Valentine's Day Gift Giving Guide -- Gifts for Cooks -- Kaldí Olive Oil and Tomato Sauces (Review)

We are two Greek-American brothers, Greg, a father of a 1 yr old, and Peter, a recovering lawyer, who learned that we will be inheriting olive trees in Greece. So we started Kaldí – Pure Mediterranean Taste. Although Kaldí may be a new brand, it isn’t a new idea – simple yet sophisticated Greek food has been around for centuries. But, it’s hard to find the kind of honest and healthy Greek food that we grew up eating - until now. With olive oils made from rare Greek olives, and all-natural tomato sauces that combine the freshest island vegetables with aromatic herbs and spices, Kaldí brings you the pure Mediterranean tastes of Greece. 

 Kaldí Olive Oils are Extra Virgin --- True EVOO:

• Follow USDA extra virgin and organic rules
• Fresh olive oil with low acidity, K232 & K270, and peroxide values

Olives quickly processed after harvesting usually create oils with low free fatty acid, a measure of oil quality. Our olives are handpicked and processed the same day. At bottling, Kaldí Extra Virgin Olive Oil is 0.25% free fatty acid and Kaldí Organic Extra Virgin Olive is 0.38% free fatty acid. Unlike other brands, we’re picky about what goes in every bottle of Kaldí olive oil.

Purely Greek.

• 100% Greek olive oil from the island of Lesvos
• Not blended, like some Italian and Spanish brands

Unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from olives grown and harvested on the Greek island of Lesvos is the only olive oil in Kaldí Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Kaldí Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Greek olive oil is distinctive; many other brands actually blend Greek oils with their own. Kaldí olive oils, however, are purely Greek. With Kaldí, you’ll enjoy the same flavors that our family has been enjoying for years.

Rare Olives.

Kolovi and Adramytiani olives

Tastes of grass, hay, and artichokes; fragrant and a peppery after taste

Handpicked rare Kolovi and Adramytiani olives are in every bottle of Kaldí. Most Greek olive oil in the US can be green, pungent and earthy. Kaldí olive oils are low in chlorophyll creating a golden oil with tastes of grass, hay, artichokes, and pleasant and clear bitter notes, with a peppery after taste. Kaldí Organic Extra Virgin Olive is distinctively fragrant and fruity. Because of these unique flavors, many people have called olive oil from Lesvos the finest in Greece.

   

----- 

Kaldi Tomato Sauces Are All Natural:

Juicy tomatoes. Plump olives. Fresh oranges. That’s what you find in Kaldí Tomato Sauces. We don’t mix these all-natural ingredients with artificial chemicals or preservatives. Kaldí combines only the freshest Greek island vegetables with aromatic herbs and spices, to bring you the pure Mediterranean tastes of Greece.

Authentic Recipes.

With recipes dating back to 1895, Kaldí Tomato Sauces authentically recreate traditional Greek meals. Pour Kaldí Tomato Sauces over shrimp, chicken or pasta, and you’ll enjoy simple yet sophisticated Greek meals to share with your family and friends. 

• Tomato Sauce with Ouzo -- The national drink of Greece is ouzo, which is made from anise – a fragrant and sweet licorice-like spice found all over the Greek island of Lesvos. Kaldí combines the unique flavor of ouzo with that of plump olives and juicy tomatoes grown and harvested on the Lesvos to create this one-of-a-kind all natural sauce. For a quick Greek meal, check out our suggested recipe!
• Tomato Sauce with Orange-- Mixing savory with sweet flavors is a tradition in Greece. Kaldí combines the flavors of fresh sweet oranges and juicy tomatoes grown and harvested on the Greek island of Lesvos to create this one-of-a kind all natural sauce. For a quick Greek meal, check out our suggested recipe!  
• Tomato Sauce with Peppers -- Greeks prepare pasta dishes with hearty vegetables and sauce. Kaldí combines hearty cuts of crisp red and green peppers, sweet and tart balsamic vinegar with juicy tomatoes grown and harvested on the Greek island of Lesvos to create this one-of-a kind all natural sauce. For a quick Greek meal, check out our suggested recipe!
• Tomato Sauce with Onions -- In Greece, stews are comfort food. Kaldí combines the sweet flavors of caramelized pearl onions, the tea-like and piney rosemary and earthy bay leaves with juicy tomatoes grown and harvested on the Greek island of Lesvos to create this one-of-a-kind all natural sauce. For a quick Greek meal, check out our suggested recipe! 

 ----

My Thoughts:

The folks at Kaldí kindly sent me samples to try out and review, from both their olive oil and tomato sauce lines.  Prior to tasting their olive oil, I was a fan of pure EVOO from Savannah, GA, after visiting a few years back.  I fell in love with it for its taste and intense aroma.  But, after trying Kaldí's line of Extra Virgin Olive Oils, I have switched again -- now, to this brand.  I was amazed at the rich golden color and fruity taste.  As soon as you opened the bottle you could smell the olive oil.  And, there is a pleasant peppery aftertaste that resonates on your pallette.  I began by using this EVOO brand as my cooking oil, but have since added it to my pastas, used with dipping bread spices, and when desserts call for olive oil.  My meals and desserts taste amazing, each and every time I use it.

As for the sauces, I was able to try out each flavor Kaldí offers. My favorites were the Tomato Sauce with Peppers and Tomato Sauce with Onions.  Unlike other tomato sauces, which are either watered down or have added preservatives, Kaldí's sauces were delicious.  It felt like I was eating homemade sauce, that had been simmering on the stove for hours, and that had used real, fresh tomatoes.  The added flavors and seasonings in each of the Kaldí sauces were not overpowering, or masked the fresh tomato taste.  If you love earthy sauces, then you must try this brand.  Once you try it, you will wonder how you ever went without, and will not want to return to those overprocessed jars sauces from the market -- the ones that you question if they use real tomatoes in making.

Overall, I am happy I had a chance to try out Kaldí's olive oils and tomato sauces, and can say that I am a fan.  I will definitely be buying their products from now on, and recommending to family and friends.  Even if I am pressed for time and can't make my Grandma's tomato sauce recipe, I know I can reach for a jar of Kaldí's tomato sauce, and not skimp of flavor, in turn making the meal bland or mediocre to say the least.

  

---BUY NOW---

Want to try Kaldí's line of Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Tomato Sauces for yourself?  Click here to order online.  How about saving 30% off your total order?  Just head on over to Facebook and like the Kaldí fan page. Leave a comment on their wall, letting them know Inspired by Savannah sent you, and they will send you coupon code, which you can use towards your total online order.  

Disclosure:  I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.