I want cheap…!
I want quality….!
My friend, I understand it’s not unusual to think about the quality and the price at the same time when you want to buy health-friendly extra virgin olive oil from Costco.
I’ll also be happy if you ask Google or me, “Is extra virgin olive oil at Costco worth buying?.”
To your goodness, my answer is, “Yesss, Yesss, Yess!”
Costco sells extra virgin olive oil not only from some of the most trusted brands but also under the label of its own brand, Kirkland. Kirkland’s extra virgin olive oil is also cheaper. You hardly pay about $15 for 2 liters.
What peace of mind! Now you can cook whatever you want, keeping it healthy.
BUT
Should you buy Costco’s extra virgin olive oil or prefer other brands?
Hmmm, I feel you’re now thinking critically.
You don’t need to do exhausting research now, for, in this article, I’ve compared the top 3 best extra virgin olive oil brands at Costco, including Kirkland, to help you make a more informed decision. Besides this, I’ll also help you know how to choose the best quality extra virgin olive oil.
You’ve got a task!
Keep all distractions aside and give this article a mindful read of 10 mins. Here we come.
What are the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils at Costco? A Quick Overview.
Costco sells extra virgin olive oil from many brands, yet only three are the best. Here is a list of these 3:
- Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Italian Olive oil for 19.49 per 2 liters packaging. The delivery fee can be up to $3 based on your location.
- Myrto Greek Extra Virgin Olive oil for $69.99 for 2 tins of 3 liters packaging. Hence, it costs you $11.33 per liter.
- La Civetta Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil is available in 3L tins, and the delivery packaging includes two tins. This oil costs you $11.67 per liter. But this olive oil is occasionally available at Costco online.
Thus, compared with Kirkland Signature extra virgin olive oil, you have to pay about $4 per liter more for the latter options.
Detailed Review of Costco Extra Virgin Olive Oils
Now the question is, which one should you choose? Let’s go over the details by reviewing these three oils from Costco to help you pick the best one.
Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Italian Olive oil
Price, quality, taste, and all are fantabulous with Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Olive Oil extracted from olives grown in the Mediterranean region. Several big names from the health and food industry have praised it. Here are a few reasons why this olive oil is so good.
Why do I like it?
- It’s USDA organic certified. Sadly, no olive oil-specific certification is stamped on the bottle. Still, it’s simply matchless.
- It has been extracted via a single cold press. So you don’t suspect it would include any rancid.
- The color is dark and grassy.
- Aside from this, it hasn’t been processed.
- I liked that the sourced olives are from a single region, which is why the taste quality is pretty persistent, though it has been packed in the USA.
- And above all, it passes the taste test—your extra virgin olive oil must give you a peppery bite in the throat at the back of your tongue besides robust flavor.
- The highest amount of anti-oxidants like polyphenols
What are the Cons?
- No EVOO certification
- No glass bottle packaging
Myrto Greek Extra Virgin Olive oil
Next comes the Myrto Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a relatively higher price tag. The reason is that it has been imported from Greece.
This EVOO at Costco has also been sourced from hand-picked olives from the Kalamata region of Southern Greece—Mediterranean. It tastes more grassy and ends with peppery notes.
I can surprise you that Greek olive oil tastes better than Italian, French, or California EVOO.
That’s the reason Costco has placed this quality product on its shelves.
Why do I like it?
- This Greek EVOO is the first cold-pressed and unprocessed oil.
- The highest amount of polyphenols—thanks to extracting methods that preserve them.
- Greek users are big fans of it and vow the originality of the taste.
What are the Cons?
- Extremely expensive
- No certification labeled
- Packed in tins instead of glass bottles. Faulty shipping annoys me to no end.
La Civetta Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Occasionally Available at Costco Online)
The last EVOO from Costco on our list is the La Civetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It’s Italian extra virgin olive oil to buy at Costco. The imported EVOO comes from hand-picked olives grown in Italy.
Talking about the taste, it’s worth using. Yet, it’s about 30% higher than Kirkland Signature EVOO’s price — I calculated it!
It’s also unheated, cold-pressed olive oil. Therefore, health benefits are guaranteed.
Why do I like it?
- It’s unfiltered olive oil.
- It’s dark in color and has a strong taste with hints of pepper, aimed at ultimate user satisfaction.
- It’s very refreshing.
- Apart from the price factor, the La Civetta EVOO is comparable to Costco’s Kirkland Signature extra virgin olive oil.
- Perfect for cooking and drizzling on your salads.
What are the Cons?
- It’s imported and bears no certificate for quality assurance.
- The tins can come damaged.
- Although it’s from Italy, the exact region is untraceable because the olives from different areas of Italy don’t taste alike.
How Can You Choose the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil?
When searching for original extra virgin olive oil online, you’ll most likely encounter this kind of misinformation:
- 80% of extra virgin olive oil sold at the stores is fake.
- Check for certifications from the International Olive Council (IOC), Extra Virgin Alliance (EVA), Californian Olive Oil Council (COOC), etc.
What a contrast!
As for the first, let me tell you confidently that it’s not true, but propaganda and a marketing gimmick that some brands use to brag about their product.
How do I know?
The FDA has proved this by testing 88 extra virgin olive oils from shelves and found no adulteration, i.e., mixing rancid olive oil into extra virgin olive oil.
As for the second, you might know dozens of brands on the store shelves have decorated their EVOO bottles with such certificates. Then why do they fail to meet the user’s satisfaction?
The answer lies in the actual test:
- Only color, texture, smell, and taste can determine quality.
If you’re new to buying EVOO and want to buy authentic olive oil, I’ll advise you first to get a few samples of EVOO from your family and friends and see which one best passes the test.
Without blabbing about the science of picking the right extra virgin olive oil, I’ll tell you the art of choosing 100% pure extra virgin olive oil.
- See it—the unrefined olive oil should look green and yellow, not yellow or light yellow. Similarly, it should appear pretty thick as nothing has been removed to make it light.
- Smell it—to smell pure extra virgin olive oil is pretty grassy, not fatty (you must have smelled several cooking oils like canola, sunflower, or even peanut, they all have very little smell).
- Finally, taste it… you can swallow it, yet your mouth won’t forget the grassy taste that leaves a tickling in your throat.
Thus, without spending a penny, you can know what your extra virgin olive should taste or look like. After this, you can head towards getting yours.
So, which extra virgin olive oil should you get at Costco?
Without emphasizing, “choice is yours,” but if you insist, I’d advise you to get Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Just ignore the certifications; the oil has won the hearts of thousands of health-conscious consumers.
Do you want to know something more from me?
Please let me know in the comment section.
I’ll be there for you!
