Jacqueline H.
Yelp
Olive oil has a ubiquitous influence in the foodie world, but how much do we know about what goes into producing a fine extra virgin?
The Queen Creek Olive Mill is where all of your questions will be answered. Begin your visit with an $8 tour, which "walks" you through the growing process, and what makes Queen Creek an excellent location for Olive groves. Why, although not organically certified, these olives are not treated with chemicals or pesticides. Find out about the olive harvest, why there is no such thing as a black olive, and why The Mill's Master Blender carefully and meticulously supervises each harvest from begin to end.
The tour takes you into the heart of the operation, the presses. All olive oil is extracted by mechanical means, keeping its integrity. In the pressing room, you can sample varieties of olive oils.
After experimenting for over a decade with different olives, the result is a grove of over a dozen varieties of olives. Their extra virgin has a distinct flavor due to a few practices inherent in their harvesting. Olives are harvested by hand (no fallen olives) and cold pressed within 24 hours. Due to late harvests between the months of September and December, their olive oil has a fruity yet buttery taste. And you can sample all of their infused oil at the Olive Oil bar. I highly recommend the Meyer Lemon for dipping and cooking, as well as the White Truffle oil. For baking their Chocolate olive oil and vanilla bean are amazing, and can replace the need for regular vegetable or cooking oils. The differences in moisture and flavor are astounding!~ There is a reason why they claim that "you are literally buying one of the best olive oils in the world."
Along with a plethora of cooking oils, the body care products made with their EVOO. The body creams leave my skin moist and fresh for nearly a day, the lip balms are also exceptional.
The cafe has a fresh assortment of sandwiches and salads, as well as pizza crafted by a Sicilian pizza chef. MAde from scratch cocktails also feature Olive oil, such as the Mojito!
But the most important thing to try on your sojourn here is the Olive Oil cake, which is denser, more buttery, and for lack of a better word - more luscious.
Wines from around the world can also be purchased by the bottle in their wine section, and they have also partnered with a local winery and created their own series of sparkling, fruit infused wines.
A fantastic place for a date, a relaxing lunch, and an education...