Cold Pressed Olive Oil: What the Label Really Means
Cold pressed olive oil is virgin or extra virgin oil made below 27 °C (80.6 °F). Here is what the EU rules say, how it differs from extra virgin, and what to check instead of the label.
Quick answer: Cold pressed olive oil is virgin or extra virgin olive oil made at a temperature below 27 °C (80.6 °F). In the EU, "first cold pressing" is reserved for oil from a first pressing in a traditional hydraulic press, while "cold extraction" covers oil made below 27 °C by percolation or centrifuge. Most extra virgin olive oil today is made by centrifuge, and the words alone do not prove quality.
Cold pressed olive oil is printed on thousands of bottles, so it is fair to ask what it actually promises. We make our oil in Crete and Lesvos, and customers ask us about this label almost as often as they ask about acidity. Below we explain what the phrase means in law, how it relates to extra virgin, and which numbers are worth checking instead of the wording.
Key takeaways
- In the EU, "cold" means the oil was made below 27 °C (80.6 °F), and the terms can only be used for virgin and extra virgin olive oil.
- "First cold pressing" describes a first pressing with traditional hydraulic presses. "Cold extraction" describes oil made by percolation or centrifugation.
- Cold pressed is not a grade. Extra virgin has its own chemical and sensory limits, including free acidity of at most 0.80 g per 100 g.
- The label tells you how the oil was made, not how good or fresh it is. Harvest date and a batch lab report tell you more.
- Cold pressed olive oil can be used for cooking. See our guide to the smoke point for the numbers.
What does cold pressed olive oil mean?
The idea is simple. Olives are crushed into a paste and the oil is separated from it without added heat or chemical solvents. "Cold" refers to the temperature of the paste and the oil during that process. Under EU rules the limit is 27 °C. That is about the temperature of a warm summer day, and it is deliberate: the aim is to keep the oil's aromas and natural compounds intact.
Olive Oil Times, a respected trade publication, explains that until the middle of the twentieth century olive oil was made almost entirely with traditional presses, whereas the vast majority of extra virgin olive oil is now made using a centrifuge. So the phrase has a history. It described real presses once, and it has stayed on labels long after most mills changed their machines.
Cold pressed vs cold extracted: what do the EU rules say?
The European Union regulates both phrases. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 sets out the conditions for these optional terms on the label:
- "First cold pressing" may appear only for extra virgin or virgin olive oils obtained at a temperature below 27 °C from a first mechanical pressing of the olive paste by a traditional extraction system using hydraulic presses.
- "Cold extraction" may appear only for extra virgin or virgin olive oils obtained at a temperature below 27 °C by percolation or centrifugation of the olive paste.
In plain terms, first cold pressed olive oil comes from the old hydraulic press method, and cold extracted olive oil comes from the modern methods. Both promise the same temperature ceiling. If a bottle says "first cold pressed" but was made in a modern centrifuge, the more accurate phrase would be "cold extracted". We use the second wording for our own oil because it describes how it is made.
Is cold pressed extra virgin olive oil the same thing?
No, they answer different questions. "Extra virgin" is a quality category. The International Olive Council defines virgin olive oils as oils obtained solely by mechanical or other physical means under conditions, particularly thermal conditions, that do not lead to alterations in the oil. Extra virgin olive oil is virgin olive oil with a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.80 grams per 100 grams, plus other chemical and sensory characteristics that fit the category.
"Cold pressed" or "cold extracted" is only about temperature and method. Under the EU wording it can appear on virgin as well as extra virgin oil, so it does not guarantee the top category. That is why cold pressed extra virgin olive oil is the combination to look for: the first tells you about the method, the second about the oil's measured quality. If you want to see how acidity fits in, our guide to olive oil acidity explains what the figure means.
Why does temperature matter in olive oil?
Olive oil is the juice of a fruit, and the compounds that give it flavour and bitterness are sensitive to heat. Olive Oil Times notes that keeping temperatures below the 27 °C limit during milling and extraction is necessary to preserve the aromas, flavors and beneficial compounds of virgin and extra virgin olive oils. Warmer paste can give a higher yield, so the limit also exists to stop producers from trading quality for quantity.
It helps to keep this in proportion. Temperature is one factor among several. The ripeness of the olives, how quickly they reach the mill, and how the oil is stored afterwards all shape the result. A cold extracted oil that sits in a clear bottle in a warm shop for a year can still disappoint.
How can you tell if olive oil is really cold pressed?
From the label alone, you cannot. The temperature is not something you can taste or see, and a claim on the bottle is only as good as the producer behind it. What you can check is the evidence around it:
- A harvest date. Olive oil is a fresh product. A date from the current or last season is a better sign than a vague best-before only.
- A batch lab report. Look for free acidity, peroxide value and K232 and K270 for the specific lot, not a generic certificate.
- Single origin and variety. A named region and cultivar suggest a producer who can trace the fruit.
- Protective packaging. Dark glass or a tin keeps light out, which matters for freshness.
Our guide on how to tell if olive oil is real goes through these checks step by step.
Can you cook with cold pressed olive oil?
Yes. The extraction method does not decide what the oil can be used for in the kitchen. What matters is the oil's quality and how hot the pan gets. Extra virgin olive oil copes well with normal home cooking such as sauteing and roasting, and we show the numbers in our article on the olive oil smoke point.
Is cold pressed olive oil better for your health?
We would not claim that the label by itself makes an oil healthier. The research on olive oil focuses on what it replaces in the diet and on its polyphenols, which are measured in a lab, not read from a front label. Our article is olive oil healthy goes through what the evidence does and does not show.
How we make ours
Memilon Crete is a 100% Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil from Phaistos, Crete, cold extracted below 27 °C. For example, lot ME01-260911 was harvested on 20 November 2025, and its lab report from Multichrom Lab in Crete shows free acidity of 0.29% and 610 mg/kg of total polyphenols. We store it under nitrogen and ship it in light-proof tins, and shipping is free on every order.
You can read the report for every batch on our lab analyses page, check a specific batch with the lot lookup, and see the oil itself on the Memilon Crete product page. The rest of our Greek olive oil range is in the shop.
Frequently asked questions
Why is olive oil cold-pressed?
Because heat changes the oil. Keeping the paste below 27 °C helps preserve the aroma, flavor and natural compounds of the olives. In the EU it is also a condition for using the terms "first cold pressing" and "cold extraction" on the label.
What is the difference between extra virgin and cold-pressed oil?
Extra virgin is a quality category with limits for free acidity and other chemical and sensory tests. Cold pressed describes the temperature and method. The best choice is an oil that is both, with the lab numbers to show it.
What does first cold pressed olive oil mean?
Under the EU rules, "first cold pressing" means oil obtained below 27 °C from a first mechanical pressing of the olive paste with traditional hydraulic presses. Most oil today is made in a centrifuge, which the rules call "cold extraction".
How can I tell if olive oil is cold-pressed?
You cannot tell from the bottle alone. Look for a harvest date, a named origin, protective packaging and a lab report for the specific batch. A producer who publishes these is easier to trust than a label claim.
Sources
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 on marketing standards for olive oil, EUR-Lex
- International Olive Council, Trade standard applying to olive oils and olive-pomace oils
- Olive Oil Times, What Does 'Cold Pressed' Really Mean? (28 July 2020)
This article is general information about olive oil and does not replace advice from a doctor or dietitian.
