- Value: 14/20
- Ease of Use: 18/20
- Quality: 19/20
- Aesthetics: 19/20
- Taste: 19/20
- TOTAL: 89/100
In case you missed it, apparently 80 percent of EVOO in the United States is counterfeit, as in, it could just be canola oil with a hit of rancid, deodorized olive juice slapped with an EVOO label. So it’s no surprise we’ve seen a new guard of direct-to-consumer brands—Brightland, Graza and Fat Gold—popping up to deliver high-quality olive oil that’s actually (shocker!) olive oil. And while these brands focus largely (and understandably) on taste, another newer EVOO player, kyoord, developed by a molecular biologist, puts the focus on health, marketing their olive oils as medicinal quality products. This might be why a 16.9 oz. bottle of kyoord goes for more than any of the other brands mentioned.
So, is a $49 bottle of olive oil worth the splurge? After I guzzled my way through a bottle of kyoord’s high-phenolic olive oil, I can confirm that there is a difference in taste and quality, possibly, overall health benefits and, damn, it looked cute and fancy on my counter. Here’s my review of molecular biologist-created EVOO and why I think it’s worth having a bottle on hand.