EVOO Part 2

I received my Filippo Berio olive oil from BzzAgent in the mail the other day, and it immediately found its way into a salad dressing.  Our dressings typically contain lots of garlic, so it may mean little to say that it tasted great.

Still, it seems odd that news is popping up all over the place about olive oil brands.  First, the report on EVOO quality done in California.  Now, today, in an attempt to get me to subscribe to Cooks, I've gotten an ad with a teaser about olive oil brands, which is copied below.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Which brand is worth buying? We tested 10 extra-virgin olive oils, selected from the top-selling supermarket brands in the United States, to see if olive origins or price had any correlation to taste. The oils were tasted plain as well as heated and tossed with pasta. None of the brands could best our favorite olive oil, Columela Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which can be found in high-end grocery stores and gourmet shops. Our tasters' comments for the majority of samples ranged from "soapy and metallic" to "smells like kitty litter." We did, however, find two supermarket brands deemed acceptable for their "fruity, peppery finish" and "clean, green taste." Unsurprisingly, these two finishers were the most expensive of the lot—so when it comes to buying this coveted oil, you do get what you pay for. Read the complete ratings to see which brands of olive oil offer the best combination of value and quality—plus access full taste test results for hundreds of other everyday ingredients when you start your FREE TRIAL membership!

Of course, I don't intend to subscribe, even with a free trial.  If you're not careful "free trials" can be very expensive.  And I already subscribe to a cooking magazine.  Though, I was tempted about the teaser for perfect pie crust using vodka...

Anyway, I note that Filippo Berio does not appear to be amongst the images in the Cooks ad.  Interesting, since it was part of an article that Cooks did in 2008 on the same subject (found here), and labeling it as "recommended with reservations".  Of course, I take the reservations with a grain of salt when the taste testers call it both so mild as to be "boring" and "so floral it's almost like eating perfume."

Now, I'm a pretty "super taster."  That is, I can taste and smell things that most people can't, and I don't taste flowers in Filippo Berio.  That being said, I think the average user of EVOO (at least in this country) is not going to be able to discern the qualities being reported by the trained tasters.  It may be more important to recognize the health benefits of using virgin/extra virgin olive oil rather than the flavor.  In fact, I don't recommend any olive oil for use in some recipes, as it tends to overpower the intended flavor.