Frequently

Asked Questions

Have Questions?

Below you will find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions. If you can’t find an answer to your questions, please don’t hesitate to send us a message or give us a call where someone can better assist you.

*This Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

7 Ways to Boost Your Health With Balsamic Vinegar

Overview

 

With so many health benefits, balsamic vinegar is a great addition to your healthy diet. From your heart to your skin to your digestion to much more, you can take your next step in improving your health by incorporating balsamic into your favorite dishes, on top of your fresh salads, and much more.

Assist Digestion

Acetic acid, the probiotic bacteria, found in balsamic vinegar can also help improve your digestive system.

Improves Blood Pressure

Balsamic vinegar may reduce atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. This helps to lower your blood pressure levels and stabilizes them at normal levels.

Enhance Your Skin

The acetic acid, antimicrobial compounds and antioxidant properties found in balsamic vinegar can help clear your skin from blemishes and acne. It can also brighten up your skin to give you a more lively complexion.

Stay at a Healthy Weight

The probiotic properties found in balsamic can help you feel full for longer periods of time, which can help you cut down on excess snacking. Substituting a balsamic dressing for a processed, heavy dressing on your salad can also help you cut calories.

Increase Circulation

Your cardiovascular relies on being able to move blood throughout your body freely with balsamic.

Lower Cholesterol

Balsamic vinegar can help lower that bad LDL cholesterol.

Stabilize your Blood Sugar

Ranking low on the glycemic index, vinegar helps to keep your blood glucose levels normal, not causing drastic highs and lows in your energy. The glycemic level of vinegar makes it a great add for those with diabetes to avoid sugar spikes. For insulin sensitivity, balsamic vinegar is a great addition.

Olive and Specialty Oil Frequently Asked Questions

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Testing Protocol

First, we have the producer provide us with a CoA (Certificate of Analysis) which includes chemical testing data showing that it passed all the tests to qualify as extra virgin. (This is where most of our competitors stop)

 

We then go a step further and have our importer send a sample of each batch to an independent testing lab here in the United States. These samples are tested to make sure it meets or exceeds the criteria to qualify for extra virgin.

 

We also have them do a separate purity test – additional testing to make sure that there are no other oils beside olive oil in the sample. It is possible to pass the initial chemical test to qualify as extra virgin with the addition of other oils such as canola, sunflower, hazelnut, etc. blended in. This is one of the ways unscrupulous vendors lower their costs and increase their profits.

 

Our base extra virgin olive oil is from the largest producer in Tunisia and they have a company-owned warehouse here in the United States… in Texas.

 

We can provide all the CoAs and Independent Testing documents by request for our customers.

Oleic Acid (Omega-9)

Heart health. A variety of studies have shown that omega–9 fatty acids, like oleic acid, can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. They’ve also been shown to increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and reduce LDL cholesterol.

Oleic acid supports heart health and blood circulation.

The higher the Oleic Acid count, the better. Quality Oils should contain a minimum count of 55 and you should look for oils that are greater than 65.

Free Fatty Acid Level

The lower the FFA, the more stable the oil will be for cooking at high temperatures. You are typically looking for Oil that are less than 0.8%, but idealy you should be able to find oils that are at or below 0.3%.

A great example of a high heat oil is our Avocado Oil which has an FFA of 0.18%

Polyphenols

Polyphenols – known to be anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and an anticoagulant. They help to reduce and neutralize free radicals and repair the damage that have been caused to cell membranes from cigarette smoke, pollution, alcohol, and the sun.

 

The Polyphenol count also affects the intensity (or pungency) of the oil. A big, peppery, full bodied robust-tasting oil will have a higher Polyphenol count than a smooth mild oil.

 

This doesn’t mean that oils with a lower count aren’t good, there are times where you don’t want your oil to overpower your dish.

Why do you not list the Polyphenol Count?

The Polyphenol count is at it’s highest when the Olives are harvested. The minute the Olive is harvested, the Polyphenol count starts to reduce naturally.

Oil and Spice Company believes that listing a number that reduces itself over time is misleading and inaccurate for our customers.

What type of Chili is used in our Roasted Chile Olive Oil?

The chile oil is made with a blend of hot pequin flakes and Chipotle Chili flakes.

How we flavor our EVOO

All of the flavorings are natural, vegan and allergen free. We use a process of combining different components to mimic flavors. There is no cheese in our Parmesan flavoring, no meat in our bacon flavoring, etc.

A Flavor such as Basil is flavored by pressing Basil Leaves in the process.

Flavors such as Bacon or Cheese use other natural flavors to mimic the desired result. Simply put, there is no Pork in our Bacon EVOO or Dairy Products in our Parmesan EVOO. Our Butter EVOO is flavored using Diocetyl which is produced from Sweet Potatoes.

Out Truffle EVOO uses other mushroom flavors to mimic the flavor of Truffles simply to keep the cost to the consumer reasonable.

What is the "UP" Certification and why is Oil and Spice Company not certified?

UP (Ultra Premium) Grade is a standard that was created by a company called Veronica Foods who is a large manufacturer in California. The UP Grade is not a recognized standard by the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) or the International Olive Council who regulates and monitors the industry and standards, it is nothing more than a marketing tool for Veronica Foods and it’s customers.

We do not sell products from Veronica Foods so we are not eligible to participate in their promotion but we welcome everyone to compare our products to any UP Grade Oil.

