EVOO Best Buy?

I recently ran across a 2004 Consumer Reports in which they picked the inexpensive Goya EVOO as "Very Good" and a "Best Buy." I've never used Goya. What's your experience and thoughts?

I recently ran across a 2004 Consumer Reports in which they picked the inexpensive Goya EVOO as "Very Good" and a "Best Buy." I've never used Goya. What's your experience and thoughts?

Being from New Jersey and surrounded by a Latin, mainly Puerto Rican and Cuban, population, I grew up with Goya all around me. ( ¡Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno! which sounds a lot like Ronzoni sono buoni ...) Anyway, to me, it's the Old El Paso or Kraft Foods of Hispanic products. I've never had the EVOO, but most of their stuff is QPR ... worth the experiment if the price is under $5.00 for a liter ... otherwise go to TJ's for their house brand at about $8.00 a liter.

[Jenise]

Larry, gotta go with Gary. Haven't had the Goya, but I kinda doubt their product could be anywhere as good as the Santini that Trader Joe's sells for about $6 a quart (great for any use) and the 500 ml bottle of Sicilian they sell for around $8 (a good condiment level EVOO). Or even Costco's Kirkland Tuscan EVOO at around $15/liter.

Have to add that when it comes to food/drink, the panels at CR have never impressed me, and usually they leave me scratching my head and thinking they should stick to tires. Olive oils can range widely in flavor and most of us olive oil fanatics have one high standard for the oil we cook with and another higher one for the oils we reserve for condiment use. For all I know, the fine folks at Consumer Reports prized neutrality and smoothness over the assertive wild olive and peppery character that IMO the best EVOOs have.

I haven't had the product either, but Jenise, I agree with you about the CR food/wine panels. I often disagree with their conclusions. And I am sure it's because taste is so subjective, whereas there are definite things that can be objectively measured about other consumer goods, such as tires.

I've stopped reading the publication entirely in the past couple years.

I haven't had the product either, but Jenise, I agree with you about the CR food/wine panels. I often disagree with their conclusions. And I am sure it's because taste is so subjective, whereas there are definite things that can be objectively measured about other consumer goods, such as tires.

I've stopped reading the publication entirely in the past couple years.

I pretty much wrote off their advice on everything but cars years ago, due to a review they did of camera tripods in which they essentially saidthat it was a waste of money for the average amateur photographer to buy a heavier, more stable tripod, but to stick with the cheaper models. The inference was that only a pro photographer would be able to take a picture good enough that a rock-steady tripod would make a difference in the photo.

I am sure that article led to many a slightly blurry picture that otherwise might have been a great shot. I may not use a tripod as much as I should, but when I do need one, I'll take my heavy Bogen over a $29.99 K-Mart special any day!

¡Si es Goya, tiene que ser bueno! which sounds a lot like Ronzoni sono buoni ...

Or, "with a name like Smuckers, it has to be good."

Personally I've never found Consumer Reports food reviews to be reliable. They're usually way off mark.

-Paul W.

What's the purpose of EVOO? If it isn't distinctive enough to use for its flavor, then it is just another sautee oil.

I think the best value is the Il Poggione sold by Rare Wine Company. It stands on its own, you can use it in salads, on grilled fish and meat, over veggies, etc. I even use it to sautee when I run out of the Kirkland EVOO. The Kirkland EVOO, BTW, is OK, but not so good that I use it for uncooked dishes.

Larry, I don't know if you have one in your area but Costco's private label is really a wonderfully good cooking oil -- and pretty good for tasting as well.

A couple of years ago Cooks did their comparisons and their choice was Whole Food's 365.

I have several bottles of the Kirkland brand, which I frequently use, but I think I'll try the Goya to taste for myself.

Here's CR's ranking of the EVOOs they tested:

Excellent Intense, complex flavors. Pair carefully w/foods, as flavors may overwhelm or clash. Drizzle on foods to add flavor.

McEvoy Ranch (organic) $1.54/oz
BR Cohn Organic Calif. 1.21/oz

Very Good Complex oils that complement many foods.

Goya (Best Buy) 0.24/oz
Lucini premium select 0.71/oz
Calif. Olive Ranch Arbequina 0.76/oz

Good The top 5 oils have slight defects that may not be noticeable with foods. The rest have more or stronger flaws.

