Well kudos to Cobram who responded to my questions so quickly, fulsomely and usefully! I quote from their reply below in case others are interested. With a customer focus like this, it’s easy to see why this company has become such a success story.
" We often have queries asking how the processing varies between products, but the truth is all Cobram Estate extra virgin olive oil is produced the same way, the difference is in the olive varieties used. Different flavours have different uses in the kitchen;
Cobram Estate Light (Light green label) Flavour Intensity - a subtle blend with beautiful ripe fruit and apple notes with a distinct sweetness in the palate. The perfect choice when you want the food to tell the story! Ideal as a butter replacement in baking, cooking fish or eggs, a home-made mayonnaise or shallow frying. (Arbequina olives)
Cobram Estate Classic (Purple label) Flavour Intensity - this multi-purpose fruity oil is ideal for enjoying with salads, vegetables and fish, a very useful “all-rounder” in the kitchen. (Picual olives)
Cobram Estate Robust (Dark green label) Flavour Intensity - this rich and appealing oil is best enjoyed when drizzled over pasta dishes or vegetables, used as a marinade, incorporated in stews or casseroles, added to tomato based sauces, frying, or simply for dipping crusty bread. (Coratina olives)
Cobram Estate Robust flavour extra virgin olive oil has the highest value of biophenols in our everyday range. This is because of the Coratina variety of olive that is selected for our Robust oil. These olives are harvested quite early in the season in May. In addition to this, Coratina olives also genetically have a higher polyphenol content. Coratina is available through our Ultra Premium range also, which is available in selected Woolworths and independent supermarkets and directly through our online store. Our Robust extra virgin olive oil is stocked in most supermarkets in Australia or directly via our website.
Unfortunately, I do not have an information sheet specifically regarding polyphenols of each oil. For further information I can direct you to http://olivewellnessinstitute.org/, which is an independent website that contains credible, scientific information regarding the health properties of EVOO."
