Cornicabra, Picual and Arbequina: The Olives in Our Early Harvest Oil

Updated October 2026 · By Andalucian Olives, a UK olive oil business in Lytham St Annes

Quick answer: our Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil is a blend of three Spanish varieties, Cornicabra, Picual and Arbequina, picked green in mid-October. Picual brings body and peppery strength, Cornicabra adds fruit and bitterness, and Arbequina softens the blend.

Spain grows hundreds of olive varieties, and the variety has as much effect on the taste of an oil as the grape does on a wine. Our Early Harvest oil blends three of Spain's best known.

Picual

Picual is the most widely grown olive in Spain and the backbone of Andalucía's olive groves. It makes a robust, full-bodied oil with notes of fresh grass and tomato leaf and a strong peppery finish. Picual oils are naturally high in polyphenols and keep well.

Cornicabra

Cornicabra is a traditional Spanish variety named after the curved shape of the olive, like a small horn. It gives a fruity, aromatic oil with a pleasant bitterness and a spicy kick, and it is also known for good stability.

Arbequina

Arbequina is a small olive that gives a gentler, smoother oil, with notes of almond, apple and ripe fruit. In a blend it rounds off the bitterness and pepper of stronger varieties.

Why pick them green?

All three are harvested early, in mid-October, while the olives are still green. Green olives give less oil than ripe ones, but the oil is richer in polyphenols and has a fresher, greener, more peppery taste. That is why our Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil has over 500 mg/kg of polyphenols and an acidity below 0.2%.

How to use a blend like this

A fresh, peppery early harvest oil is at its best raw: on bread, over salads, tomatoes and grilled vegetables, or as a finishing drizzle on soups, fish and meat.

Frequently asked questions

Which olive variety has the most polyphenols?

Picual and Cornicabra are among the Spanish varieties known for high polyphenol levels, especially when picked green.

What do your other oils use?

The base of our White Truffle oil is a blend of Hojiblanca, Arbequina and Picual olives.

Try the blend for yourself: shop Early Harvest. New harvest in stock from mid-November.