Costco Olive Oil alert!

I generally buy the Costco Italian oil that is packaged under their Kirkland brand in 2-2 ltr. plastic jugs. It specifies Italian grown olives, and compares favorably with similarly priced every day oils from Trader Joes, etc. A nice whiff of olive and some flavor. Fine for every day.

Recently, my wife came back with what I thought was just the smaller bottle of same. I opened it and had a big "wow" moment. Looking closer at the label, I saw that it specified both "Toscano" - not just Italian - AND that it comes from the Nov/Dec. '04 harvest. This stuff is FRESH. At $10/liter, I can't recommend it too highly.

In my experience, most oils, even fairly pricey ones, do not provide a harvest date, and when they do, it's usually 18 mos. - 2 years old. The oil will certainly keep that long if properly stored, but it does lose its luscious fruitiness - assuming it ever had any.

To get oil this fresh at this price seems amazing to me. No, it doesn' t have the peppery finish of a $30 Chianti estate oil, but it does have real aroma and flavor, not just a faded scrapbook memory of it.

Mbarolo,

Thanks for the hint. I am dispatching The Wife to fetch some tomorrow.

Hammond

I just followed a link in another thread and found this.

Very good information. I just came back from Costco. When I saw the jugs of olive oil, I said to myself, "How bad must this stuff be?!" Clearly, not bad at all. I'll have to try some.

Any recent reports?

The olive oil in the plastic jugs is not bad at all. However, the olive oil that is discussed in this thread and the Costco thread refers to the Toscano variety that is sold in a squarish glass bottle. It seems that it only comes out around the end of the year and once they are out, they are out. I had run out a couple of months ago, and after searching 3 locations, I will have to wait until the next crop.

Picked up 3 bottles of the October/November 2008 bottling yesterday at the Damen/Clybourn Costco. $12.

Wish I'd read this before I went to Clybourn this evening. I'll be back tomorrow anyway to do additional shopping. Thanks for the heads up!

Hi,

Saw it at the Glenview Costco this evening. Not only I saw it, I bought a bottle, too!

Regards,

It's at the Naperville Costco too. I picked up a couple of bottles.

I spotted a Kirkland brand balsamic vinegar there too. Aged up to 15 years in a similar bottle to the EVOO for $10.99. The SKU is 46176. Found it one aisle over from the oil near the other vinegars.

jpreiser wrote:It's at the Naperville Costco too. I picked up a couple of bottles.

I spotted a Kirkland brand balsamic vinegar there too. Aged up to 15 years in a similar bottle to the EVOO for $10.99. The SKU is 46176. Found it one aisle over from the oil near the other vinegars.

I've been using a bottle of that for at least a year now. It's just fine for everyday use -- about what you'd expect for something that comes in a bottle bigger than say 200ml and costs a day's pay.

At the Niles Costco, too. 11.99 a bottle

Ok so this is really random: Any tips on how I should package the olive oil and vinegar for checking in at the airport? I'm going to check in a box as opposed to luggage b/c I want to leave it behind when I return to Chicago. I want to pack a 5lb hardcover cookbook and a perfume gift set in the same box.

Pucca wrote:Ok so this is really random: Any tips on how I should package the olive oil and vinegar for checking in at the airport? I'm going to check in a box as opposed to luggage b/c I want to leave it behind when I return to Chicago. I want to pack a 5lb hardcover cookbook and a perfume gift set in the same box.

Get some bubble wrap and wrap each bottle with a double layer. Tape securely so the bubble wrap jacket has no opportunity to slip off. Make sure everything in the box is secure (doesn't slip around when the box is shaken, dropped and/or handled by gorillas) by filling in all the gaps with more bubble wrap. The top of the box should barely be able to close when you tape it. Good luck.

The November 2008 harvest is still available at the Clybourn Costco. We've been using this for a few months now and have been very happy with it, especially for the price.

November/December 2008 spotted (and purchased) at the Clybourn Costco today. I can't find my receipt, but I believe it was $10.99 a bottle.

2011 Toscano in stock at my local Costco. Almost missed it since it was on an end-cap, not with the other oils. A steal at $11.99 IMO.

Yes, here at the Lincoln Park (Clybourn) Costco as well.

leek wrote:Yes, here at the Lincoln Park (Clybourn) Costco as well.

About damn time. It's been MIA for the past month...I had to buy one of the big plastic Kirkland-brand olive oil jugs in the meantime.

And in Montréal now, as well!

Geo

Costco on Touhy in Niles has it as well.

=R=

2012 Toscano in stock at Costco in Merrillville,In

Artie wrote:2012 Toscano in stock at Costco in Merrillville,In

My co-worker picked up a bottle for me at the Niles store the other day but there are some strange strands of sediment (or something) floating around in the bottle. I've often purchased unfiltered olive oil in the past but it looks nothing like this. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow but in the meantime, has anyone else experienced this with the 2012 edition? It looks wholly unappetizing.

=R=

Ronnie,I just checked my bottle and it's totally clear. Nothing floating around.

Artie wrote:Ronnie,I just checked my bottle and it's totally clear. Nothing floating around.

Ditto - purchased mine at the Lincoln Park location . . . just spent time carefully examining under bright light, but it looks just right to me.

BR wrote:

Artie wrote:Ronnie,I just checked my bottle and it's totally clear. Nothing floating around.

Ditto - purchased mine at the Lincoln Park location . . . just spent time carefully examining under bright light, but it looks just right to me.

Well, no big deal. I'll take mine back and get a clear one. What's weird is that even after sitting still for an entire day, the unidentified substance is still floating around in the bottle. It hasn't settled at the bottom at all. If I hadn't left it at my office, I'd take a pic and post it now. Hopefully, tomorrow.

=R=

I've got two bottles of the current vintage Costco EVOO in house and both ( open and un opened) have the white strands precipitate.
not a great photo but... this is the unopened bottle

Mine has it too, but I am not sure that I would describe them as strands. Most of mine is at the bottom and looks like fairly normal unfiltered sediment, though perhaps a little more cottony than I would expect. there are some very small "clouds" of it floating too. I still have an unopened bottle from last year that looks that way too. My almost finished bottle from last year has none.

Mel, does the opened bottle seem ok otherwise?

Thanks, Will

Seems fine, just slurped it and I did not notice any flaws or off flavors. It's got quite a peppery kick to the finish!