Episode 113: Simon Jacob focuses on olive oil and explores the mechanics of professional olive oil tasting

Welcome to The Kosher Terroir - From Shiloh: How Terroir Shapes Award-Winning Israeli Olive Oil

A cough can be a compliment. That’s the surprising starting point as we trade corks for tasting cups and learn how to read olive oil like a sommelier—only with warm palms, sharp slurps, and a peppery finish that tells you polyphenols are alive and well. We sit down with Yossi Polak, CEO of Meshek Achiya, to taste through a flight from Shiloh’s storied hills and unpack why this ancient landscape still sets the standard for character-driven extra virgin olive oil.

We explore the mechanics of professional olive oil tasting—dark glasses to ignore color, gentle warming to unlock aroma, and stripaggio to aerate across the palate—and show how fruitiness, bitterness, and pungency mirror wine’s structure. Then we map Shiloh’s terroir: limestone-rich, rocky soils that stress trees just enough to intensify flavor; elevation that slows ripening and boosts phenolics; mountain air that keeps the oils bright and clean. Each variety tells its own story: Picual’s green tomato and herb snap, Arbequina’s delicate buttery lift, Koroneiki’s compact pepper, and Souri’s bold, region-rooted strength. A chef-crafted house blend rounds out the set with restaurant-ready balance.

Ready to taste what a 3,000-year-old landscape can do for a modern table? Hit follow, share this with a friend who loves great oil, and leave a quick review to help more people discover the flavors of Shiloh.

Support the show

www.TheKosherTerroir.com
+972-58-731-1567
+1212-999-4444
TheKosherTerroir@gmail.com
Link to Join “The Kosher Terroir” WhatsApp Chat
https://chat.whatsapp.com/EHmgm2u5lQW9VMzhnoM7C9
Thursdays 6:30pm Eastern Time on the NSN Network and the NSN App