Filtered olive oil has a reputation problem.

For years, olive oil lovers have been told that cloudy, unfiltered oil is more natural, more flavorful, and somehow closer to the real thing. Clear oil, by comparison, is often seen as less authentic.

The reality is more nuanced.

There's something undeniably appealing about unfiltered olive oil. The cloudy green pour straight from the press. The bold grassy hit of flavor. It looks raw and rustic, the way olive oil is supposed to be.

The myth about unfiltered oil

The story you usually hear is that unfiltered olive oil is more natural and more nutritious. And fresh off the press, unfiltered oil really is something: intense, vibrant, alive.

Think of it like fresh-pressed apple juice. Right after it's made, it's full of character. But because it's less stable, it doesn't stay that way forever.

The catch is that unfiltered olive oil doesn't either.

Unfiltered oil carries tiny bits of olive pulp and a little water. Those particles are the problem. Over time, they can begin to ferment and accelerate the deterioration of the oil, dulling flavor and shortening shelf life.

Unfiltered oil is at its best when it's fresh. After that, it can change quickly.

Why we filter Masseria

Filtering removes the pulp and moisture that make an oil deteriorate faster. What remains is the oil itself: the bright, grassy notes, the peppery finish at the back of your throat, and the character of the harvest preserved for the months ahead.

The difference shows up over time.

Sealed in our airtight, light-blocking tins, filtered Masseria maintains its flavor and nutritional properties far longer than an unfiltered oil. You get the same bright flavor from the first pour to the last.

What filtering costs

Filtering takes time and equipment, and it leaves a little oil behind in the process.

It's easier and cheaper to skip it and bottle everything as is, which is what plenty of producers do.

However, we believe those extra steps help us preserve the flavor, freshness, and consistency of the oil long after harvest.

The exception: our unfiltered Novello

There is a time and a place for the punchy, bold flavor of unfiltered olive oil. Unfiltered oil is best enjoyed close to the press and consumed quickly, before it has a chance to oxidize and lose the flavor and character that make it so enjoyable in the first place.

Novello is our once-a-year unfiltered release, pressed from the very first olives of the harvest and bottled in the fall.

Novello is unfiltered on purpose. It's bold, aromatic, and meant to be enjoyed right away, drizzled over warm bread, finishing a crudo, or taken by the spoonful.

We press just enough for the season and encourage everyone to enjoy it while it's at its peak. It isn't built to be saved, and that's the point.

So this isn't filtered versus unfiltered, or good versus bad. It's the right oil for the right moment.

Novello for a few fresh weeks after harvest. Filtered Masseria for everything else, all year long.

A clear, golden-green pour from a tin of Masseria doesn't mean you're missing anything. It's how we preserve the bright aromas, grassy notes, and peppery finish Masseria is known for, from the first pour to the last.