We’ll skip the tasting notes and focus on what actually matters: how to pick a higher-polyphenol EVOO, avoid packaging that trashes it, and cook with it so you get the benefits you’re paying for.
I appreciate you raising awareness about olive oil quality.
At the same time, I often think this illustrates a broader issue with many longevity “hacks.” Once a specific signal of quality becomes widely known—dark bottles, certain labels, certain compounds—the market quickly adapts and reproduces the signal itself. The indicator remains, while the underlying quality may not.
If we really want to do something meaningful for health, the deeper challenge might be to understand the system behind food production and distribution. That means learning how to recognize truly high-quality foods within the local markets, landscapes, and traditions we actually live in, rather than relying too heavily on a single marker or product.
In the end, nutrition may be less about finding the perfect ingredient and more about rebuilding a relationship with real food systems.
This is a very important point...and I would add there is a dearth of good quality products accessible for purchase, at least here in the States. The supermarket and box stores prioritize long storage and shelf stability making quality, diverse whole produce (much here is pre-cut, pre-shredded for convenience) and fresh items scarce requiring real effort to seek out good sources
I use California Olive Ranch, the 100% California one. There is a QR code on each bottle and you can scan to see the free fatty acid (as % oleic), oleic acid % and total phenols (mg/kg) of each bottle. The tests are performed by near infrared spectroscopy. My bottle had high total phenols. It definitely has that peppery zing in the back of your throat.
That’s great transparency, Jan. It’s often said that Californian olive oil tends to have lower polyphenol levels as it’s irrigates and doesn’t have to endure the arid conditions of some Mediterranean olives. It’s good to know that’s not always the case.
Until this year we had been spending the winters in Mesa AZ. We discovered Queen Creek Olive Mill in Queen Creek AZ and have used their oils almost exclusively. Queen Creek has their own groves and processes their own oils. So good!!
This inspired us to look at both the content of our olive oil and how we use it. We bought a few different brands after comparing notes. We have truly enjoyed eating large bowls of torn greens, finely sliced onions, chopped fresh herbs, dressed with only olive oil drizzle and freshly squeezed lemon juice. We had forgotten what a treat such simplicity could be!
You’re right, extra virgin olive oil isn’t ‘just another cooking oil’, it’s delicious and versatile.
After writing those two articles I’ve gone back to dipping bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of spreading it with margarine or butter. As you say, what a treat!
Hi Ben, Thanks for another great article. I've never seen an (ultra)-high polyphenol EVOO for sale where I live in central Mexico, not even at very high end supermarkets and specialty stores so I checked on Amazon Mexico's website and omg! Get ready to sell your car or house to afford it. Amazon Mexico lists one brand, Garisol, imported from Turkey that ticks nearly all the boxes: organically grown, early harvest, cold pressed, less than a year old, dark glass bottle, etc. etc, with over 600 ppm of polyphenols....and drum roll please... a small (500 ml) bottle sells for nearly US $100! or 77.40 Euros! Interestingly, I live in a semi-arid, subtropical, high elevation (1,900m /6,200 feet) area where there are about 12 wineries less than an hour north of our home and a few of those wineries are now also growing olive trees. In 3 weeks we'll be going to a Wine festival in that area so I'll talk to the manager or owner of some of those wineries with olive groves to find out if they are producing and selling any high polyphenol EVOO, what variety of olives they are growing, whether they are irrigating or not (once the trees have deep established roots) and hopefully at a price that doesn't require monthly sales of our prized possessions.
You know, Tom, I’m not sure that the polyphenol level is seen as a value token yet. People look for single estate, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. They might have a preference for the country of origin. And so, I suspect there will be plenty of mid-range oils with higher polyphenol levels that just don’t think it’s something to shout about.
The arid conditions you describe in parts of Mexico might be perfect for creating high polyphenol oils, and perhaps a great marketing niche opportunity for some growers.
Ben, I agree that higher polyphenol levels are not viewed by 99% of olive oil producers as a higher value product due to the lack of consumer awareness that there is any difference between olive oils commonly available based on olive variety, climate conditions, early vs late harvest, dark glass vs plastic packaging, polyphenol content (and perhaps due to testing costs for polyphenol content?), etc. It's a long learning curve for most consumers who believe olive oil, like wheat, or beans, is simply a relatively uniform commodity. I'm looking forward to speaking with vineyard and olive grove growers in our area at the end of this month to get their perspective on this.
This was a fantastic article. Honestly, I thought that we were doing well in our choices of EVOO. Alas, not so much. Fortunately we don’t have much left, so off to the specialty store I go, where they feature tasting, so I’ll look for the one with the qualities and flavor profile you suggested.
