New Oil: Everything You Need to Know

“With oil and salt, you make even a boot good .”

So goes a lesser-known proverb than the famous “New Oil and Old Wine.” However, the meaning of both quotes is no different: extra virgin olive oil, especially new oil (also known as novello), is a healthy and tasty product that needs knowledge to be chosen at its best and can make a difference in everyday dishes.

In this article we will address all the points that it is important to know about choosing new oil and answer the questions that are frequently asked when one finds oneself having to buy this delicious and healthy vegetable fat.

Many people wonder:

• When is the right time to buy new oil and where to get it?
• Should the oil be filtered or unfiltered to be better?
• New oil, freshly pressed oil, how much does it cost per liter?
• Is it normal for the oil to sting and be a little bitter?

If you want to know the answers to these and other questions, all you have to do is read on. You are in the right place!

At what time to buy new oil: pressing and oil campaign 2024-2025

The appropriate time for harvesting olives is usually from mid-October until the end of November, often as late as early December.

The choice of the exact time in the olive harvest is influenced by whether or not a particular degree of acidity of the new oil is desired and with it also a robustness of flavor. Usually, wanting to explain it in a very simple way, the earlier the harvest takes place, the more the oil has a taste tending toward bitterness and tingling on the palate, which is not always appreciated by everyone.

So what is the best time to buy new oil?

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best time to buy new oil is between late October and late November or at most the first week of December.

What is often not said, however, is that if freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil in mills is immediately stored in sealed cans and of good quality, it can also be purchased at different times of the year, such as December-January or even February and still be considered “new oil.” This is because of the fact that it is well preserved and its perishability in terms of organoleptic properties and taste is really minimal.

If, however, you are indeed looking for a strong and very aromatic flavor in new oil, the advice is not to deviate too far from the periods immediately following the harvest, so that you can enjoy a really tasty, freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil that is rich in properties and benefits for the body.

When is it that EVO oil gets old and how to notice if it is rancid?

Although, as mentioned, new extra virgin olive oil that has been duly sealed and stored can retain all its organoleptic and taste characteristics, after a certain period of time it can no longer be considered new oil and will begin to go bad.

When does oil go rancid?

It is correct to say that the natural process of oxidation and rancidity of oil begins to be noteworthy from the 8th to 9th month after milling and that, as is normal, it leads to a gradual but inexorable loss of organoleptic properties until the condition of rancidity of the oil. This condition can vary depending on the type of oil, whether olive, virgin or extra virgin (evo oil).

How can you tell if the oil is no longer good?

Olive oil gone bad or in an obvious rancid state is easily detected through its unpleasant odor and by the bad taste it leaves in the mouth. It is easily detected simply by observing and smelling it with a minimum of attention.

So, in light of what has just been said, it is absolutely inadvisable to mix old oil with new oil. This is a procedure that should not be done under any circumstances as you may risk compromising the goodness of the newly pressed oil.

The advantages of taking the oil directly to the mill

There are several advantages to buying oil directly from a mill like ours that is 100 percent guaranteed on the origin of the olives and pressing.

Let’s look at them briefly:

• You can be assured that the oil you are about to purchase has not been filtered in any way and is solely the result of 100% Italian green olives. Oil filtration is a process in which the oil is subjected to filtration for the excessive amount of impurities present. Not to be confused with decantation filtration, which, on the other hand, is completely normal;
• Only quality olives are milled in our mill, and they go through a control chain even before being pressed. This guarantees 100 percent natural and integral quality of what you are going to buy;
• EVO oil is completely cold-pressed. Cold pressing is, in contrast to hot pressing, an advantage for the preservation of polyphenols , which are thus not lost in the process. Cold-pressing olives also has the advantage of retaining a more intense and aromatic flavor in the product, which, of course, tends to diminish with the heat of hot pressing;
• We pay attention not to the yield of the oil but to its quality. This point is intertwined with the previous point, as, in the oil mill Contedoro we do not care about the quantity of new oil that is extracted from the olives but its quality. This is because of the fact that cold pressing guarantees lower yield in terms of quantity but higher quality for the customer who will buy the oil;

How much does quality new oil cost per liter?

Price, you know, plays its part whenever you decide to make a purchase. But this is something to keep in mind when looking for quality products that you will later bring to the table.

The correct price for quality new oil ranges from 10€ to 14€/liter.

This price justifies the guaranteed quality of a mill that works according to ancient methods and traditions that have not been penetrated by the boorish and single-minded desire to sell at all costs.

Just think that in common supermarkets it is possible to find types of EVO oil ranging from 7€ to 8€/liter to understand what kind of goodness of product we are talking about.

The elders of old used to advocate this motto: “you can save money on clothing, not on food.”. This saying has always supported preferring, at the table more than ever, quality over quantity.

The short video below we shot directly in our mill, watch it! It will show you in just 30 seconds how we work.

In conclusion, we invite you to contact us if you have any questions about this. We would be really glad to be able to help you in choosing your new extra virgin olive oil, or, if you already have clear enough ideas, you can go ahead and reserve or order your new oil directly by filling in the fields at the bottom of this page.