Pompeian olive oil: is this a good brand?

It's an American importer brand based in Baltimore.

The best olive oil is Spanish, and if you buy a respected Spanish branded bottle it will be olive oil of the stated grade from Spain.

Italy exports more olive oil than it produces, meaning it imports to export and then cuts the stuff and cheats on the standards and gives the Mafia a cut. Except in small production lines, I would avoid Italian oils as the package contents are unreliably represented.

California produces some good olive oil, though it tends to cost as much or more than the best Spanish oil available in the U.S.

Don't buy large bottles unless you use it often; store bottles away from sunlight and away from extremes of heat. Different types of olives produce different tastes as do different locations and crop years. The best olive oils are not wildly expensive, though sometimes they can be for importation fees and markups on brands that are not widely distributed. There are multiple annual ratings of commerically available olive oils by country and internatonally; they are generally a good guide.

Bullshit. The best olive oil is from Greece… Everyone knows that…

^^^Agreed.

Actually from Cyprus.

This is going to turn into another Dukes vs. Hellman's thread.

In America the best olive oil you can buy is Californian olive oil. Imported olive oil from Europe is never pure olive oil.

Most of the olive oil in the American market is cheap crap—a mix of oils from different places—Americans can’t tell the difference

Bite your tongue R7. I certainly can.

There was crap olive oil and counterfeit being sold in ancient Rome. This is nothing new.

I only buy the Spanish. I absolutely do not trust the Italians.

R9, and you think just because the bottle says Spanish, it’s really just Spanish?

You have to look for the "certified" label.

It is good. I prepared lunch with this brand of olive oil. It was tasty. I will buy again.

Greek olive oil is the best.

I'm not saying Pompeian olive oil is bad, but it tastes like greasy dust from a volcano.

So what kind of olive oil is the best that you can buy in an American grocery store?

Star: First cold press.

Recommend California Olive Ranch olive oils—the ones that are 100% from California olives.

Thanks R17, I will try that one. I just buy gallons of Kirkland brand at the moment

For your final, finest moments.

Pompeian isn't good. For not much more money, if you can stomach the company's politics, is Goya's all-Spanish EVOO. It's not a blend from different countries, like most of the cheaper stuff.

Go Greek.

Costco's Kirkland brand is a pretty good deal (and the real deal).

Trader Joe's sells a pretty good Greek olive oil.

Trader Joes has been out of the Greek Olive oil for months now. They have no Greek olive oil. I'm down to my last half cup because I bought 2 bottles 3 months ago, knowing Joes would crap out at some point. The store has gone to the shitter ever since covid.

Pompeian gets bad reviews-- like posters said, stay away from Italian oil and check labels carefully.

I grew up in Olive Orchard country in Northern California, where the "California Ranch" oils come from. I think it's a collective. Sadly, what they're selling lately is a blend of oils from South America and a small percentage from California. Thinking it's due to 3 years of draught.

R25 Well shit, I'm your neighbor but I didn't know that. What are you making do with if I may ask?

I’m shallow so I don’t consider purchasing Pompeiian since the packaging is ugly. Bertolli or Philipe Berrio are better choices for cheap supermarket olive oils because the bottle labels are prettier.

Any US olive oil discussion isn’t complete without reference to California or the Costco brand. These are considered the best and most correct choices of oils on the market.

I bought it once, a very long time ago. It tasted like engine oil.

There are still good Italian oils out there. But they cost a fucking fortune.

New harvest Laudemio is practically a dollar a tablespoon.

Almost every olive producing country in the world has been hit hard by drought this year - a drought which has hit all the areas of the earth with Mediterranean -type climates especially hard. There have been market warnings to expect a huge increase in the price of olives and olive oil next year because of that. I don't think that people will be able to be picky this upcoming year in regard to country of origin.