Why tins? Huh? Why do you sell olive oil in tins? Well, since
this a blog we will give you the long answer with some pictures and a little
history. If you want the quick answer, scroll to the bottom of the post!
Olive oil can have a shelf life anywhere from a few months
to 2 years. In large part that depends on if it is filtered or not. Generally
filtered product is going to last longer. Then the type of filtration can play
a role as well. However, the main source of extended shelf life is limiting exposure
to light, heat, and oxygen. As soon as you crack open a bottle olive oil is
subject to oxidation. Oxidation can lead to rancidity. Tins obviously take care
of the light issue. We also like the cap as well. Caps on tins are pushed back
into the tin and sealed off. I have no scientific evidence to back this up, but
common sense tells me it is better than its plastic or metal cap counterpart. One
drawback to tins that I have heard is that metal is a better catalyst for heat,
which is very bad for olive oil. I do not put much stock into that. The heat
issue is more about where you store your olive oil. It needs to stay away from
your stove. Put it a cool place. The refrigerator wont ruin it, but it makes it
hard to work with.
Are you too good for traditional bottles or tins? Get super
fancy or super enthusiast and store you olive oil in a stainless steel
container called a fusti. If you have ever been in a store selling bulk olive
oil you have seen one of these. They are far and away the best way to store oil
but not very practical for the general consumer. They are also fairly
expensive. However, they do look cool.
Stainless Steel Fusti
If you want to be super hipster you could go retro with an amphora.
When I mean retro, I mean like 1000’s of years retro. Amphora were used to carry all kinds of goods.
Since they were so cheap they used to break them after shipping goods. In Rome
there is a “mountain” that is 150 ft high and 1km around of broken
amphora that dates back to the first century BC. I can see it now people
walking down the street with a giant ceramic amphora strapped to their back…Well
maybe not.
Ancient Amphora
Monte Testaccio
So, in summary. Light is bad, oxygen is bad, heat is bad. We
like tins because they let no light in, have a good cap/pourer, and they ship
well. When purchasing olive oil it behooves you to buy a dark bottle. We want
to store that bottle in a place no warmer than room temp, with as little
exposure to light. We want to make sure the cap is on tight and if possible we can get our tin on...we want to do that!
