Martinis -- No, not the cocktail

I almost forgot to mention: we found Martinis olive oil at the local Trader Joe's. It was a steal at under $10 and it was by far the best store-bought olive oil I've found in years. It had that robust flavor that really seems to typify Kalamata olive oils. And it comes the closest, in terms of taste, to the olive oil my grandfather produces each year on a small scale at his farm outside Kalamata. These are oils that want to stand on their own and demand your palette's attention. They should enhance and magnify the underlying flavor of the (hopefully) fresh ingredients you drizzle it on.

I highly recommend this oil. Seems like others like it, too. Check out this Google groups' thread on the oil:

http://groups.google.lk/group/rec.food.cooking/browse_thread/thread/d73974392afd090d

Color can often be a good indicator of quality and flavor, but I'll have to poke around to see if there's any science behind it. I tend to shy away from the yellow oils. But I've also found that if the oil is too green, it can taste too acidic or too peppery -- though that's just my own personal tasting experience. Usually, when the oil is too acidic or peppery, it could mean the olives were picked but not processed within 24 hours. They can "turn" in the burlap sacks and the oil that comes from them is inferior -- I saw it happen during my time in Greece.

P.S. -- Stay tuned. I hope to post some photos soon of my grandfather's olive trees in Greece.