Products · Olive oil · Castillo de Canena
Castillo de Canena First Day of Harvest Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 500 mL (2025 harvest)
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Single-variety Spanish oil from the first day of harvest, in opaque glass, with an accredited lab report: acidity 0.09%, peroxide 2.8, lead and pesticides not detected. Maker-ordered; about $100 a liter in the US.
Best for Readers who want a fresh, mild, early-harvest Arbequina finishing oil with a full lab report behind it, and accept a premium price and a maker-ordered test.
- Our rating
- Fair (3.2 of 5)
- Price range
- Premium
- Size
- 500 mL (16.9 fl oz) opaque glass bottle
- Made in
- Canena, Jaén, Andalusia, Spain; 100% Arbequina olives picked in the first 24 hours of the harvest
approx. $50 for 500 mL (about $100 a liter), the US importer’s price (Olive Oil Lovers); the estate’s own shop lists €25.50 (about $29)
See it on Castillo de Canena’s site → (opens in a new tab)We are not affiliated with Castillo de Canena. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
Also sold at Olive Oil Lovers ($50 ($49.95)) .
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Your review
Reviews are personal experiences, not research, and they never change our quality ratings. Every review is read by our team before it appears.
How we evaluated it
How it scores Our rating, metric by metric
- Freshness & quality 30% of the rating 4 of 5
One variety, one estate area and a first-day-of-harvest pick in fall 2025, with acidity 0.09%, peroxide 2.8, UV values inside every limit and oleacein plus oleocanthal of 204 mg/kg posted; the bottle’s harvest date was not seen.
- Independent testing 30% of the rating 3 of 5
A full report from an accredited lab: metals, 91 pesticide results, aflatoxins and PAHs below detection, but ordered by the maker, with no phthalate result or outside test.
- Packaging 15% of the rating 4 of 5
The estate calls it a cherry-coloured bottle and the lab lists opaque glass; the cap material is not stated.
- Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5
A named family estate with an address, no recall, Prop 65 notice or FDA action found, but its awards are contest results and the harvest claim is the maker’s.
- Value 15% of the rating 1 of 5
About $100 a liter in the US ($50 for 500 mL); the estate’s own price is about $57 a liter in euros.
The rating, 3.2 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank olive oil and our standard.
Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw
- Olive Oil Lovers (opens in a new tab) approx. $50 ($49.95). A US specialty olive oil seller (an importer, not the estate). The page gives harvest fall 2025, size 500 ml, polyphenols 357.6 mg/kg and acidity 0.09%, and free shipping over $100. Re-opened 2026-11-06 at $49.95. We found no other US store: Baldor’s page 404s, ChefShop sells only the different Family Reserve Arbequina, and the Spanish shops (Olivarte, Origen Oliva) price in euros from Spain.
Prices as we saw them on November 5, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.
What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order
- Extra virgin olive oil (100% Arbequina olives)
Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it
- Maker’s own test Laboratorio Tello, Jaén, Spain (ENAC-accredited for many methods; ordered by Castillo de Canena Olive Juice S.L.) November 2025
Certificate 51113163724, tanks 1.7 and 1.8 “Arbequino”, sample of three opaque-glass 500 mL bottles received 22 Oct 2025, issued 13 Nov 2025: free acidity 0.09% (limit 0.8), peroxide value 2.8 (limit 20), K232 1.90 (limit 2.50), K270 0.13 (limit 0.22), ethyl esters under 10 mg/kg, oleacein 139.3 and oleocanthal 64.3 mg/kg, lead and arsenic under 0.020 mg/kg, benzo(a)pyrene under 0.5 µg/kg, aflatoxins under 0.5 µg/kg, and every pesticide result we read under 0.010 mg/kg. No phthalates. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Who paid, and why it matters
- Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
- Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
- Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.
A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.
What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found
- Is the lab report independent?
- The lab is accredited and outside the company, but Castillo de Canena ordered the report and chose the samples, and the sheet covers tanks 1.7 and 1.8, not the bottle you will receive. No outside lab or consumer group has tested this oil that we found.
- Does it contain phthalates, like most olive oils?
- Unknown. The report has no plasticizer section and Mamavation’s test of 36 olive oils (opens in a new tab) did not include it; it found phthalates in all but one of those oils. See our phthalates guide. The lab sample was bottled in glass, which is a good sign for the pack.
