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Manni Olive Oil


Metroarea

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Does that mean that this is just about the worst time of year to be buying olive oil from Italy? When does the 2006 harvest start showing up in the U.S.?

Not really. Well made extra virgin olive oil is naturally high in antioxidants (tocopherols, phenols, etc) and will last for about 2 years before it shows signs of oxidation or rancidity. The flavor does mellow a bit over time, so that "peppery" bite may diminish, which some people prefer.

Most Italian oil producers rack or decant the new oil for at least several weeks, some longer, to allow the fine particles to settle out. There are mixed opinions about filtering, but a few of the best producers will gravity filter through cotton for the same reason. The particles can hasten oxidation, and there's an aesthetic consideration as well. Some prefer the cloudy new oil, but just as many prefer their oil to be free of sediment.

I'll probably express air freight a little of the new oil for a restuarant customer, but economics dictate most oil from italy comes by boat. Importers on the east coast have the advantage, but it can still take a few weeks for transport.

So the majority of the oil from the coming press (2006, although some use 2007 since that's when the oil is consumed) won't get here until early next year. We use a lot of olive oil (that's why I started importing it myself), and I wouldn't wait that long. Buy what you need until the new stuff gets here.

Back the Manni oil....it's interesting to see the term "cold pressed" on the box. It's really a marketing phrase and doesn't accurately describe how olive oil is produced any more. IOOC standards allow warm water (up to 26C), which doesn't affect the oil and in fact allows a faster malaxation (sort of like kneading the paste...it agglomerates the oil molecules). Speed is the important factor once the fruit is crushed, and the best oils are all made using modern continous presses.

The phrase "organic farming" may be a violation of federal law if the oil isn't certified by an FDA-approved agancy. That would be an interesting slip for a firm like Whole Foods

Jim

olive oil + salt

Real Good Food

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  • 2 weeks later...

I live next door to an olive oil mill in Tuscany and it is going full swing now.

No fancy bottles, no limited production, no labels.

Bring over my 5 liter jug and fill it up.

7,50 euro a liter.

I bought my first oil in market, bottled labeled etc. 19 euro a bottle for a liter.

Laudemia in Italy is 17 Euro for 500 ml.

Manni.... never seen it!

marketing, marketing marketing..

but if someone brings you the best???

what will you pay?

From the central MArket in florence they sell online ( http://www.tuscanyflavours.com/) in bottles or my prefered tins.

Shipping is 100 euros for 10 kilo's about 22 pounds.

Most of my cooking students wait for the new oil and get 4 5 liter tins shipped.and hord it all for themselves for the year...

or 4 people split the shipping.

a great oil can then cost you about 20 euro a liter? oil can be 35-75 for 5 liters.

PS I helped them put together a starter kit for a tuscan kitchen.. but am not involved in the site... was just helping!

it is where I shop and have shopped since 1988.

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I miss the olive oil we were getting in Australia. $10 AUD ($8USD) for a 750 mL bottle and it was peppry, green and intense. Wen't to a fancy olive oil store in the city a few weeks back and they were selling oils of no particular distinction for $40 USD per liter and up.

Although I have to say the Trader Joes Extra Virgin is a very nice product for the price although their Organic Range is pretty ordinary.

PS: I am a guy.

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Whoa. I had to go back and read this a couple of times.

So the majority of the oil from the coming press (2006, although some use 2007 since that's when the oil is consumed)....

Does that mean that you can't always trust the dates printed on Italian labels?

I guess some strive to make it clear - I have a bottle of Badia a Coltibuono that says "Harvest December 2005, Released Spring 2006" which I bought toward summer's end. (BTW, it was almost inedibly peppery, to my taste, when I opened it. After making a couple bowls of Insalata Caprese with it, I let it sit for 5 or 6 weeks and consumed a different bottle. I've just gone back to it and it's mellowed out quite nicely; still has a bite, but not overwhelming now.)

Edited by ghostrider (log)

Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea!

- Sydney Smith, English clergyman & essayist, 1771-1845

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Most Italians buy oil when it comes out and let it sit until at least April before they start to use it.

Some of course is consumed right away for the bite that new oil has, but not for everyday.

Good oil, made from good olives last easily for 2 years.

I find that lots of the commercial oils are really already rancid as they are made with olives that were overripe, and starting to ferment before crushing.

There is no truth in labeling laws yet. so noone knows WHERE the olives are coming from although mayb e crushing in Italy.

I buy where I can taste!

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  • 3 months later...
I just ordered some of this amazing stuff...wow!  I'm definitely not keeping this oil around for too long or saving it for a special occasion...life is a special occasion!  Anybody else liking this oil as much as I am?

Not in New Brunswick, but I had a taste of it here in Kansas City (at bluestem). It's immensely grassy and fruity - and sightly bitter, with an interesting heat-kick that hits the back of the throat as it goes down. I can see how someone might use it to singe down the hairs on one's legs. :laugh: Fascinating.

u.e.

“Watermelon - it’s a good fruit. You eat, you drink, you wash your face.”

Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921)

ulteriorepicure.com

My flickr account

ulteriorepicure@gmail.com

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  • 1 year later...

Just a heads up to those who might be looking for manni olive oil and dont want to spend the 460 dollars to import therir own. Tim at Hampton Prime Meats in Southampton has started to stock Manni. You can buy it by the bottle, which is 1/10th of a liter..about 45 bucks I think.

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