Agourelaio, the oil of green olives: what it is, how it tastes, and how it differs from oil made later in the season.
Corinth Harvest · 7 min read
Olives picked green
Early harvest olive oil is pressed from olives picked while they are still green, at the very start of the season, before they turn purple and black. In Greek it has its own name: agourelaio, from agouros, “unripe”.
Green olives hold less oil than ripe ones, so each tree gives less. What they give instead is aroma and character. That is why early harvest oil is made in small quantities and is valued by people who cook with olive oil every day.
How it tastes
A good early harvest oil is golden-green, with a fresh aroma of cut grass and green olive. In the mouth it is full and fruity, with a gentle bitterness and a peppery tickle at the back of the throat. Bitterness and pepperiness are not flaws: tasters look for them as signs of a fresh, green oil.
Early harvest and later harvest, side by side
| Early harvest (agourelaio) | Later harvest | |
|---|---|---|
| Olives | Green, at the start of the season | Riper, purple to black |
| Colour | Golden-green | Golden-yellow |
| Taste | Intense, fruity, bitter and peppery | Milder and rounder |
| Oil per tree | Lower | Higher |
Both can be extra virgin. The category depends on how the oil is made and on its lab results, not on the harvest date.
Why it costs more
Green olives hold more water and less oil. From the same kilo of fruit, an early harvest gives clearly less oil than a ripe one: on our ripe olives we press roughly 18 kg of oil from 100 kg of fruit, and green fruit yields well below that. Add hand-picking, small batches and a short harvest window, and the cost per litre rises. That is why early harvest oil usually comes in small bottles.
Early harvest and polyphenols
Polyphenols are the natural compounds behind olive oil’s bitterness and pepperiness. Green olives generally hold more of them than ripe ones, which is why early harvest oil tastes the way it does. The final level also depends on the variety, how fast the fruit is milled, the milling temperature and storage, and it falls as the oil ages.
EU rules (Reg. (EU) 432/2012) allow a health claim for olive oil polyphenols only when a lab analysis shows at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives per 20 g of oil. Our First Harvest is released only when the batch analysis from the University of Athens meets that level.
How to recognise a genuine early harvest oil
- The label states the harvest season, not just a best-before date.
- It names the region and, ideally, the olive variety.
- The producer can share a lab analysis for acidity and polyphenols.
- It comes in dark glass or a tin, never clear plastic.
“Early harvest” is not a legal grade. The grade on the label is still extra virgin olive oil; early harvest tells you when the olives were picked.
How we make ours
- We start picking in the last ten days of October, while the olives are still green.
- Every batch is at the mill within 24 hours.
- Cold extraction, never above 27 °C.
- Four varieties grow side by side in our grove at 300 metres in Ellinochori, Corinthia: Koroneiki, Manaki, Patrinia and Ladoelia.
- The oil rests in stainless steel tanks and every harvest is analysed in the lab.
How to enjoy it
Use it raw, where you can taste it: over salads, grilled vegetables, beans, fish and warm bread. It is just as good for everyday cooking at normal temperatures.
How to store it
Keep the bottle or tin closed, in a cool, dark place away from the stove. Light, heat and air are what fade an oil’s aroma, so a fresh oil tastes best in the months after opening.
Frequently asked questions
Is agourelaio the same as early harvest olive oil?
Yes. Agourelaio is the Greek word for oil pressed from green, unripe olives.
Why does early harvest olive oil make me cough?
The peppery sting comes from natural phenolic compounds in fresh oil from green olives. It is a sign of freshness, not a defect.
Is cloudy olive oil early harvest?
Not necessarily. Cloudy means unfiltered; it says nothing about when the olives were picked.
Can I cook with early harvest olive oil?
Yes, at normal cooking temperatures. Heat softens its green aroma, so many cooks keep it for finishing dishes.
When is early harvest olive oil available?
It is pressed in October and November, so new bottles usually appear from November.
250 & 500 ml bottles and 5 L tins, from our grove in Ellinochori. For a small numbered batch, see First Harvest.