Thanks for this and though I occasionally get the clear plastic bottle, it is stored in the dard/cool place. Used mainly for cooking. I still see benefit from moving away from saturated fats and oil. Though I still like the occasional butter. Not that there is anything wrong with using "seed oil" for rare deep frying. :)
Oh, thanks for the referral to Dr. Ellen Kornmehl, though she might not thank you for that. :)
You’re right, even a cheap bottle of olive oil is still a step up from saturated fats and oils. Most of us don’t get anywhere close to the amount of monounsaturates linked to the lowest rates of premature death. Getting a higher polyphenol extra virgin olive oil is another rung up the ladder.
Don’t tell anyone, but I also have butter in my fridge. Sometimes nothing hits the spot like butter on freshly baked bread. However, since researching this article, I’ve been having bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and it’s so delicious I don’t feel as though I’m missing butter at all.
Please play nicely with @Ellen Kornmehl MD. She has a ton of delicious recipes.
Using Olive Oil for dipping your bread is a very Mediterranean thing to do apparently. I have done the same but plain olive oil. From Search Assist:
Bread and olive oil is a simple yet flavorful dish where crusty bread is dipped into high-quality extra virgin olive oil, often seasoned with herbs, garlic, and sometimes balsamic vinegar or grated cheese. It's a popular appetizer in Italian cuisine and can be customized with various spices and toppings.
Fantastic column! Great writing and information. I already use olive oil from dark, glass bottles for everything and will now focus on high polyphenol options. I'm delighted you included two baking recipes (and a great source for finding more). I don't generally bake but I wanted to make a healthy olive-oil based cake or muffin this week. It is like you read my mind. Thanks as always!
Yes, mind reading is one of my weekend hobbies! Actually, it’s because I’d also like to have some cake that I can eat once in a while without feeling too guilty, and @Ellen Kornmehl MD’s olive oil chocolate cake hits the spot perfectly. Ellen has loads of fantastic recipes, so do have a look.
If you do get to bake something this week, please come back and let me know how it went.
Thank you for the "bitter is better" tip. I buy my EVOO in a large, dark plastic bottle, and keep it in the refrigerator after decanting a smaller amount into a dark glass bottle that sits on the counter for daily use.
That was me, too, Mick. The plastic bottles are always quite a bit more economical. After all the reading I did for these articles I don’t feel so comfortable with plastic bottled oil anymore, so I’ve shifted to glass bottles. It does hit the budget though.
Another comprehensive review, Ben, that offers readers real data they can translate to their kitchens. I appreciate how much work goes into these...as well as your passion! and honored to have you share Eating and Feeding's recipes
ConsumerLab did tests on a bunch of popular oils for polyphenol content. At the time, some particular EVOOs from Italy and one from California came out on top. Their theory was that there were droughts in Tunisia and elsewhere a few years ago that may have caused changes to the olives years later. One takeaway was that the “blends” from multiple countries were not great. Some of the major brands actually came out as “not really extra virgin” with minimal polyphenols. Definitely worth checking out that report.
Thanks, RC, that sounds like a great resource. I’ll have a look.
Yes, sadly the grocery store brands that most people buy are far from ideal. That said, at least they are high in monounsaturated fat, so healthier than cooking with butter or coconut oil, and better than seed oils for most Westerners who already have too high of an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
I use olive oil in all my cooking: baking, roasting, salad dressings, etc. I currently use Brightland which has different olive oils for different usages. Not sure about polyphenol levels as there is no labeling. I definitely use up the oil w/in a few months. I will be thinking about your info when I buy my next batch of EVOO.
Hi Nancy. It’s great to see you using EVOO for all your cooking needs. The evidence strongly supports that for long-term health.
I’m not familiar with Brightland olive oil, but a quick Google search suggests it’s sourced from California. The highest polyphenols come from olives that are fighting to survive, usually in very arid conditions. Typically, Californian olives are irrigated and have quite a cushy life, so their polyphenol levels tend to be low.
I appreciate you raising awareness about olive oil quality.
At the same time, I often think this illustrates a broader issue with many longevity “hacks.” Once a specific signal of quality becomes widely known—dark bottles, certain labels, certain compounds—the market quickly adapts and reproduces the signal itself. The indicator remains, while the underlying quality may not.
If we really want to do something meaningful for health, the deeper challenge might be to understand the system behind food production and distribution. That means learning how to recognize truly high-quality foods within the local markets, landscapes, and traditions we actually live in, rather than relying too heavily on a single marker or product.
