THE ARBEQUINA OLIVE
There are more than 260 varieties of olives in Spain. The most important ones are Picual (Andalucía), Cornicabra (La Mancha), Hojiblanca (Andalucía), Lechín de Sevilla (Andalucía), Verdial (Andalucía & Extremadura), Empeltre (Aragón), Picudo (Andalucía) y Arbequina (Cataluña).
At Mas Auró, we grow 700 Arbequina olive trees.
The Arbequina olive is native from the Arbeca region in Lérida. The olive fruit is small, and has very little meat, with a relatively large pit. The tree begins to produce fruit early in the season, usually maturing between the months of December and January. |
The oil extracted form the Arbequina olive has an exquisitel intense flavor. In nose, its aroma is reminiscent of tomatoes, and fresh green vegetables, such as the artichoke. In mouth, it is fruity, with a bit of an almondy sweetness. The Arebquina olive oils are dense and are usually golden in color, but can be a bit more green, when pressed from immature fruit.
When harvesting begins at Mas Auró, the olives are still immature, and just beginning to break into color. This leaves an impression in the flavor of the final olive oil. It is greener, fresher, its nose and mouth qualities are fresher, its flavors more balanced, and not as piquant and intense as an oil pressed form fully matured Arbequina olives.
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