Apollo Extra Virgin Olive Oil -- Review
Apollo Organic Olive Oils have been touted as the all-around best oils by many, and for good reason. Being the olive oil lover that I am, when I was told about the Apollo oils, I was intrigued enough to really want to try them for myself. Thanks to the very awesome folks at Apollo, I have had the blessing/opportunity to do so! Just reading about the great flavors of them had my mouth watering, so I'll go ahead & share my pleasure with you guys!
Trying the Apollo olive oils, I discovered one thing quickly -- they really do live up to their hype. I was not disappointed at all. After tasting the two olive oils I've had the pleasure to try, I found myself immediately finding myself in agreement with the rest of the Apollo oil lovers: they are by far, the most outstanding olive oils I have ever had the opportunity to put in my mouth. I would actually go so far as to call these olive oils "luxurious."
I honestly expected great quality right off with Apollo because of all the hype! I mean, people are really in love with this stuff, but I didn't imagine myself being ga-ga over it, and here I am. Right there with them.
These oils are really an olive oil-lovers dream, and I have no doubt that they'll be appreciated by even the most luxury olive oil users. Yea, it's that delicious. But enough raving, let's get into why. Let me help you experience the taste as much as possible without actually tasting it. I'll do my best!
I have the two biggest sellers from Apollo -- the Mistral Organic olive oil and the Sierra Organic olive oil. Both are certified organic (by California Certified Oil Farmers) and certified virgin by the California Olive Oil Council (impressive qualities!)
Both have their own wonderful flavors and qualities, so I'm not surprised that I'm finding it tough to love one over the other. This is somewhat dependent on the dish, really.
Firstly, Apollo olive oils were impressive right off the bat due to their being organic (truly, and with proof!) and cold-pressed. I think it's obvious why organic is so sought after (and these days it's a job to find out if your olive oil is really olive oil, much less actually organic!), but we'll discuss the importance of cold-pressed in a moment.
Mistral is made of french varieties grown in the rugged Sierra foothills. In fact, the Mistral oil is named "for the famed Provencal wind."
As the label says, it's "rich and rounded."
Mistral Organic is the one with the yellow coloring on the bottle. It was instant delish on my tongue upon first trying it, straight. There was no doubt in my mind that the Mistral Organic would make any dish more pleasurable. I mean any. I enjoyed it simply by itself, for Pete's sake!
It's the perfect salad olive oil and added something delicious to my chicken quesadilla last night!
The Mistral Olive Oil is "light" intensity, so it's wonderfully smooth with a slight bitterness that wasn't noticeable each time I tried it, really. I love the hint of super fresh, bitter olive in my mouth, so this one is perfect in every way. It has also been described as "buttery," which I can notice when used on some foods.
Another added 'perk' I enjoy from Apollo Olive Oil is that they include, on the back of the bottle certain dishes the type of oil are most complimentary with. For instance, Mistral says that it enhances most seafood, mushrooms, salads and most white wine dishes. I cannot say much about seafood with olive oil because I'm not a fan, so I obviously don't love it, even with any oils. Either way, I couldn't imagine a seafood lover not loving the taste of their seafood combined with Mistral Organic.
Sierra Extra Virgin Organic Olive Oil
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| Note the little pour-spout on the bottle lip. |
Sierra Extra Virgin
Organic olive oil -- the one with the green text on its bottle -- is more bitter than the Mistral. To me, it also has a more intense "green" & somewhat grassy taste (labeled "medium intensity), which brings an incredible amount of freshness to any dish. Along with some bitterness, Sierra also has a slight spice flavor to it, to me. This is not intense like other oils I've tried, though, and I prefer it to be subtle spicy and not intensely spicy.
The Sierra Oil is harvested from "decades old trees in the Sierra foothills."
I think the greenness in the Sierra olive oil's taste compliments most herbs, too, especially when used in a chip dip. I also adore the Sierra Oil for steamed vegetables -- really brings out some flavor in vegetables that were otherwise quite bland (greens, especially.)
Just as the Mistral bottle, the Sierra has a list of dishes that the oil compliments well. I love that because it gives you a good idea of what kind of oil you'd "need," depending on your style of food. Sierra says it's great with "hearty dishes" like soups, stew & pasta sauces.
Both Sierra & Mistral Olive Oils are very fragrant/aromatic.
My Favorites Apollo Olive Oil Recipes So Far:
Personally, one of my favorite ways to have the Sierra Olive Oil so far have been on meat. Add some herbs and holy heavenly taste-buds!
