I have been enjoying olive oil my whole life long. I am half Italian (mom’s side) and so I have a nice relationship with olive oil. I have recently developed a nice relationship with Monte Pollino di Trappato Gold Selection Extra Virgin Olive Oil… that’s a long title. This is one of the best olive oil’s I can remember ever having. I picked this olive oil up at Trader Joes not sure of what to expect… I guess I expected the usual versatile extra virgin olive oil that I get. I was pleasantly surprised.
For comparisons sake I will compare it to another excellent olive oil also available at Trader Joes: First Lady Reserve Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Sure I am comparing a filtered to an unfiltered but get past that. First Lady has excellent flavor… it goes from grassy to peppery. I think it tastes as good as other unfiltereds that may cost three times as much at other stores. What I think is so great about Monte Pollino though is that it has the excellent flavors that one would expect from an unfiltered…. but to me it’s even better.
Monte Pollino has a definite buttery taste that is full of fruit and aroma and then it has a spicy finish that surprised me the first time I tasted it. It was spicier… I want to say hotter, but that isn’t really right… than other peppery olive oils. It is impressive because it is more complex than most olive oils you will taste in the store. It also has an excellent aroma and for 5 bucks at Trader Joes it is an incredible buy.
I have pretty much tried every olive oil at Trader Joes (yeah this is turning into a plug for Trader Joes) and I think Monte Pollino is by far the best, followed by First Lady Reserve. I hear the Kalamata EVOO is excellent but that is one that I haven’t had… prehaps on my next trip to a Trader Joes I will get some, unfortunately there are no Trader Joes in Nashville.
If anyone has any recommendations for excellent olive oil feel free to leave a comment… or even better you can contact me and send me a sample!
Tim is a health researcher and educator based out of Nashville, TN. Connect with him on Instagram @eattodaytolivetomorrow.
