Perfect for everyday use, this unrefined Extra Virgin Olive Oil brings together the pungent bitterness of Chetoui olives with the delicate and nuanced profile of Chemlali olives that have been hand-picked in Tunisia at the start of winter for optimum flavour. The oil is cold extracted and meticulously taste-tested by experts to ensure a well-balanced olive oil with a medium fruitiness.
- Unrefined cold extracted extra virgin olive oil
- Rich in Vitamin E
- High in monounsaturated fat
- Very versatile
How is it made?
Our Organic Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive is cold-extracted and unrefined, using the finest organic olives. Once harvested the oil is produced using a cold extraction method, which is when the olives are simply pressed mechanically without external sources of heat or chemicals applied to the process. The cold extraction method allows the oil to retain more of its flavour and nutritional value creating a much higher quality product.
Once the oil is extracted from the raw ingredient, it needs to be further processed to remove any residual particles that might be left from pressing. Oils will fall into two categories at this stage: refined and unrefined. Like the pressing process, heat is one of the key elements which defines the method. Refined oils are subjected to heat pressure at this stage.
Unrefined oil, such as our Organic Tunisian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is processed much more gently using filters rather than heat after extraction. Like cold pressing, this helps the oil retain more of its flavour and nutritional properties, which would otherwise be degraded with the application of external heat.
Virgin vs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
There is one key difference between extra virgin and virgin olive oil: acidity level. If the oil has an acidity level less than or equal to 0.8%, it is classified as extra virgin. If the oil has an acidity level between 0.8% and 2%, it is graded as just virgin. Any olive oil with an acidity level above this is falls into the conventional olive oil varieties.
