Guide
Olive Oil Guide
One question, one answer, every day in the "Before You Buy" column — plus longer reads on choosing, acidity, storage, recipes and natural care, with expert knowledge from Milas.
Daily column
Before You Buy
Everything you have ever wondered about olive oil. One question, one answer, every day — 8 so far.
Earlier days
- What Is Cold Pressed Olive Oil? What the 27 °C Label Really Promises22 September 2026
- What Is Cold Process Soap, and Why Is It Different?14 September 2026
- What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil? The Standard Behind the Words9 September 2026
- Why Does Olive Oil Burn My Throat?4 September 2026
- Is Olive Oil Soap Sold in Supermarkets?31 August 2026
If you have more time
26 September 2026 · 6 min read
Aegean Olive Oil: A Guide to the Two Coasts, Their Olives and Their Protected Names
Aegean olive oil is oil from the olive groves around the Aegean Sea — the Turkish coast from Edremit to Milas and the Greek islands such as Lesvos. "Aegean" itself is a geographic description, not a protected name, so what tells you what is in the bottle is the variety, the protected designation and the harvest date.
18 September 2026 · 6 min read
Polyphenols in Olive Oil: What the Number on the Label Really Measures
Polyphenols are the antioxidant compounds that make olive oil bitter and peppery, and they range from roughly 50 to 1,000 mg/kg. The famous 250 mg/kg figure is not a quality grade: it is the EU condition for one narrow health claim, and it counts only hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives, not total phenols.
24 August 2026 · 6 min read
Is Turkish Olive Oil Good? An Honest Look from a Milas Producer
Yes — Turkish olive oil is genuinely good. Türkiye is the world's second-largest producer, and its Aegean-coast oils, pressed from native olives like Memecik, win gold at competitions such as the NYIOOC. Quality varies between brands, though, so judge any bottle by harvest date, free acidity and polyphenol content rather than nationality.