[tiagod]

I live in Portugal where most olive oil is good quality.

The taste and appearance among good olive oil varies wildly and the super-premium ones will usually taste quite different from standard decent quality supermarket extra virgin.

[vasco]

I can confirm, we have a single huge olive tree in a small piece of land my grandpa bought in the 80s to have extra food and this single tree gives 3 people enough olive oil for the whole year (portuguese standards, so cooking with it plus codfish "drowning" in it on the plate). We hit the tree so they fall, then take it to a guy that presses it and you have your olive oil.

Definitely completely different from store olive oil, and definitely on a completely other league to what I had in the US.

[VBprogrammer]

I lived with a Greek flatmate for a while. By far the best olive oil I've had was from their family owned olive grove. Usually brought back from his trips home in reused milk jugs.

[ericbarrett]

There used to be a vineyard in Lake County (CA) that made small-batch olive oil from trees on their estate. Sadly, the trees were destroyed in a fire a few years ago. I'll never forget the taste; it had a very strong olive flavor and was so acidic it actually felt spicy on your tongue. Have never found its equal in a store, no matter how exotic and/or pricey.

[disillusioned]

A great oil finishing with a strong black pepper taste is fairly achievable if you know where to look.

Zingerman's Mail Order does a phenomenal job of sourcing olive oils like this but also of specifically calling out the tasting notes and the differences in their options.

Two that they have that specifically hit this spiciness you're looking for:

https://www.zingermans.com/Product/petraia-olive-oil/O-PET https://www.zingermans.com/Product/la-spineta-olive-oil/O-SP...

But in my experience, their live chat or phone service is absolutely amazing at guiding you to a great option, too.

[sithadmin]

Zingerman's product selection is great, but their customer service is truly next level. I send folks gifts via Zingerman's frequently, and Zingerman's sends me random unsolicited gifts in return. I don't know how I couldn't continue to patronize them.

[elorant]

Early harvest olive oil is like that. It’s from olives that aren’t ripped so the flavor is spicier. It’s quite expensive too; two to three times the price of the normal one.

[colechristensen]

I went to farmers markets in the Bay Area and was able to find that kind of spicy olive oil easily enough. If there’sa grumpy old man selling oil, tell him what you want.

[3pt14159]

My default these days in Canada is Greek or Chilean olive oil. I've lived in Cyprus for almost half a year. I know what good olive oil tastes like, and yes, the grocer olive oil back home in Canada isn't as good, but it's way better than the local or even Italian stuff. It tastes like real olive oil.

I don't know what is going on with Italian olive oil these days, and maybe I've just had a bad couple batches in a row, but it will take a long time for me to trust it again. It almost always tastes diluted with other oils to my pallet.

[tiagod]

Yeah, all I've got is unlabeled jugs of oil a friend pressed himself

[JohnJamesRambo]

I am so envious of you right now, to have even tasted this.