Carapelli Olive Oil – A Review and $1.00 off

This post brought to you by Carapelli. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m going to admit to a slight bias going in to this.  I agreed to this review knowing full well that I already know and use Carapelli olive oils on a regular basis.  In fact, they are one of four brands that I choose when I’m running low. So this will definitely have a positive note based on my pre existing love of these olive oils.

The second reason that I accepted this review is to challenge myself to try something that I swore I’d never do again: An olive oil tasting.

Did you know that tasting olive oil should be done in almost the same way you sample wine?

• First you swirl the oil to aerate it and release the aroma.
• Then Sniff: The scent  of the olive oil is going to give you a very good clue to the underlying flavors and fruitiness.  An oil that smells flat probably will be.
• You then Slurp: This causes the oil to coat the palate and the tongue, giving you a full sense of the flavors of this particular batch.
• Finally, Swallow: A good olive oil should leave no aftertaste, but might give hints of pepper on the back of the throat.

I’ve done this test on a sampling of exotic olive oils from Italy, France and California and can tell you that each oil definitely has its own unique characteristics.  In the case of the sample of Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive oil that was sent to me, I got the following:

• Sniff: Notes of fruitiness and a hint of green apple
• Slurp: Clean, with slight earthy and grassy notes
• Swallow: The finish was absolutely clean with no aftertaste, but definite peppery notes on the throat and a reinforcement of the apple smell. (California olive oils tend to lack the peppery finish.)

In conclusion; If you’ve never tried Carapelli olive oils, you should.  They offer a great product at a good price for authentic Tuscan olive oils. If you’ve already tried their products, as I have, then I’m pleased to say that Carapelli has graciously offered a $1.00 OFF coupon at www.CarapelliUSA.com for you to try them out again.

In either case, this is a product that I stand behind and have stood behind for a while now.  Their extra virgin is a beautiful finishing oil that works well for both hot dishes and dressings and is almost always present in my pantry.  I also recommend the regular olive oil for frying. It browns meat well without adding an oily aftertaste or cloying flavor that some other olive oils can leave.

I’d like to thank Carapelli for the opportunity to share a great product (and a bit of savings) with you. I sometimes forget that it’s the simplest things that make the greatest dishes, and just saying Olive Oil isn’t always enough.