The olives are hand-picked in the early morning, when the dew still rests on their skins and the light is soft. By mid-afternoon, the press is turning. By evening, the oil is resting in darkened steel tanks. This is the first press, and it is the only press worth keeping.
In Umbria, the culture of olive oil is not about volume; it is about restraint. The yields are small, the methods are old, and the growers are patient.
The flavour of a first-press Umbrian oil is unmistakable: a peppery finish at the back of the throat, a green grass note on the nose, a density that coats the tongue without overwhelming it.
At Casa Italiana, we import directly from Umbrian growers who press fewer than three thousand litres per season. The provenance is sealed, the chain is short, and the oil is as it should be: unhurried, unblended, and unapologetically Umbrian.