Early Harvest Olive Spotlight: Sevillano

Posted by Olivia on Wed, October 17, 2012

At The Olive Press, we’re preparing for harvest of our early-season olives, and from there it will be time to start producing fresh, extra virgin olive oil. One of our most beloved extra virgin olive oils is Sevillano, which is made from an early-season olive that we’ll be harvesting soon.

Early harvest olives tend to produce robust olive oils high in polyphenols with a fruity aroma, green flavor, and a peppery finish, but our popular Sevillano is an exception to this trend. It’s an early-season olive that actually produces one of our most Delicate olive oils. Sevillano is usually delicately buttery with fresh nutty, tropical notes of flavor (though seasonal factors like weather can always impact the ultimate flavor of an olive).

Another unique trait of the Sevillano olive is its size. It’s the largest olive that we crush, yet it actually produces the least amount of oil. (Typically used for curing, this is the olive usually found in a Martini!)

One ton of Sevillano olives produces approximately 11-15 gallons of oil, which is quite different from others varieties that typically produce 30-35 gallons of oil.

The rest of our early harvest olives are more typical of early-season varieties: they’re robust, peppery, and more pronounced on the palate. Koroneiki and Italian Blend are both excellent examples of this flavor profile—and they’re both great choices for recipes where you want that big olive “pop” to come through. Perfect as a finishing oil for hearty soups and stews.

Stay tuned to The Olive Press as harvest season progresses. We’re looking forward to a bountiful 2012 season, and we’ll be keeping you in the loop as we begin producing this year’s extra virgin olive oils.