One of the dirty little secrets that gourmet olive oil producers and distributors don't want the general public to know is this - the flavor of ANY olive oil, whether it is a gourmet olive oil or a store-brand olive oil, will NEVER be better than the day it was bottled. In fact, from the day that the olive oil is bottled, the olive oil goes through a gradual break-down of the base chemicals found in the olive oil that leads to a consistent deterioration of quality, aroma, and taste. If you leave olive oil for a long enough period of time exposed to bright sunlight and warm heat, the olive oil will slowly become rancid over time, making for an awful and unforgettable non-gourmet cooking and eating experience. What does this mean to the gourmet olive oil connoisseur?

1.) Always by the best olive oil that you can afford

2.) Always check the "Made On" date on every bottle of olive oil that you purchase

3.) Try to find the freshest, most recently pressed olive oil, preferably a local gourmet olive oil

Over the next 2 weeks, we will be compiling a list of many areas in the United States that you can find fresh, recently pressed gourmet olive oil that will surely be the freshest, most tasteful olive oil that you can find! Although it can be extremely difficult to find locally produced, freshly pressed olive oil, we have amassed a list of olive oil producers that are located here in the United States.