In the end, nutrition may be less about finding the perfect ingredient and more about rebuilding a relationship with real food systems.
This is a very important point...and I would add there is a dearth of good quality products accessible for purchase, at least here in the States. The supermarket and box stores prioritize long storage and shelf stability making quality, diverse whole produce (much here is pre-cut, pre-shredded for convenience) and fresh items scarce requiring real effort to seek out good sources
I use California Olive Ranch, the 100% California one. There is a QR code on each bottle and you can scan to see the free fatty acid (as % oleic), oleic acid % and total phenols (mg/kg) of each bottle. The tests are performed by near infrared spectroscopy. My bottle had high total phenols. It definitely has that peppery zing in the back of your throat.
That’s great transparency, Jan. It’s often said that Californian olive oil tends to have lower polyphenol levels as it’s irrigates and doesn’t have to endure the arid conditions of some Mediterranean olives. It’s good to know that’s not always the case.
Until this year we had been spending the winters in Mesa AZ. We discovered Queen Creek Olive Mill in Queen Creek AZ and have used their oils almost exclusively. Queen Creek has their own groves and processes their own oils. So good!!
Lucky you, Kris - for both winters in the sun and discovering a great olive oil!
Do you have to stock up while you’re there, or can you buy it online or in grocery stores elsewhere?
This inspired us to look at both the content of our olive oil and how we use it. We bought a few different brands after comparing notes. We have truly enjoyed eating large bowls of torn greens, finely sliced onions, chopped fresh herbs, dressed with only olive oil drizzle and freshly squeezed lemon juice. We had forgotten what a treat such simplicity could be!
I’m so pleased to hear that!
You’re right, extra virgin olive oil isn’t ‘just another cooking oil’, it’s delicious and versatile.
After writing those two articles I’ve gone back to dipping bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead of spreading it with margarine or butter. As you say, what a treat!
Hi Ben, Thanks for another great article. I've never seen an (ultra)-high polyphenol EVOO for sale where I live in central Mexico, not even at very high end supermarkets and specialty stores so I checked on Amazon Mexico's website and omg! Get ready to sell your car or house to afford it. Amazon Mexico lists one brand, Garisol, imported from Turkey that ticks nearly all the boxes: organically grown, early harvest, cold pressed, less than a year old, dark glass bottle, etc. etc, with over 600 ppm of polyphenols....and drum roll please... a small (500 ml) bottle sells for nearly US $100! or 77.40 Euros! Interestingly, I live in a semi-arid, subtropical, high elevation (1,900m /6,200 feet) area where there are about 12 wineries less than an hour north of our home and a few of those wineries are now also growing olive trees. In 3 weeks we'll be going to a Wine festival in that area so I'll talk to the manager or owner of some of those wineries with olive groves to find out if they are producing and selling any high polyphenol EVOO, what variety of olives they are growing, whether they are irrigating or not (once the trees have deep established roots) and hopefully at a price that doesn't require monthly sales of our prized possessions.
You know, Tom, I’m not sure that the polyphenol level is seen as a value token yet. People look for single estate, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. They might have a preference for the country of origin. And so, I suspect there will be plenty of mid-range oils with higher polyphenol levels that just don’t think it’s something to shout about.
The arid conditions you describe in parts of Mexico might be perfect for creating high polyphenol oils, and perhaps a great marketing niche opportunity for some growers.
Ben, I agree that higher polyphenol levels are not viewed by 99% of olive oil producers as a higher value product due to the lack of consumer awareness that there is any difference between olive oils commonly available based on olive variety, climate conditions, early vs late harvest, dark glass vs plastic packaging, polyphenol content (and perhaps due to testing costs for polyphenol content?), etc. It's a long learning curve for most consumers who believe olive oil, like wheat, or beans, is simply a relatively uniform commodity. I'm looking forward to speaking with vineyard and olive grove growers in our area at the end of this month to get their perspective on this.
I buy whole foods Greek olive oil. Tastes like it has high polyphenols. Who knows?!! Will keep researching. Great article!!
Thanks, Connie! Glad you enjoyed it. I can imagine Whole Foods will have a good selection of quality extra-virgin olive oils.
Hi Ben!
This was a fantastic article. Honestly, I thought that we were doing well in our choices of EVOO. Alas, not so much. Fortunately we don’t have much left, so off to the specialty store I go, where they feature tasting, so I’ll look for the one with the qualities and flavor profile you suggested.
Thanks so much!
Hey Vicki!
An olive oil tasting - that sounds exciting. I’d love to do something like that, but alas, nothing like that around here.
I’ll be really interested to hear how that goes.
