ilo is a well-balanced oil, meaning the flavor is present without being overpowering. You can expect it to taste fresh and fruity, with a delicate sweetness and a peppery, slightly sharp finish. 

How you use olive oil changes how you experience it. Using it to dress, dip or finish will allow you to taste all the nuances present in an oil. When you cook with olive oil, some of the more prominent flavors are rendered more subtle.

But this doesn't mean you need different oil for every use. If you have one really good oil, it will feel flavorful and fresh for finishing but smooth and well-rounded when you cook with it.

Good quality olive oil is absolutely fine to cook with. It's true that higher heat and longer cooking times cause more changes in olive oil. Flavor can become less pronounced, some heat-sensitive antioxidants and polyphenols are reduced, and oxidation increases. Essentially, you lose some of the benefits of using it raw.

An olive oil blended with other oils is a good way to sell you more products, but choosing a lower-quality oil simply because it has a higher smoke point isn't necessarily better. Smoke point isn't the whole story when it comes to how an oil performs under heat. And as a general rule, if your oil is smoking (no matter what kind of oil it is), you should probably turn the heat down.

We're currently available in select retailers in Seattle. For a complete list of our stockists, please look here.