Frances Mayes’ Bramasole Olive Oil

As many of my friends know, I am not much of a cook. I am more of an expert on other people’s food. That being said, when I do cook, I almost always use olive oil in some way. However, I didn’t know much about olive oil except it’s healthier and tastes better than other oils. Having recently tasted olive oils at the Boston Wine Expo, as well as my complimentary samples of Frances Mayes’ Bramasole Olive Oil, I now know that not olive oils are created equal.

The name Bramasole means yearning for the sun and is pronounced brah-mah-so-ley. The oil is made traditionally with hand-picked olives that are ground without heat. The resulting oil is first cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil. The olives used to produce the oil come from Moraiolo, Frantoio, and Leccino trees. They both originate from and are processed in Tuscany I.G.P. (Indicazione Geografica Protetta). The oil is tasted and observed with other Tuscan oils to ensure quality.

Frances Mayes’ Bramasole Olive Oil

I tasted the oil during a ThirstyGirl Twitter tasting in December. My friend and I tasted the oil with a spoon first, then added balsamic vinegar, Italian dry spices, and Kosher salt to three different sample bowls. The oil was much greener than I had ever seen before and also had a bit of a spicy bite at the end. I recently learned that this indicates an olive oil of outstanding quality. When combined with the three aforementioned ingredients, the oil was perfect for dipping in crusty, Italian bread. In fact, we couldn’t stop eating it.

At the Boston Wine Expo, I made it a point to taste some olive oils as I felt like I had a better basis for comparison. Of all the oils I tasted, the Bramasole was definitely the best. I am looking forward to using the remaining oil in both cooking and as a dip for more yummy, crusty bread.