- Is “first day of harvest” better oil?
- It means the olives were picked in the first 24 hours of the season, when they are greener. That tends to give more bitter, pungent oil with more phenols, and the oleacein and oleocanthal figures here are higher than in the estate’s Picual Family Reserve tank (73.5 and 32.9 mg/kg). Total polyphenols of 357.6 mg/kg (the US seller’s figure) are moderate, below Kasandrinos’s 917.
- How fresh is the bottle I will get?
- The US seller lists harvest fall 2025. Our olive oil guide advises using oil within a year of harvest, so a 2025 bottle is at that limit in late 2026. Check the date on the bottle.
- Are the awards meaningful?
- The seller lists a 2019 gold at Olive Japan among its awards. Contest panels judge taste, and producers pay to enter. We use them only as a sign of defect-free oil.
- Any recalls, lawsuits or warnings?
- None found. California’s Prop 65 notice search has no match for Canena, and openFDA’s food enforcement search has no entry for it, searched 5 Nov 2026.
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- A full certificate for this year’s oil: acidity 0.09% and peroxide 2.8, both far under the limits, lead and arsenic not detected, and 91 pesticide results under 0.010 mg/kg.
- One variety, picked in the first 24 hours of the season, from a named estate in Jaén.
- Opaque glass, per the lab’s own description of the bottles.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- The lab report was ordered by the maker; no phthalate result and no outside test.
- About $100 a liter in the US, the dearest oil here. The estate’s euro price is about half, but we could not confirm that it ships to the US.
- Total polyphenols of 357.6 mg/kg are moderate; this is a mild, sweet Arbequina.
- The oil is made to be used young; the maker’s own best-before is longer than the year we advise.
What to know Details worth knowing first
Castillo de Canena is a family estate in Jaén, in southern Spain. This is its Arbequina picked in the first 24 hours of the harvest and sold in an opaque cherry-red bottle. It is one variety from one place, and a mild, sweet oil rather than a bitter one.
What sets it apart is the paperwork. An accredited lab certificate for this year’s oil shows free acidity of 0.09%, a peroxide value of 2.8, lead and arsenic not detected, and every pesticide result under the detection limit. That is more than most olive oils publish. The estate ordered the report, and it has no phthalate test, so we score testing 3.
It rates 3.2, held down by price: about $100 a liter in the US, where one importer sells it. The estate’s own euro price is about half. Use it within a year of harvest, as our olive oil guide advises.
What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| A real harvest date Maker’s claim | Fall 2025 per the US seller and first 24 hours of the harvest per the estate; we did not see a bottle. |
| An independent seal Not verified | None. The report was ordered by the maker. |
| Light-blocking packaging Maker’s claim | A cherry-coloured bottle per the estate; “opaque glass” per the lab’s sample description. |
| Traceable origin Maker’s claim | Canena, Jaén; 100% Arbequina; a named estate at a street address. |
| Published chemistry Maker’s claim | Acidity 0.09%, peroxide 2.8, K232 1.90, K270 0.13; metals, pesticides, aflatoxins and PAHs below detection, in an accredited lab’s certificate. |
What the labels mean
- Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
- Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
- Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources Where our facts come from
- Castillo de Canena: First Day of Arbequina Harvest. Maker’s page. €25.50 on 2026-11-05; harvested in the first 24 hours; cherry-coloured bottle. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Laboratorio Tello certificate for Castillo de Canena, First Day Arbequina (Nov 2025). Test report. Ordered by the estate; hosted by Olive Oil Lovers. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Laboratorio Tello certificate for Castillo de Canena, Family Reserve Picual (Dec 2025). Test report. Used only for the oleacein and oleocanthal comparison. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Olive Oil Lovers: Castillo de Canena First Day Harvest Arbequina. Independent source. US price, harvest fall 2025, polyphenols 357.6 mg/kg, acidity 0.09% and award list. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- Mamavation: Olive oils tested for toxic phthalates. Test report. 36 olive oils; not this one. The site earns affiliate income. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search. Certifier or regulator listing. Searched “Canena” on 2026-11-05: no notice. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Alternatives Other options to compare
- Kasandrinos Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (500 mL) Greek, organic, dark glass, with outside phthalate tests and 917 mg/kg polyphenols, about $64 a liter.
- Séka Hills Estate Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 500 mL A California single-variety Arbequina with a harvest date, about $50 a liter.