Frequently Asked Questions
What is Olive Oil?
- Produced by crushing whole olives together, Olive Oil is a product that has been consumed and cultivated for thousands of years.
- Did you know? There are over 700 varietals of olives!
Where do our Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars come from?
- Our Olive Oils come from countries both from the Northern and Southern hemisphere like Tunisia, Chile, Peru, Australia, and the USA (California). These countries offer some of the best and award winning Olive Oils!
- Did you know? Due to the fact that we have countries supplying olives from both the Northern and Southern hemisphere, it allows for two crushing seasons! Two crushing seasons means that we are able to offer the freshest products around!
- We source our Balsamic Vinegars from one of the oldest producers of Balsamic Vinegar in the Modena, Italy region.
What is Balsamic Vinegar?
- Did you know? Balsamic Vinegar is a geographically protected product – much like Scotch or Champagne!
- Balsamic Vinegar is made from Lambrusco or Trebbiano grapes, which are pressed and kettle cooked over fire until reduced by half. Once this process is completed, the Balsamic Vinegars are then placed in wooden barrels and aged for a minimum of 12 years.
- Balsamic Vinegar is low caloric, antioxidant, probiotic and low glycemic.
- At The Unrefined Olive, we offer both White and Dark Balsamic Vinegars.
What is White Balsamic Vinegar?
- White Balsamic Vinegar is cooked at a lower temperature. During this process, the natural fruit sugars do not caramelize, allowing for a clearer and slightly more acidic vinegar.
- Did you know? White Balsamic Vinegar was invented in the 1980s as chefs began wanting an option of flavouring their foods without the discoloration from dark Balsamic Vinegars!
What is Dark Balsamic Vinegar?
- Dark Balsamic Vinegar is more dense and viscous. You will notice that when tasting a dark Balsamic Vinegar, the flavour is intense and this is due to the caramelization and aging process.
- Similarly, to the caramelization process of sugar, the dark Balsamic Vinegars will discolour after being cooked at such a high temperature.
What is the right ratio of Olive Oil to Balsamic Vinegar?
- Vinaigrette is a simple mixture of Olive Oil and Vinegar. You can use a vinaigrette for salads, marinades and much more!
- We recommend an equal ratio of Olive Oil to Balsamic Vinegars – about one tablespoon of each for a large salad, but adjust the ratio based on your own personal preference!
How should I store my Olive Oil/Balsamic Vinegar?
- Did you know? Air, heat and light are the worst enemies of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegars!
- Store them away from direct sunlight and heat sources like stoves. Exposure to air should be limited as well.
- We recommend storing your bottles on your kitchen counter or in your pantry with the cork provided or pour spouts.
When do our Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars expire?
- Our Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegars do not in fact expire, however we do recommend consuming them within a certain period of time.
- Our Olive Oil is best consumed within a year from purchase date.
- Our speciality oils should be consumed within six to eight months of purchase, which is why we only offer the 60ml and 200ml bottles.
- Our Balsamic Vinegars are best consumed within 3-5 years of the purchase date.
- Did you know? Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegars lose their nutritional value and health benefits over time!
What should I do with my empty bottles?
- If you bring your bottle(s) back clean and dry, we will be happy to refill them for you! Every time we refill your bottle(s), you will receive a new cork and tag.
- Otherwise, simply pop the bottle(s) in your recycle bin and we will be happy to fill up a new bottle for you!
- Did you know? Our bottles are calibrated and UV protected, therefore you can keep reusing them as many times as you would like!
Is Olive Oil safe to cook with?
- Did you know? Our olive oils have a smoke point of 425 degrees!
- All of our Olive Oils are perfectly safe to use for grilling, roasting and shallow frying!
- The low free fatty acids and high polyphenol levels of these exceptional Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOO) allow for us to cook with them at no harm.
Are your products vegan friendly and gluten free?
- All of our Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars are vegan friendly and gluten free!
- Did you know? We also carry a variety of vegan friendly and gluten free products like our pepitas and metropolitan rubs!
Are your products nut/seed free?
- While we do have specialty oils in our store that do contain nut and seed oils, they are stored and kept in containers that are filled and cleaned separately. We take allergies very seriously and therefore; these specialty oils are the only ones that are not for sampling.
How are the fused and infused Olive Oils made? Are the flavours natural?
- The Unrefined Olive offers a variety of fused and infused Olive Oils
- Fusion means that the fruits, herbs, or chilies are in fact crushed directly with the fresh picked olives.
- Infusion is where the oil extract is removed from the fruits, herbs or other constituents; and then mixed in with the Olive Oil.
- All of our products are natural and do not contain any synthetic flavouring, preservatives or colouring.
Does the colour of the oil mean anything?
- The colour of Olive Oils can range from light yellow to bright green.
- The colour of an olive oil has no relationship to the quality or taste of an oil, it simply indicates the level of chlorophyll in olives at the time of crush!
Where can I find nutritional values or information?
- Should you require any additional information, please feel free to give us a call at either one of our store locations, and we will be happy to help you out!
- Glebe: 613.231.3133
- Kanata: 613.592.4500