Olive oils are best for certain uses - cooking, dipping, finishing - or in different types of fare - from delicate to bold. There's nothing like trying them side-by-side to taste and understand the differences, and in cooking with them to determine what you like best for types of use, or in specific recipes or styles.
This is a wonderful gift set for the foodies in your life, or to develop your palate, or experiment with something new.
Our 2025 Set Include (slightly different from picture):
To try the full spectrum, add a bottle of our super bold Organic Coratina EVOO to your order!
Tasting Notes for Classic EVOO tasting sets
We recommend tasting the oils in the following order, House, Estate, Organic Arbequina, and Coratina, if included. House Blend is our standard oil, Estate the mildest, Organic AQ one step bolder, and the Coratina a practically off-the-charts bold oil.
House Blend, an all-purpose oil: cooking, finishing, dipping, made from olives harvested in October and November of 2024, the most recent harvest. House isa balanced, fruity, medium-bodied olive oil, and this year, as in 2023, a combination of Taggiasca and Arbequina olives, with a splash of Coratina. The 2025 House Blend is filtered this year, to preserve freshness, as filtering eliminates enzymes and particles that degrade oil over time.
Estate, a finishing oil, harvested November 2024. Our only unfiltered oil this year, the 2025 Estate oil is derived from 100% Leccino olives, boasting a super luscious, rich texture, aromas of sweet, ripe fruit, a fabulously buttery flavor, mild finish, and no bitterness or piquancy at all. Enjoy it with milder, more delicate dishes, as a dipper with fresh bread, on toast, over salads and veggies, drizzled over soft, mild cheeses, our Cauliflower Soup, or ideal with delicate fish, or seafood—lobster, shrimp, scallops— when you want a soft compliment to the natural flavors of your main ingredient.
Organic Arbequina, an all-purpose oil ‘cuz we can’t stop using it! Near perfection this year-- grassy, but also with a buttery sweet note, rich mouthfeel that is also lean, almost crisp, with a touch of bitterness to round it out—a very good, delicious oil. Made from olives grown in the Colusa County foothills, where gravelly, well-draining soil keeps this varietal from becoming too watered down and mild. We also harvested this year's crop when still mostly green, in October, which helps maintain the polyphenols, giving the oil plenty of fresh kick and health benefits. Best as a dipper with fresh baguette, on toast or bruschetta, or as a finishing oil, dressing greens, in green sauces: pesto, chimichurri, etc, or guacamole; in heartier fare, either more flavorful vegetables, such as peppers, grilled meats, pastas, or in spicier seafood dishes. Excellent drizzled over a chopped salad topped with feta.
Organic Coratina, a finishing oil, harvested November 2024. Our Coratina is a practically off-the-chart bold oil. If you’re using olive oil for health purposes, or if you prefer strong olive oil, this is the one for you. This is a green oil—the bouquet is green, the taste is strong, the burn is big, the bitter is prominent. It’s the dark roast black coffee of olive oil, the biggest Cab you’ll most likely ever try. Coratina is a strong variety, and when you grow it organically, it really shows. Best with hearty fare, stews, soups, in ragu, and polenta, bolder pasta dishes, or in a caesar dressing.
