Many of you may have recently partaken in the recent artisan olive oil opportunity that Alejandro & Martin recently finished. If you did, then you know how insanely good these olive oils are. If not, then sucks to be you.Honest to God, I never knew that you could have such variety in olive oil based on it's year, region, and varietal. Though in retrospect it makes perfect sence, I never fully grasped the concept until I literally took a tiny shot (yes, in slightly filled shot glass) of each of the four oils provided in the sampler box and the regular jug oil I get from Costco.
Holy. Crap.
The box came with four varieties: Mild & Delicate: 2004-2005 Spanish, Fragrant & Fruity: 2004-2005 Greek, Olivey & Peppery: 2004-2005 Italian, Green & Grassy: 2004-2005 Californian. Each one a true effen', balls to the wall, sensation.
Alejandro is truly passionate about his oils, and honestly, I don't think any description I give will really convey just how dedicated he is to his product. Thus, let me provide you with a transcript of some e-mail correspondance...
Alejandro,
We fallen in love with these olive oils. Last night we had a wonderful snack by cutting up some fresh apples and giving them a light coating in the fruity olive oil. We even taste tested it against the (for shame) Costco jug olive oil we normally buy. It didn't stand a chance. Who knew that olive oil could vary so much based on it's year and varietal? I guess it's only a matter of time before we see the olive oil lists in restaurants. =)
-Garrett McCord
To which he replied:
I'm very glad you experimented a bit. I have loved the Greek Fragrant & Fruity on peach. My neighbor here in rural Massachusetts home cans peaches. I had an incredible slice of his peach laid on a raft of fresh mozzarella with the 2003-2004 Greek (now extinct) and a blade of rosemary. It was transcendent! That particular year was very good for European olive oil. A drought reduced the yield by 30% rendering the remaining oil more potent. And the single sprig of rosemary really made a difference. I tried it with clementine, with thyme, and with nothing.
I also made a fruit salad a couple of years ago with a light fruity oil from California on diced plumbs tossed with a bit of this amazing chamomile grappa. That was outstanding! I can still remember the taste. Anyway, I rant. Thanks again for trying and for your support.
Alejandro
PS: there *are* restaurants already offering lists. Frantoio in Mill Valley, CA is one. But there are others.
We even had a slight whoops with the shipping, and Alejandro personally took care of it within the hour. That's truly top notch service, even after dealing with shipping out 1000 boxes of the oils!
Do yourself a huge favor, and try some of their oils, or at least some artisan olive oil. I promise, you'll never go back to the grocery store for it again.
Oooh, I'm so excited for mine to arrive! And I would've never thought to experiment with fruit. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeletea true effen', balls to the wall, sensation
ReplyDeleteYou've got that right! I'll probably use the fruity kind to make up some biscotti this weekend.
I am bummed. I was too late to participate. Sigh. But my MIL is sending us a gift of his "fragrant and fruity", I believe [I passed along his website to her]. So, that, I look forward to!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy! And have a fab holiday.
Yes, it does indeed suck to be me. I've heard about the oils and I came too late to the party! Santa's bag just doesn't hold any for me and my spending budget is blown for a while. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteHi Garret!
ReplyDeleteDuring my trip on Crete I visited the famous Crete manufacturer of top-quality low acidity olive oil. Greek olive oil has tender taste and very suits to salads. I've bought a bottle and still regret that bought only one bottle.If in this box the same Greek oil I'll buy it.
My crate came at the end of the week and I have spent the weekend taste testing. They are sooo good!
ReplyDelete