About a month ago I was listening to the host of America’s Test Kitchen, Christopher Kimball, talk about olive oil on the radio. I’m aware that most of the “extra virgin olive oil” we buy in this country is basically fradulent. A study came out of UC Davis on this several years ago, but it’s long been an open secret. It doesn’t really matter much if you use olive oil to cook, as a lot of the flavor disappears in that process anyhow. Rather, it matters if you use olive oil as dressing on salads and such. I do. Still, as I have a rather unrefined palette I’ve usually plunked down for the biggest container I could find. Yes, even Bertolli. But Kimball was asked by the host about his preferred brand, and he offered California Olive Ranch, which also came out high on the UC Davis study, though to be fair the firm apparently had a hand in the funding. This extra virgin olive oil is often described as having a strong aromatic taste, almost pungent. I don’t mind strong tastes, so I ordered some on Amazon.

Probably because my taste sensitivity has been modulated by my high consumption of spices I felt that that the tangy aspect some mention was rather subtle. The oil is very “clean,” and leaves less of a cloying taste in my mouth than what I’m used to. Though I’m conscious of the fact that this might be a subjective perception of the fact that I know that someone with refined tastes prefers this olive oil, I’ve decided to make the switch and made a large order. I’d be curious what olive oil readers prefer.