All of our Oils meet or exceed the recognized standards of the International Olive Council which sets the standards for all producers of oil. We can provide CoA and Independant test results for any Oil we sell in our store, you just have to ask to see them and we will gladly share them with you.

Vinegar & Balsamic Frequently Asked Questions

25 Star Balsamic Vinegar FAQ

In Italy, the only balsamic that is allowed to state an age is a DOP product. To obtain DOP status, the balsamic must be aged a minimum of 12 years and is controlled by the Consortium for approval and bottling into a unique 3.4 oz. bottle. These bottles usually cost between $75 and $120 each. There is only a small amount of this product produced each year. In fact an entire battery of barrels would result in approximately 5 liters of product.

Therefore, a new product was started called Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (today Protected Geographical Indication). This commercial product is made from mixing concentrated or cooked grape must and wine vinegar and then aging this blend in wooden casks. There are two categories of age within the PGI regulation, the minimum required aging in wood is set forth at 2 months or at the second level of aging in wood for 3 years so according to PGI ruling, no balsamic can be said to be aged more than 3 years.

More important than the age in this type of balsamic is that the quality and the quantity of the grape must and the wine vinegar used in the production are crucial to the quality of the finished product.

Our 25 Star Balsamic has a minimum of 80% concentrated grape must and aged red wine vinegar.

What is Golden Balsamic?

Golden Balsamic is also known as White Balsamic

How does your 25 Star Balsamic compare to the “Up to 18 Year Old Balsamic” that is found in many olive oil stores?

Aside from the fact that if the product was truly that aged, the price would prohibit the average person from being able to afford it, as it would sell for about $25/ounce.

According to PGI (European Protected Geographical Indication) rules, Balsamic can only be called “aged” if it is really a certified product. Condimento balsamic cannot be classified as PGI nor can it be claimed as aged under PGI rules.

We do not claim an age on our product as we follow the law and guidelines set in place by the consortium. However, we feel that our product stands for itself.

We invite you to compare the products side by side and decide for yourself which product is superior.

What type of barrels is the 25 Star Balsamic aged in?

Slovanian Oak.

Is there sugar added to your 25 Star Balsamic?

NO! The sweetness of our balsamic is due to the high amount of concentrated grape must in our product. The more grape must, the thicker and sweeter it becomes.

Is there caffeine in the Espresso Bean Balsamic Vinegar?
Our product contains 1 mg of caffeine per 8oz cup. So the flavor would not change the nutrition content nor the caffeine content. To give you a better idea, a regular cup of coffee has about 100 mg caffeine in 8oz. A regular coke has about 35 mg caffeine per 8oz. So 1 mg per 8 oz is negligible.
What makes your 25 Star Balsamic so thick?

Our special quality of grape must give the finished goods a thicker consistency This balsamic is made exclusively for us and to our specification. It contains a minimum of 80% high quality must and wine vinegar that is aged a minimum of 10 years. The resultant product is naturally thick and sweet.

How is the 25 Star Golden White Balsamic made and how does it differ from the dark?

Dark Balsamic uses caramelized Grape Must, Golden (White) Balsamic uses Grape Must that has not been caramelized. Lighter colored grapes are also used to produce the must. The result is a lighter, cleaner flavored Balsamic that allows the added flavors to come through more over Dark Balsamic which has a slightly richer flavor.

Flavoring Process of Balsamic

THE FLAVORINGS for the balsamic vinegars reflect the same concept as our Extra Virgin Olive Oil but with an alcohol base, like vanilla extract, for instance. However, we do have a few flavors that contain sesame seeds or chile powder to boost the flavor.

All of the flavorings are natural, vegan and allergen free.

Wine Vinegar MOTHER

Seeing a slimy string like substance in your wine vinegars?

 

What you are seeing is not mold, it is the “mother” growing.

 

What it is, is a bacterium that grows when raw material in the vinegar did not finish fermenting. When your vinegar is not pasteurized this can leave behind this material and allow the mother to grow. This shows that the vinegar is raw and natural.

 

This does occur when the vinegar gets warmer, and it can be strained out. To avoid this, the items can be kept cool or in the fridge.

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Personalize the Label Your Way!

Below, we will give you some quick instructions to get you on the way to customizing your own labels for any occasion.

IMPORTANT

Be sure to type the name of the flavor in the box at the bottom of the label so the recipient knows which wonderful flavor you have chosen for them.

Be creative, you can change the font, colors and size for the flavor name too. You can even personalize the name to be cute if you desire.

Text

Enter the message that you want in the white text box. Select the Font and Select the Size. Once the text appears on the label, you can drag it to wherever you would like it to be.

Shapes

Create common shapes to add to your design.

Uploads

With this tool, you can upload your own photos! You can even apply filters to your image like Sepia Tone or Grayscale.

Clip Art

We have an ever expanding library of Clip Art Images to choose from for almost any occasion. Just browse the library and select the image to add it to your label.

Additional Controls (Tool Bar)

In the Tool Bar at the top of the screen, you can undo an adjustment, center an item vertically or horizontally, duplicate an item, delete an item or send an item in front or behind another item.

Make your Purchase

Once you’re satisfied with your creation, you can either choose to save it to your account or add it to your shopping cart. *Saved designs can be applied to other products!

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