Every day, we receive inquiries from customers about cold-pressed oils, more specifically about "first cold-pressed" oils. Today, this term is no longer entirely accurate. We will explain why below.
Nowadays, oils obtained by pressing are rarely marketed, not only for reasons of profitability, but also for reasons of hygiene and food safety.
Interestingly, the idea has become widespread that "pressed oil" is a high-quality olive oil, when in fact this process has been replaced by more advanced extraction methods that produce higher-quality oils with better characteristics.
Below, we explain the difference between cold-"pressed" olive oils and the oils that most people are actually referring to when they ask about them: cold-"extracted" olive oils.
What is cold-"pressed" olive oil? How is it made?
Traditionally, olive oil was obtained using presses, consisting of a central axis around which stacks of pressing mats were placed. These mats were originally made from esparto grass and later from synthetic fibers. The olive paste, produced after crushing and grinding the olives, was spread onto these mats.
Finally, the stack of mats was closed with a metal plate, and pressure was applied directly. This caused the olive paste to release a liquid consisting of a mixture of oil and vegetation water.
If the oil was produced without heating the olive paste, it was known as "cold-pressed" oil (the paste must not exceed 27 °C).
Olive paste is heated because heat facilitates oil extraction by reducing its viscosity. However, this also causes the oil to lose aroma and flavor, as the volatile compounds responsible for these characteristics evaporate.
The mixture was then transferred to tanks where it was left to settle naturally, allowing the oil to remain on the surface while the vegetation water settled below, making it possible to collect the oil from the top. This traditional method has several drawbacks when producing a high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
- The pressing mats must be thoroughly cleaned before each new pressing, as any residue from the previous batch can transfer fermented aromas and flavors to the fresh oil.
- During the settling process, the olive oil remains in contact with both the air, which oxidizes the oil, and the vegetation water, which can transfer unpleasant odors associated with olive mill wastewater, known in Spanish as alpechín or alpechinera.
For the reasons mentioned above, this production method has been discontinued for economic, quality, and hygiene reasons. The modernization of olive mills and the use of centrifuges have made it possible to produce higher-quality oils with better characteristics than those obtained through pressing.
What is "first cold-pressed" olive oil?
The olive oil obtained using the procedure described above is known as first cold-pressed oil. It is extracted from freshly crushed olive paste without any previous pressing, using completely clean or newly replaced equipment (press and mats). The olive paste is pressed only once; the remaining paste is either discarded or pressed again. In the latter case, it can no longer be described as first cold-pressed.
Obviously, during the second or third pressing, the oil obtained is of much lower quality, because while waiting for the next pressing, the olive paste oxidizes, the vegetation water begins to ferment and, because it remains in contact with the oil, transfers undesirable odors and flavors (known in Spanish as alpechín or alpechinera).
What is "cold-extracted" olive oil?
This is the standard method used today in the production of olive oil, where centrifuges are used to extract the oil. If the extraction takes place at a temperature below 27 °C, the oil is known as cold-extracted olive oil, ensuring the highest quality from a gastronomic and organoleptic point of view while preserving all its properties and health benefits.
To obtain more oil (higher yield) from the olives, some producers increase the extraction temperature beyond the limit mentioned above, obtaining more oil per kilogram of olives and a greater volume of oil for sale. However, this oil inevitably loses part of its nutritional and organoleptic qualities.
All our Extra Virgin Olive Oil varieties are produced by first cold extraction. In accordance with strict quality standards, the crushed olive paste passes through the centrifuge only once. The remaining olive paste is then reused through composting as fertilizer for our olive groves.