On friday, a gourmet friend and I headed for Karen Chekerdjian‘s boutique for an olive oil tasting. Other than being uber-excited about the tasting itself, I was really curious about the boutique. It looked like a pretty cool space.
Here are the olive oils that were on display:
01
Blended – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced by J-P. and Y. Zahar in Baanoub, Saida – Jezzine, Lebanon
Hand-picked from ancient trees, our oil is extracted in a modern mill and stored in an old vaulted cellar. Producing oil is a recently acquired yet continually growing passion for us.
Altitude: 250 m
Acidity: 0.4%
Peroxide: 3.7 mEq/kg
02
Single Origin – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced by the Antar family in Mharbyeh,Saida, Lebanon
Our olives are hand-picked from young trees and cold pressed in a modern mill. Having planted them ourselves, we have fallen in love, both with the trees, and the land on which they grow.
Altitude: 200 m
Acidity: 0.3%
Peroxide: 6.3 mEq/kg
03
Blended – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced by the Antar family in Mharbyeh, Saida, Lebanon
Our olives are hand-picked from young trees and cold pressed in a modern mill. Having planted them ourselves, we have fallen in love, both with the trees, and the land on which they grow.
Altitude: 200 m
Acidity: 0.3%
Peroxide: 9 mEq/kg
04
Blended – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced by the A. Khodor in Baaklin, The Shouf, Lebanon
The olives are collected by shaking the centuries-old trees and pressed using a traditional stone disk, just as our family has for generations.
Altitude: 850 m
Acidity: 0.5%
Peroxide: 10 mEq/kg
05
Single Origin – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced by the Metni family in Mechmech, Jbeil, Lebanon
We hand-pick our olives from ancient trees on land handed down through the generations. Our trees are watered solely by rain and melting snow, providing a pure and concentrated taste.
Altitude: 1,200 m
Acidity: 0.5%
Peroxide: 7.96 mEq/kg
06
Blended – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Produced by the Fattal family in Kherbet Kanafar, W. Bekaa, Lebanon
Grown in our sustainable family grove, the olives are hand-picked and pressed in a modern mill. Previously our oil was only given to close friends and family.
Altitude: 900 m
Acidity: 0.7%
Peroxide: 11.9 mEq/kg
My favorites were:
In a tasting, you tend to think of oil as a self standing ingredient. All of your taste buds are centered around the oil itself, rather than what it’ll taste like in a salad. Naturally you go for the stronger, more acidic tasting ones:
02
This one was my favorite by far, it reminded me of some spanish oils that I’ve tasted. Very strong, long lasting, slightly acidic taste that makes you want to have oil for diner.
05
Similarly to the number 02 this oil is yummy all on its own. What really caught my attention was the bitterness of the olives that came through.
01
This one gets a special mention for being fruity and light – much more salad material.
