasting olive oils. The bottle shown costs about $18. A doubly sized President's Choice bottle would cost around $8.

I've never bought into the whole hype about olive oils. I like a fresh olive oil - so I buy labels that look like they move a lot of volume. I don't sit and taste olive oil the way I do a wine. I put it on food to give it flavour, and freshen up the texture a little bit, but that's it. Or I cook with it. Plus, an expensive olive oil that sits on the shelf for a long time, exposed to light, and temperature changes, is not going to be worth what you pay for it. For cooking, I wouldn't usually use extra virgin (unlike what the foodtv chefs recommend), because it's a total waste of money.

So I like the olive oil, but it's a total ripoff at that price point.

About Ice Pressed Olive Oil:

According to the farmer, it keeps the olives at a temperature of below 5 degrees while processing, so that you maintain that fresh olive flavour. "Cold Pressed" olive oil, despite its names, apparently goes to tempertures of over 20 degrees while processing. According to the McEwan website: "Enjoy the intense, rich flavour of this early harvest olive oil. It’s ice pressed, unfiltered and has an acidity of just 0.1%. Not a cooking oil, this variety adds exceptional flavour to your favourite dishes after they have been prepared."