I adored the flavor of Sierra on steak and pork, and even grilled chicken (with garlic, a sprig from my fresh mint plants, and herbs like parsley, rosemary, etc.). It added the perfect helper to the dryness of the chicken, plus a very welcomed flavor boost.
Oh, Oh, Oh! Can't forget bread! These two olive oils are the best bread dips I have ever tasted & I've been known to really get down with some bread and olive oil dips! Herbs like parsley, oregano, some garlic, rosemary and a sprig from my mint plant -- all tossed in a dish with either of these oils made my night.
In fact, I'm afraid this simple way of eating olive oil has ruined me for the rest of the measly oils in the world. I've had some great ones, and haven't ever met a quality olive oil/herb bread dip that I didn't adore, but there was nothing quite like it with the Apollo oils.
I had to have a dip of both oils -- the Mistral (with added herbs to the oil) and one dish for dipping with the Sierra. I just kept going back and forth dipping one piece in Sierra, the next bite in Mistral!
I even had Mistral with baked little red-skin potatoes, green peppers and thought it was amazing! I even loved corn on the cob smothered in the Mistral Organic oil. I could literally have this stuff every day (probably on almost every food) and never get tired of it.
Meredith's Sauce Gremolata found on the Apollo website will be our next try! It sounds perfect and only requires a few, easily found ingredients! I love when I can make a recipe easily, especially if the ingredients are already in the kitchen. This recipe, consisting of only lemon, Mistral, garlic and parsley is absolutely perfect! Plus, I can already almost taste the delicious-ness of those ingredients together.
B will be trying the Mistral grilled cheese recipe. We couldn't think of a dish he'd adore, so when I checked the Apollo website and seen grilled cheese as an option, I just knew that'd be his pick.
Either of the oils (added herbs just like with the bread dip) make a delicious snack with baked tortillas or tortilla chips. One of my absolute all time favorites.
So, far, I've been using the Apollo Olive Oils on a different dish each night (sometimes more than one!) and have yet to not love whatever I've eaten it with, so this is some truly fabulous oil.
Fantastic recipes using the fabulous Apollo Olive Oils can be found here.
Reasons to Fall in Love with Apollo Olive Oils:
- - Amazing, delectable, unique flavors.
- - Olives are organic and hand-picked.
- -
Olives are milled under vacuum to preserve highest nutrient &
antioxidant levels. Milled under vacuum ensures higher polyphenol
content. An interesting tid-bit: The mill used by Apollo is one of only 5
in the world!
You can even read about Apollo's entire milling process here. Awesome, huh?
- -Apollo
Oils even have the date they were cold-pressed on the bottle! For
example, the 2 I have says it was cold pressed in December 2013, which
means this stuff is nice & fresh! Not old and stale and of lesser
quality.
More pros include
the dark glass bottle (important for good olive oil) and the oils came
with a nice removable spout for pouring. Heck, the bottles themselves
even have a little pour-spout (see photos) at the edge/lip, which
prevents it from being so messy.
Health Benefits of Olive Oil:
Olive oil is high in antioxidants and polyphenols, rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals -- if it's quality oil. Apollo Olive Oil says on the label that their olives contain a high content of both antioxidants and polyphenols.
Polyphenols help your memory stay sharp, minimizes risks for cardiovascular disease, reduce inflammation.
Polyphenols slow bone loss, which is a big plus for me! Etc.
Antioxidants are anti-aging, they neutralize free radicals and help prevent damage (like that associated with cancer) from free radicals.
Free radicals are a known contributor to health problems like: muscle and tissue degeneration, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. See how important antioxidants are now?
They also help prevent Cognitive impairment
Immune dysfunction
Cataracts
Macular degeneration
Alzheimer's
Antioxidants may even increase longevity and decrease oxidative stress.
Olive oil also helps reduce risk of gastric ulcers.
Other Olive Oil Remedies:
- Removes earwax build-up! Simply use a dropper to insert the oil into ear canals. I've used this (and coconut oil) to successfully, safely and natural (isn't that the best!) cure ear mites in my pets!
- Helpful for virtually all skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis, cracked skin, diaper rash, any dry-skin condition, etc.) Also helpful for some skin infections.
- Olive oil has been known to help with symptoms of IBS and candidiasis, which most of you know I suffered from severely. It helps with constipation, inflammation of the digestive system, etc.
- Olive oil is used in the Hulda Clark parasitic cleanse protocol for tapeworms.
