Armando Manni has been pressing extra-virgin olive oils in Tuscany since 2001. To avoid mishandling during distribution and retail sale, he ships them directly to chefs and consumers. Until now he’s made two oils, one that’s exceedingly rich and another, somewhat lighter one, both of which have been recognized for quality by the University of Florence. Now he is introducing a third oil, called the Oil of Life, which is somewhat less expensive than the others and more suited, he says, to everyday home use. It is still an assertive oil, greenish gold, with fresh, herbal aromas and that typical Tuscan bite on the palate. This oil is bottled in thick black glass designed to protect against oxidation. There’s a rotating series of bottle designs, but the oil inside each is that same.
The Oil of Life, $59 for 8.5 ounces (including shipping from Italy), mannioil.com.
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