Buying olive oil online has a built-in problem. You cannot taste it, smell it or even pick up the bottle. You are trusting a product page. The good news is that a product page can tell you more than a shop shelf, if you know what to look for. Here is a checklist.
1. The grade, stated plainly
Look for “extra virgin olive oil” in the product name or description. If the page says only “olive oil”, “pure” or “light”, you are most likely looking at a mostly refined oil, which is a different product at a different price. If the grade is hard to find, that tells you something too.
2. A specific origin
A good page tells you where the olives were grown, and the more specific the better: country, then region, then village or farm. “Mediterranean” is a mood, not an origin. If the oil is a blend from several countries, the page should say so, just as the label must.
3. A harvest date, not just a best-before
This is often the most useful fact you can get without tasting. A harvest date tells you how old the oil is. A best-before date usually counts from bottling and tells you much less. If the page does not mention a harvest date, zoom in on the product photos to see if the label shows one, or ask the seller. A clear answer is a good sign. A vague one is an answer too.
4. Packaging that keeps light out
Dark glass, a tin or a bag-in-box. Product photos show you this, so look closely. A clear bottle glowing in the sunshine makes a lovely photo and a poor home for oil.
5. Tasting notes that sound like food
Good tasting notes use plain, specific words: grassy, green apple, tomato leaf, almond, bitter, peppery. They help you guess whether you will like the oil. Be wary of descriptions that are all adjectives and no flavour, such as “exquisite”, “luxurious” or “premium”. Those tell you about the marketing, not the oil.
Notice whether the seller mentions bitterness and pepper. Many fresh extra virgin oils have both. A seller who says so is describing the oil honestly, not hoping you will not notice.
6. A way to check
Can you find out more about the specific oil you are buying? Some producers print a batch code on every bottle and let you look it up. Some name the village or the mill. A seller who gives you a way to check is easier to trust than one who only tells a story.
7. A sensible size for a first order
From a new producer, start with a bottle you will finish in a month or two. If you love it, buy more next time. A large tin of an oil you have never tasted is a big bet, and once it is open it keeps fading while you decide.
8. Delivery and a real company
Check how long delivery takes and what happens if a bottle arrives broken. Olive oil does not like heat, so open the parcel promptly rather than leaving it in a warm porch. And look for the basics: a company name, an address and a way to reach a person. An online shop should make it easy to find out who you are buying from.
When it arrives, taste it
Pour a spoonful into a small glass, warm it in your hand, smell it, then sip. Fresh extra virgin oil smells clean, green or fruity. Bitterness and a peppery catch at the back of the throat are good signs. Crayons, putty, damp or vinegar are faults. Now you have tasted it, and you know whether to buy it again.
Our side of the checklist
We try to answer as much of this list as we can on our own pages. Dukat oil is extra virgin, from Dukat, a village in Vlorë county, Albania. It comes in 0.5 L dark glass bottles, each with a harvest date and a batch code you can look up, and it is sold by Dukat Olives, a UK company. If you want to try it, start with The Bottle.