Dr Jones
Thanks for this and though I occasionally get the clear plastic bottle, it is stored in the dard/cool place. Used mainly for cooking. I still see benefit from moving away from saturated fats and oil. Though I still like the occasional butter. Not that there is anything wrong with using "seed oil" for rare deep frying. :)
Oh, thanks for the referral to Dr. Ellen Kornmehl, though she might not thank you for that. :)
Dr Jones? That’s so formal!
You’re right, even a cheap bottle of olive oil is still a step up from saturated fats and oils. Most of us don’t get anywhere close to the amount of monounsaturates linked to the lowest rates of premature death. Getting a higher polyphenol extra virgin olive oil is another rung up the ladder.
Don’t tell anyone, but I also have butter in my fridge. Sometimes nothing hits the spot like butter on freshly baked bread. However, since researching this article, I’ve been having bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and it’s so delicious I don’t feel as though I’m missing butter at all.
Please play nicely with @Ellen Kornmehl MD. She has a ton of delicious recipes.
LOL! Thought I mess with your mind today. ;)
Using Olive Oil for dipping your bread is a very Mediterranean thing to do apparently. I have done the same but plain olive oil. From Search Assist:
Bread and olive oil is a simple yet flavorful dish where crusty bread is dipped into high-quality extra virgin olive oil, often seasoned with herbs, garlic, and sometimes balsamic vinegar or grated cheese. It's a popular appetizer in Italian cuisine and can be customized with various spices and toppings.
Knock yourself out Ben!
https://thestayathomechef.com/italian-olive-oil-bread-dip/
I’ve been using Kosterina, has decent polyphenol levels
It was mail order only but Kosterina says it’s in stores now including Whole Foods.
Thank you. It’s good to have a brand people can look out for.
That’s good to know, Milton. Can you pick up Kosterina in grocery stores, or do you need to order it online?
Fantastic column! Great writing and information. I already use olive oil from dark, glass bottles for everything and will now focus on high polyphenol options. I'm delighted you included two baking recipes (and a great source for finding more). I don't generally bake but I wanted to make a healthy olive-oil based cake or muffin this week. It is like you read my mind. Thanks as always!
Thanks for those generous comments, Valerie.
Yes, mind reading is one of my weekend hobbies! Actually, it’s because I’d also like to have some cake that I can eat once in a while without feeling too guilty, and @Ellen Kornmehl MD’s olive oil chocolate cake hits the spot perfectly. Ellen has loads of fantastic recipes, so do have a look.
If you do get to bake something this week, please come back and let me know how it went.
Thank you for the "bitter is better" tip. I buy my EVOO in a large, dark plastic bottle, and keep it in the refrigerator after decanting a smaller amount into a dark glass bottle that sits on the counter for daily use.
That was me, too, Mick. The plastic bottles are always quite a bit more economical. After all the reading I did for these articles I don’t feel so comfortable with plastic bottled oil anymore, so I’ve shifted to glass bottles. It does hit the budget though.
Another comprehensive review, Ben, that offers readers real data they can translate to their kitchens. I appreciate how much work goes into these...as well as your passion! and honored to have you share Eating and Feeding's recipes
Thanks, Ellen. I’m grateful for your permission to share your recipes. I’m looking forward to trying the olive oil chocolate cake!
ConsumerLab did tests on a bunch of popular oils for polyphenol content. At the time, some particular EVOOs from Italy and one from California came out on top. Their theory was that there were droughts in Tunisia and elsewhere a few years ago that may have caused changes to the olives years later. One takeaway was that the “blends” from multiple countries were not great. Some of the major brands actually came out as “not really extra virgin” with minimal polyphenols. Definitely worth checking out that report.
Thanks, RC, that sounds like a great resource. I’ll have a look.
Yes, sadly the grocery store brands that most people buy are far from ideal. That said, at least they are high in monounsaturated fat, so healthier than cooking with butter or coconut oil, and better than seed oils for most Westerners who already have too high of an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
I use olive oil in all my cooking: baking, roasting, salad dressings, etc. I currently use Brightland which has different olive oils for different usages. Not sure about polyphenol levels as there is no labeling. I definitely use up the oil w/in a few months. I will be thinking about your info when I buy my next batch of EVOO.
Hi Nancy. It’s great to see you using EVOO for all your cooking needs. The evidence strongly supports that for long-term health.
I’m not familiar with Brightland olive oil, but a quick Google search suggests it’s sourced from California. The highest polyphenols come from olives that are fighting to survive, usually in very arid conditions. Typically, Californian olives are irrigated and have quite a cushy life, so their polyphenol levels tend to be low.