My mom was born in Sevilla which is the capitol of Andalusia in Spain. When we lived in Spain my mom would always buy these big 5 liter cans of olive oil that she would use for "everyday" and to be honest I don't remember the brand, just that it was yellow and had a Spanish woman sitting in an olive grove... but I do know what brands my mom would buy here in the States and Pompeian Spanish Bold was one of them* because you can find it almost everywhere, it tastes like it's from Andalusia, it's not expensive so you can use it for almost everything, frying eggs, sauteing onions, making marinades, heck my mom I'd even saw her mix it with dish washing/baby shampoo when money was tight to make a moisturizing hand soap she could use to refill empty pump bottles. After reading some of the reviews where some reviewers claimed it was fake, I decided to do a taste test. When I swished it in my mouth the first thing I noticed was a fruity flavor which was followed by a mildly bitter middle and a very slight grassy finish. Is it the best oil you use when you have company and you want to impress? No, but it does remind me of the Manzailla olives my tita would marinate in the cistern room then serve in one of those orange-red clay tapa bowls whenever we would go to the campo to visit.
Maybe the other reviewers are used to Spanish olive oils that are made with Arbequina, Royals, or Picudo olives that will give you a sweeter fruitier almost buttery profile that has little to no bitter taste or maybe ones made with Lechin, Hojiblanca, or Cornicabra, olives that make oils that smell fruity but have a grassy, bitter, peppery taste that's a little bit sour. But remember just like Spanish Rioja, most Spanish olive oils are blends so once you find a brand you like, you're better off sticking with it because different brands have very different flavor profiles. (Which is why I have more than one brand of olive oil in my pantry.)
At any rate I like this enough to put it on subscribe and save because it's a good tasting olive oil that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. (Like Venta Del Baron... it's worth every penny. lol) *My mom would also buy La Espanola, which I also have on subscribe and save. It's just a few cents more per ounce, depending what size you buy, and I use it when the olive oil is the "star" of the recipe. Hope this helps you find the right olive oil for you.
Olive Oil