- Can't forget oil-pulling! Olive oil is one of my two favorite oils (and coconut) for oil-pulling, and I've discussed that a lot here, in other posts. Since Apollo oils are cold-pressed, organic and such high quality, they would be ideal for oil pulling. But I've yet to be able to bring myself to use it and spit it out, so oil-pulling with it will be something I might try eventually, but as for now, I'll stick with eating it.
What's Considered "Quality" Olive Oil & What to Look For
Equally as important as taste, also nutritition of an olive oil is of great importance to me (and most olive oil-lovers.) That is why I was impressed with all the wonderful qualitites of the Apollo Olive Oils (all listed below). I checked into Apollo Olive Oils and was most impressed that they met the "checklist" that many olive-oil lovers look for in an olive oil.
For the sake of giving my readers virtually everything they need to know about a product, I feel obligated to also shell out knowledge on quality and what you should look for in a product I'm reviewing. So, below we'll discuss what quality olive oil is, what to look for and what you should be wary of, or look out for when shopping for olive oil.
Just like when you shop for the perfect supplements and vitamins, when you're going for olive oil, you also have a checklist of important things to look for (and look out for, for that matter.) I say this because the olive oil "industry" made the news not that long ago for the now well-known olive oil scams happening.
To be brief about that, basically, a lot of the olive oils (especially some of the top sellers in grocery stores) were put through a test of some sort and so many had failed to such an extent that the news article deemed them not even able to be considered olive oil!
So, unfortunately, olive oil is yet another thing we consumers have to look closely into before shelling out $. You want to be sure you're getting actual olive oil, and if you're like me, you want to be sure you're getting the best quality out there. There are several "factors" to findnig the "best quality." You want cold-pressed, extra virgin and certified organic -- Apollo oils are both. It also doesn't hurt to go the extra mile and find out where your olives were from.
Why Cold-Pressed?
Cold-pressed means it was pressed using the lowest heat possible, to extract the oil. Heat destroys a lot of the nutrition in olive oil, and often means chemicals and other icky things are involved in the process. The natural ingredients and their nutritious content isn't sacrificed from heat, chemicals etc. that come with some methods other than cold-pressed.
Cold-pressed oils retain their high antioxidant content and it means the oil you're consuming doesn't contain any chemical solvents nor has it been bleached and deodorized, which is what happens when oil is mechanically pressed.
To put it in a list, here's what you should look for:
1. Certified organic.
2. Cold-pressed.
3. Virgin
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| Image source: Image Source: http://www.theyumyum.net/2012/07/weekly-meme.html |
4. Bonus: Find out where the olives came from.
Olive Oil For Beauty
To really put the icing on the cake (or should I say the olive oil on the potatoes?), here are some olive oil beauty benefits, too.
I love olive oil not only for its amazing ability to make food taste like heaven, but also because of its mind-blowing health benefits. The health benefits were the first reason I ever got into using olive oil in the first place. There are so many! It's rich in Vitamin A, E. High in antioxidants, polyphenols, essential fatty acids, minerals, etc.
Olive oil was even said to have been a Queen's "secret to beauty."
Yep, just olive oil!
(Can't find her name, or the source I read that from years ago, sorry!)
It has been said that using it internally and externally (like on your skin) is one of the best ways to "beautify" your skin. It both nourishes and protects skin.
A long time ago, I took the challenge to begin using olive oil on my skin. Some of you may even remember me posting about that. I still do.
I find it to be the best, most effective way for moisturizing dry skin, having a healthy complexion, etc. Plus, using it internally is one way to fight wrinkles and have good skin, so applying it externally likely has the benefits, too.
Olive oil's uses are quite endless for beauty, health and taste! It can be used on hair for shine, overall health and as a hot oil treatment.
It strengthens nails, nourishes cuticles, chapped lips and even feet. Simply add olive oil in bath water to soften (and promote healing!) for all over.
I've used olive oil for all the above, but one area I'm religious is cleansing my face. It has been my go-to as a facial cleanser (once a week,) and makeup remover for a few years now. I use it every morning! Works better than anything.
The Apollo Oils are so amazing, from the fragrance to the taste that I could bathe in them. That could get costly, though.
Please share in the comments below what some of your favorite ways to use olive oil are? Any favorite dishes? Favorite brand of olive oil? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Disclaimer (I know, I hate them, too, but these days you kind of can't afford to note post them.):
I am not a specialist or any other kind of doctor or expert.
Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis,
treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own
experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing
useful information/suggestions to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical
adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after
viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional"
or other special relationship with the company mentioned. I'm simply a consumer
who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTTC's
guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything
of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review.
All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should
be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not
responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the
advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such
behavior.
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