I recently wrote a piece for The Takeout, 13 Store-Bought Olive Oils For Bread Dipping, Ranked, and a few interesting things came up that I thought I would follow up on here.
- Lucini’s Premium Select Organic won, and rather easily. I had always lumped Lucini in with the other standard mass market Italian brands like Berio, Cento, Pompeiian, etc., but it turns out they are (at least) a step above. The brand’s actually been part of the California Olive Ranch portfolio for a decade, which in turn was recently purchased by Cobram. (Two high-end producers, at least for the mass market.)
- Speaking of Cobram, I wanted to include their California Select extra virgin olive oil in the original comparison, but due to supply chain vagaries, their sample arrived after my deadline. But I can try it now.
- Lastly, I wanted to test the winner, Lucini, against the truly premium EVOO I happen to have on hand, Quattrociocchi’s Superbo, an organic, extreme intensity oil made from Moraiolo olives from Lazio.
Without further ado, then, let’s take a look at the ensuing taste test.
Firstly, it’s a shame I was unable to receive the Cobram oil before my deadline, because it would have shown well in my experiment. Though I still prefer the Lucini, I feel confident that the Cobram California Select would have placed in the top five. It’s an expressive, vivacious oil with a lingering finish, and certainly a worthy purchase when faced with the grocery store oil aisle. The one drawback, however, is that there does not seem to be a clear indicator of harvest date on the label, so mileage may vary, depending on storage and age.
Now, to the premium oil. Comparing the Lucini to the Superbo doesn’t make me regret my choice in the Takeout article. The Lucini Premium Select is a lovely oil, especially for a supermarket brand. It’s grassy, nutty, spicy, pleasantly bitter.
That being said, the Superbo is on a completely different level. This oil is so evocative, vibrant, alive. It’s both sharper and rounder than the Lucini, showing more fruit and more bitterness, and offering a finish that lasts for minutes. Even just aromatically, it’s immediately evident that the Superbo has more to share, and that continues through a taste test, both alone and with bread. Though the Superbo is around twice as expensive for a 16.9oz bottle, the difference is irrefutable.
In sum, then, though there are some quality supermarket oils available to the discerning oil connoisseur, a great artisanal oil will likely please the palate in a much more profound way.