Cold Pressed vs Heat Extracted Olive Oil: How It's Made

The best olive oil is made by mechanical extraction without heat, and that is what cold pressed and cold extracted both mean. Adding heat, or using chemical solvents, raises the yield but strips out the flavour and polyphenols. Here is how olive oil is actually made, and why the method on the label matters.

How olive oil is actually made

Good olive oil is simply the juice of the olive, separated out in three steps: the whole olives are crushed into a paste, the paste is slowly mixed (malaxation) to let the oil droplets join together, and the oil is then separated from the water and solids. Do all of this without added heat or chemicals and you have virgin or extra virgin olive oil.

Mechanical vs chemical extraction

Mechanical extraction uses physical force only, a press or a centrifuge, and nothing else. Every virgin and extra virgin oil is made this way. Chemical extraction, using solvents such as hexane, is different: it is used to wring oil out of the leftover pulp (pomace) and to refine defective oils. If an oil is drinkable and flavourful, it was mechanically extracted.

Cold pressed vs cold extracted

Both terms mean the oil was produced below 27C, so no meaningful heat was added. The difference is the equipment:

• Cold pressed traditionally means a physical press, and on EU labels appears as first cold pressing.
• Cold extracted means the modern continuous centrifuge method, labelled cold extraction.

In quality terms they are equivalent. Both protect the delicate polyphenols and aromas that make a fresh oil worth drinking.

What heat extracted, or hot pressing, really means

Applying heat during processing makes the paste release more oil, so producers get a higher yield. The trade-off is quality: heat drives off aromas and destroys polyphenols, and enough of it pushes an oil out of the virgin grade entirely. At the extreme, heat combined with solvents and deodorising is how refined and low-grade oils are made. A genuinely good extra virgin oil is never hot extracted.

Does the method affect flavour and health?

Very much. Cold, mechanical extraction keeps the peppery polyphenols intact, the same compounds behind the one authorised claim that olive oil polyphenols help protect blood lipids from oxidative stress. Heat-heavy processing leaves a flat, neutral oil with little of that goodness. This is exactly why we recommend cold pressed extra virgin oil for drinking.

What to look for on the label

Seek out extra virgin plus cold pressed, first cold pressing or cold extraction, ideally with a recent harvest date. Avoid anything labelled refined, pure, light or pomace if you plan to drink it. For the full grade hierarchy, read olive oil grades explained, and for choosing an oil to drink, see the best olive oil to drink.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between cold pressed and cold extracted olive oil?

Both mean the oil was produced without added heat, kept below 27C. Cold pressed traditionally refers to oil made with a physical press, while cold extraction refers to the modern centrifuge method. On EU labels you will see first cold pressing (press method) or cold extraction (centrifuge). In quality terms they are equivalent.

Is cold pressed olive oil better?

For flavour and polyphenols, yes. Keeping the temperature low protects the delicate compounds that heat would destroy, so cold pressed or cold extracted extra virgin oils are the best to drink. Adding heat raises the yield but lowers the quality.

What does heat extracted or hot pressed olive oil mean?

It means heat was applied during processing to squeeze more oil from the paste. It increases yield but degrades flavour and reduces polyphenols, and heavy heat plus chemicals is how low-grade and refined oils are made. Good extra virgin oil is never hot extracted.

What is mechanical extraction?

Mechanical extraction means the oil is separated by physical means only, crushing and spinning, with no solvents or chemicals. All virgin and extra virgin olive oil is mechanically extracted. Chemical solvent extraction is reserved for pomace and refined oils.