Extra Virgin Olive Oil UNXIA-Extra Virgin Olive Oil-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

ARBEQUINA OLIVES:

This variety of olive is small, with concentrated flavours, and it produces highly aromatic oils. Its flavours vary a great deal depending on the type of soil and climate.

These small olives, from Arbequína olive trees, are highly appreciated as they produce olives earlier than other varieties. Its oil yields are good (approx. 21%). This olive tree is medium-sized and leafy and is very attractive when in fruit.

It produces fruity green/yellow olive oils, with delicate and sweet fresh apple and almond aromas. The oils are not very spicy or bitter and they are extremely smooth. Due to its composition, this type of olive oil is susceptible to oxidation. The bottled oil should be kept away from light and heat.

OLIVE HARVESTING:

To obtain top quality olive oil, it is vital to harvest the olives at the stage of optimal ripeness, when the majority are changing colour (beginning to look ripe). At this stage there are hardly any green olives left, and some are completely ripe.

IN THE MILL:

The olives must be milled on the very same day of harvesting, since it is a fruit that contains vegetable water which ferments, and oil which oxidizes. Any time spent in storage spoils the quality of the final product. In the olive oil mills, the olives are cleaned and washed, and classified by quality and variety to obtain the best oils. In the oil mill the following processes are carried out mechanically:

MILLING: This process is carried out using hammer mills or stone olive mills, which break up the vegetable tissue and liberate the oil, forming a homogeneous paste.

PRESSING: This paste is put through a cold press to extract the oil and vegetable water. The best oil is extracted from the paste from the first cold pressing.

DECANTING: In order to separate the water from the oil, the excess vegetable water is separated from the oil by means of natural decanting or using a vertical, centrifuge machine to maintain the quality of the oil.

VIRGIN OLIVE OIL CELLAR:

To preserve the exceptional qualities of extra virgin olive oil, it must be stored in stainless steel deposits or in glassed oil-presses, at a constant mild temperature, away from light and noise, vibrations, etc.