Early harvest olive oil is made from olives picked before they fully ripen. Young olives produce less oil, but they often create a fresher, greener, more bitter and peppery flavor.
Warm Mediterranean sun. Italian olives from our own farm and farmers we know across Italy. Picked early and cold-extracted. Grassy, bitter and peppery. From Sicily, Puglia, Tuscany and Italy’s great olive-growing regions.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Early harvest means the olives were picked before they fully ripened.
- Young olives generally produce less oil, so more olives are needed for each bottle.
- The oil often tastes grassy, bitter and peppery.
- Earlier harvesting can affect polyphenol content, but the olive cultivar and production process also matter.
- Early harvest extra virgin olive oil can be used for cooking, dressing, dipping and finishing.
What Is Early Harvest Olive Oil?
Think of a green apple.
It is firm, sharp and less juicy than a fully ripe apple. An olive changes as it ripens in much the same way.
Young olives are firm and contain less extractable oil. As they mature, they soften and generally produce more oil.
Early harvest olive oil is made by picking the olives while they are still green or beginning to change color. The olives are then taken to the mill, crushed and separated into oil, water and olive solids.
You can see the complete process in our guide to how olive oil is made.
Why Is Early Harvest Olive Oil More Expensive?
The answer is simple: young olives make less oil.
A producer must generally harvest and mill more olives to fill one bottle. Picking at the right moment also requires careful timing. Once harvested, the fruit should reach the mill quickly and in good condition.
You are not paying more simply because “early harvest” sounds special. You are paying partly because the producer chooses flavor and intensity over maximum oil yield.
What Does Early Harvest Olive Oil Taste Like?
Early harvest olive oil often tastes:
- Fresh
- Grassy
- Herbaceous
- Bitter
- Peppery
You may also taste green tomato, artichoke, almond or fresh herbs.
That peppery feeling at the back of your throat is not automatically a defect. It can be a normal characteristic of fresh extra virgin olive oil. Our guide explains why olive oil tastes peppery.
Not every early harvest oil tastes the same. Coratina can be bold and intensely bitter. Cerasuola, Nocellara del Belice, Frantoio and other cultivars have their own aromas and levels of intensity.
Is Early Harvest Olive Oil Better?
Not automatically.
Harvesting early can produce fresher aromas, stronger flavors and higher polyphenol levels than harvesting the same olives later. But early harvest is only one part of the story.
The cultivar, climate, fruit condition, milling time, extraction process, storage and age of the oil also matter. A peer-reviewed study comparing early- and late-harvest extra virgin olive oils found that both harvest stage and olive variety influenced polyphenol content.
This is why “early harvest” cannot guarantee a specific number. Only testing can show the polyphenol content of a particular oil and harvest. Learn more in our guide to polyphenols in olive oil.
When buying, look beyond the words “early harvest.” Check:
- The harvest date or harvest season
- Where the olives were grown
- Who produced the oil
- The olive cultivar or blend, when available
- Whether the bottle protects the oil from light
Do not use color as proof. Early harvest olive oil may appear green, golden or somewhere in between.
Can You Cook With Early Harvest Olive Oil?
Yes.
A good early harvest extra virgin olive oil can be used for everything:
- Sautéing
- Roasting
- Grilling
- Dressing salads
- Dipping bread
- Finishing pasta, soup, vegetables, meat or fish
Its flavor may become softer during cooking. Adding another drizzle before serving lets you taste more of its fresh aroma, bitterness and pepperiness.
Milan Truffle’s 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from early-harvest Italian olives sourced from our own farm and farmers we know across Italy. Use it for cooking, dressing, dipping and finishing.
After opening, keep the bottle closed and away from heat and light. Read our guide on how to store olive oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does early harvest olive oil mean?
It means the oil was made from olives picked before they fully ripened.
Why does early harvest olive oil cost more?
Young olives generally produce less oil, so more fruit is needed to fill each bottle.
What does early harvest olive oil taste like?
It often tastes fresh, grassy, bitter and peppery. The exact flavor depends on the olive cultivar and how the oil was produced.
Does early harvest olive oil contain more polyphenols?
It often contains more polyphenols than oil made from the same cultivar harvested later. However, harvest timing alone cannot guarantee a specific polyphenol level.
Can you cook with early harvest extra virgin olive oil?
Yes. Use it for cooking, dressing, dipping and finishing.