Tassos 0.44/oz
Filippo Berio 0.26/oz
Bertolli 0.29/oz
Kirkland (Costco) 0.12/oz
Monini Originale 0.43/oz
365 Organic (Whole Foods) 0.41/oz
Pompeian 0.30/oz
Colavita 0.41/oz
Albertson's 0.21/oz

Fair Flaws and/or slightly old-oil flavor. Few positive attributes.

Carapelli 0.34/oz
Private Selection (Kroger) 0.21/oz
Great Value (Wal-Mart) 0.16/oz
DaVinci 0.32/oz

CR Quick Recommendations

Neither a big name nor "extra virgin" on the label guarantees an outstanding olive oil. All but the top five suffered from flavor imperfections.

Flavor intensity varies widely. The excellent oils are more robust and nuanced, while lower-rated ones tend to be somewhat bland and are more likely to be stale. If you've grown up with the mild oils found in most supermarkets, the excellent oils from California will likely seem aggressive in flavor. Their intensity, and their cost, dictate that they be use sparingly.

Quick Picks

Best all-purpose choices:

Goya (Best Buy)
Lucini
Calif. Olive Ranch

CR considered them the best complement to everything from chicken and salads to fish and vegetables. Goya in particular has an interesting combination of ripe fruit, green, or grassy notes; bitterness; and pungency. None have flavor that comes on too strong.

Best used for cooking:

Goya
Tassos
Filippo Berio
Bertolli
Kirland
Monini Originale

Goya is a very good oil that is inexpensive enough to be used liberally in cooking. The others are relatively low-privced (the cheapest, Kirkland, is sold only in large containers), and they rated good. Their slight defects may not be noticeable in cooking. Most have a predominantly ripe fruit flavor.

Best used for drizzling

McEvoy Ranch
BR Cohn

Both of these excellent oils have strong, complex flavors with a peppery note and are quite bitter. Drizzle them on foods that will benefit from their strength, such as spicy pasta sauces and salads.

[Jenise]

Larry, thanks for posting all that, it helped put their opinions in perspective. Certainly encouraging are their words, " The excellent oils are more robust and nuanced, while lower-rated ones tend to be somewhat bland."

But some nits: I believe Costco's Kirkland brand has several levels. One is the 1.5 L jugs from God knows where, and another is the Tuscan import in the smaller bottle. There's considerable difference between the two. And I know Carapelli comes in several levels--one of which is specifically a "condiment" level and better than most on their list that I've also tried--including the BR Cohn, which I've always thought pretty bland for the money. But therein comes the trip--from year to year, and bottle to bottle among a mega brand like Goya who probably bottles from lot to lot, since olive oils are essentially "non-vintage" there's likely considerable variance. Another bottle of Goya purchased somewhere else six months from now might not be as impressive.

Points well taken. I'll have to try the smaller Kirkland bottle; I don't know that I've ever seen it. I also have some Carapelli: the premium stuff for dipping.

I always have a bottle of the Goya EVOO around. It is not as smooth as some more expensive oils but it has good flavor and is a good all purpose oil that I use for cooking but also am not afraid to use in a dressing or in something like mashed potatoes.

We always buy olive oil at Costco, but we never buy the Kirkland stuff.

They have large jugs of Berio EVOO with a dark green label and I think that stuff is quite good.

Frank

We, admittedly have consumed a lot of Goya over the years. It is fine for heavy cooking. All that was until we discovered the EVOOs of Sicily a few years ago. Our regular cooker now is Partanna ($9.99/liter).

We like something more for drizzle. Tenuta del Numerouno ($25/500ml) is our current favorite.

Being on a somewhat fixed income (with a whopping 2.3% raise this year), and the price of things like this going up much faster; it may be back to Goya before it all ends.

Dear Larry,
The only thing I'd really add to what others have said is that only fresh olive oils are good values, no matter how low the price or how good the initial material. The Kirkland Toscana olive oil is clearly labeled with October/November 2007 harvest. Typically you've got to spend at least twice as much to get oil that fresh and peppery (like McEvoy, Cohn, or Bariani). In fact, it was a little too peppery, mayonnaise was not only near-neon green but too aggressively flavored.

So I only buy oil that has a harvest date or I know is flying off the shelf (like pretty much any oil at TJs). Too many overpriced bottles of tired oil make it too risky otherwise.

Walt