What is extra virgin olive oil? How it differs from virgin, pure and light olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality grade of olive oil there is. It's the pure juice of olives, made only by mechanical means, without heat or chemicals, with an acidity of 0.8% at most and no flavour defects. That last part isn't only measured in a lab. An official tasting panel tastes it too. Below you'll find what all the words on the label mean, and how extra virgin differs from virgin, regular, pure and light olive oil.

The types of olive oil in the shop

The names on a bottle of olive oil are set by EU law. In the shop you can only come across four types:

There's a fifth type: lampante oil. It isn't fit to eat as it is and has to be refined first. It used to be burned in oil lamps, hence the name. In a test by the Dutch consumer TV programme Keuringsdienst van Waarde in October 2026, four bottles sold as extra virgin turned out to be lampante. More on that in our guide how to choose good olive oil.

What does extra virgin actually mean?

Virgin means the oil was taken from the olive by mechanical means only. Washing, crushing, mixing, spinning and filtering are allowed. Heating to get more oil out, or using chemicals, is not. So what ends up in your bottle is really fresh fruit juice from olives, just the fatty part.

Extra is the top step. To carry that name, an oil has to pass two exams:

1. A lab test. Among other things, it measures the acidity, the peroxide value (a measure of oxidation) and the UV values. Each one has to stay under a legal limit.
2. A taste test. A recognised panel of trained tasters smells and tastes the oil blind. Extra virgin can't have a single flavour defect, and it has to be fruity. Virgin is allowed small defects.

That second exam matters more than many people think. An oil can score perfectly in the lab and still taste musty or rancid. Then it isn't extra virgin.

How is extra virgin olive oil made?

1. Picking. The earlier in the season, the greener the olives and the fresher and more peppery the oil.
2. Straight to the mill. Ideally olives go into the mill within a day of picking. The longer they wait, the more they start to ferment and the higher the acidity.
3. Washing and crushing. Leaves and twigs come out, then the olives are crushed into a paste, stones and all.
4. Mixing. The paste is stirred slowly so the oil droplets come together.
5. Separating. A centrifuge separates the oil from the water and the pulp. This used to be done with a hydraulic press and mats, now almost everywhere with a centrifuge.
6. Settling or filtering, and bottling.

You need about 5 kilos of olives for one litre of oil. With an early harvest, when the olives are still green and hold less oil, it can be up to twice that. You see that in the price.

Cold pressed, first press, cold extraction: what's the difference?

Cold pressed is what most people call it, and so do we. On the label, stricter rules apply. The EU has two official terms:

• First cold pressed: only for virgin or extra virgin oil made below 27 °C with a traditional hydraulic press, in the first pressing.
• Cold extraction: only for virgin or extra virgin oil made below 27 °C with a centrifuge or by percolation.

Both come down to the same thing: the olive paste stays below 27 °C. Working warmer gives more oil, but you lose aroma, flavour and part of the polyphenols. And first press? In practice, a second press doesn't exist anymore. Modern mills get the oil out in one go. The word first sounds nice, but says little.

What does the acidity tell you?

Acidity measures how many free fatty acids are in the oil. They form when olives get damaged, sit around too long or start fermenting before they reach the mill. So a low acidity means the work was done carefully: healthy olives, processed quickly.

You can't taste acidity. An oil at 0.2% doesn't taste more or less sour than one at 0.6%. And acidity says little about how fresh the oil is now, because it's measured at bottling. That's why a producer may only put the acidity on the label if the peroxide value, the wax content and the UV absorption are shown in the same lettering and the same field of vision. See only a big acidity number on the front? Be a little critical.

Pure, light, classic, mild: what do they mean?

None of these are legal grades. They're names brands choose themselves. Pure, classic or mild usually appear on regular olive oil, the mix of refined and virgin oil. But not always: mild extra virgin exists too, like oil from Arbequina olives. So always look for the legal name on the label, not the name printed biggest on the front.

And light? It doesn't mean fewer calories. Light olive oil has exactly as many calories as any other oil. It means light in flavour and colour, which usually means more refined oil.

You taste the difference straight away. Regular olive oil is neutral and a bit flat. Extra virgin smells of olives, grass, green apple or tomato leaf, and often tastes slightly bitter with a peppery tickle at the back of your throat. That bitterness and pepperiness aren't faults. Tasters see them as signs of quality.

Early harvest or late harvest?

Olives turn from green to purple to black. The earlier you pick, the less oil is in them, but the more polyphenols. Those are natural compounds from the olive that give that bitter, peppery kick. Early harvest oil is fresher, grassier and bolder. Late harvest oil is softer and rounder, but also flatter.

We go for early harvest. Our Cooking Oil is 100% Arbequina olives, naturally mild and buttery, for the pan. Our Finishing Oil is mostly Picual, with Arbosana and Hojiblanca: bold and peppery, for the plate. Both are certified organic, cold extracted and lab tested, from family producers in Seville and Toledo.

Is extra virgin always better?

For flavour and for what's left of the olive in it: yes. Extra virgin is the only grade that keeps everything from the olive. But extra virgin on the label isn't a guarantee. Olive oil is one of the most often faked foods in Europe, and not every bottle reaches the grade it claims. So also look at origin, harvest, packaging and price. How to do that is in how to choose good olive oil.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between olive oil and extra virgin olive oil?

Regular olive oil is mostly refined: cleaned up with heat, which removes flavour and natural compounds. A little virgin oil goes in for some flavour. Extra virgin isn't refined at all.

What does virgin mean in olive oil?

That the oil was taken from olives by mechanical means only, without heat or chemicals.

Is extra virgin the same as cold pressed?

Not quite. Extra virgin is a quality grade. Cold pressed says something about the temperature during making, below 27 °C. Good extra virgin is almost always made cold, but not every cold pressed oil reaches the extra virgin grade.

Is extra light olive oil lower in calories?

No. Light refers to flavour and colour, not calories. All oils have about 9 kcal per gram.

Can you cook with extra virgin olive oil?

Yes. Our guide on cooking with olive oil explains why, and how hot your pan can get.

Why does extra virgin olive oil taste bitter?

Because of polyphenols, natural compounds from the olive. The earlier the harvest, the more you taste them. A little bitterness and pepper is a good sign.

Sources

• European Commission, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 on marketing standards for olive oil, summarised by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (cold pressing, cold extraction, acidity on the label, harvest year).
• European Commission, Olive oil in the EU (types of olive oil in the shop).
• Voedingscentrum (Netherlands Nutrition Centre), Olijfolie (types, production). In Dutch.
• Keuringsdienst van Waarde (KRO-NCRV), results of the extra virgin olive oil test, 9 October 2026. In Dutch.