Unfiltered or unfiltered olive oil

Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil is the juice resulting from crushing the olives without undergoing the filtering process. The filtering process is the last step that is usually given to the oil to remove any olive residue or impurities. However, unfiltered, cloudy oil has more flavour and beneficial properties as it contains more of the olive. They are also the first oils that we bring from the first season and we highly recommend trying them, especially when they are freshly milled.

You may also sometimes wonder whether these  no filtered oils are healthier, whether they can be used for everything and how they should be preserved. Questions that we will answer here. We will also give you advice on these oils and how to consume them.

Summary: Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil is an oil that has not been filtered and therefore, it is an oil with more nutrients. Likewise, in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid you have unfiltered olive oil available. Oils from different areas of Spain, such as: Baena, Priego de Córdoba, Jaén, Cádiz, etc.

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1. What is unfiltered oil?

An unfiltered oil is an extra virgin olive oil that has undergone a filtering process, by which all its impurities have been removed. By impurities we mean the remains of the olives that are suspended in the oil. With the filtering process, all these impurities are eliminated and the turbidity is removed. The so-called impurities, although they have this name, are part of the olive, and are therefore natural compounds rich in nutrients and aromas.

Unfiltered oils have a different colour and turbidity to the rest of the oils. This turbidity may disappear with the passage of time, as the olive particles that give this turbidity gradually decant due to their own weight and greater density. However, unfiltered oils have unique characteristics, and are most remarkable, when they are freshly milled.

2. Most important qualities of unfiltered olive oils

Unfiltered extra virgin olive oils are the first oils we bring in for the new season. Likewise, we bring the freshly milled oils in all formats, but from the beginning of the year, we only use glass and tin containers. Because in plastic, which is the worst type of packaging, they go bad very quickly.

Among the most important qualities of unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, we can highlight the following:

• It contains the maximum antioxidant power, due to its youth, its natural character and its integrity.
• This oil  contains a high nutritional richness in fibre and the maximum content in vitamins.
• It has the most natural flavour and aroma.
• Also, it has an irreproachable smell of fresh olives.

In short, an extra virgin olive oil with the best flavour and beneficial properties for health.

3. Which one to choose? Recommendations

Unfiltered oils are not easy to find, i.e. you will not find them in most supermarkets. Therefore, if you want a good selection of unfiltered oils, the best thing to do is to visit a shop specialising in EVOOs. Here you will find them and they will also advise you for your needs and tastes.

These impurities are very beneficial, but they are more than that.

• Among the most important precautions to take into account when consuming unfiltered oils are the following:

They should not be used in frying because the crushed remains of the fruit in suspension reach high temperatures and are easily carbonised by the heat, which is a serious health hazard, so they are recommended to be consumed raw.

• At temperatures (approximately 100º) that do not exceed the usual cooking temperatures in casseroles, as is the case of hydrated (cooked) fruits, they lose many of their properties. At higher temperatures, such as in pressure cookers, the qualities of extra virgin olive oil are even more diminished.
• The consumer should not be alarmed by the appearance of deposits or decanted sediment at the bottom of the container. This is natural and is a clear sign of the purity and nature of this type of oil.

They should preferably be consumed before the end of the year after milling, because the substances in suspension, once they have lost their antioxidant properties over time, oxidise easily and in turn act as new oxidising agents in the oil (catalysis).

The stability of the variety is extremely important in determining this period. The arbequina and empeltre varieties, which are the most unstable, should be consumed before other varieties such as picual, which is the most stable.

4. Unfiltered olive oils from Jaén, Córdoba, etc.

You will find these unfiltered extra virgin olive oils in our shop in Las Rozas de Madrid at the end of the year. Normally we start to bring them in around November.

These olive oils tend to decant quite quickly, maintaining their fresh characteristics until the beginning of January. After that, if you want them unfiltered, you should look for them in cans, as this is where they are preserved for the longest time, maintaining their characteristics of cloudiness.

As these olive oils are stronger, we usually bring them from milder varieties such as those produced in Baena, Priego de Córdoba, Sierra de Cazorla and Jaén. From Sierra de Cazorla we bring the royal and from Jaén the arbequina variety.

5. Availability of unfiltered oils

The best time to enjoy unfiltered oils is during the milling season, that is, from the end of October to the end of December. From then on, the oil is preserved and begins to decant on its own due to the effect of gravity.

It is true that we can keep it unfiltered all year round, but its great aroma is found during the period described above. For this reason, if you are a lover of the aromas of extra virgin olive oil, you know when you should consume unfiltered oils with the greatest pleasure.

Photo 1: One olive oil filtered against another no filtered. 

a) Keep them in the freezer

It is true that some people put them in the freezer to maintain their turbidity throughout the year. However, our personal experience has not been satisfactory. The flavour remains the same as those kept at room temperature and their turbidity drops rapidly once thawed.

In short, freezing oils is not worthwhile. What is worthwhile is to buy the oil in higher quality containers such as tins and bag in boxes. In this way, the properties of the oil and its aromas are preserved for much longer.

6. Unfiltered oils in supermarkets

With the increasing demand for unfiltered olive oil, large supermarkets such as Carrefour, Lild and Mercadona are starting to sell it in their supermarkets. However, to buy good quality extra virgin olive oil, we always recommend buying it in specialised shops.

Sorce:

Extra virgin olive oil megazine. Olive oil times