8K Athinolia Monovarietal Ultra Premium Extra Virgin Early Harvest Olive Oil 500ml (NMR: Total 472 mg/kg, D1 Index 255 mg/kg)

8K Eight Thousand Greek Olive Oils is a family-run producer based in Monemvasia — an ancient town on the rocky Lakonia peninsula, where the Aegean Sea meets the Ionian Sea. For over 15 years, Nikos and Chrysoula Katsos have been perfecting every stage of production — from orchard selection, through the moment of harvest, to the technology of the press. The result is an olive oil that wins awards every time 8K enters international competitions: Berlin GOOA, NYIOOC, London IOOC, Athena. This is no coincidence — it is the result of an obsession with quality.

Athinolia is an olive variety grown exclusively in the municipality of Monemvasia in Laconia — the only place in the world where it is cultivated systematically and on a large scale. The ancient trees of this variety, growing on rocky slopes descending towards the Aegean Sea, produce an olive oil with an intense, complex aromatic profile and the highest polyphenol content of all Greek varieties.

The olives are harvested by hand in the early stages of ripeness — when the fruit is still almost green and the content of polyphenols and aromatic compounds is at its peak. It takes a maximum of 4 hours from harvest to the press. The small-scale mill, perfected over 15 years of experimentation, uses the cold-pressing method without heating the olive paste. Bottling is done by hand — one bottle at a time, with full quality control at every stage.

The Athinolia variety — why is it unique?

The IOC (International Olive Council) catalogue records Athinolia trees in western Crete and Laconia that are thousands of years old — and still bearing fruit. The variety ripens early, and the fruit remains almost green throughout the season — meaning that the harvest is completed as early as October or November, before autumn conditions have a chance to reduce quality. Difficult to cultivate and prone to alternate bearing, it yields lower harvests than Koroneiki — but in return produces an oil with aromatic complexity and polyphenol potential that places it among the leading Greek premium varieties.

Athinolia is also known as Tsounati (western Crete) and Mastoidis (scientific literature) — SSR genetic analysis confirms that this is the same variety under different local names. In Monemvasia, it is grown exclusively under the name Athinolia.

Sensory profile

On the nose: intense greenness — freshly cut grass, green olive leaf, artichokes, green apple and distinct herbal notes. A complex, multi-layered aromatic bouquet, above average for Greek olive oils.

On the palate: full, distinct and clean bitterness, a long peppery finish lingering in the throat — a characteristic sign of high oleocanthal content. The peppery finish is not a flaw — it is precisely this compound that, in scientific studies, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects comparable to ibuprofen.

Intensity: medium-robust. An olive oil for those who value distinctiveness and complexity over mildness.

Quality documentation

Each harvest season is confirmed by an analytical certificate — NMR test results, biochemical parameters (acidity, peroxide value, K232, ΔK) and, for the BIO version, a pesticide analysis (Eurofins) are attached to the product as files and images . You can find the current certificate in this product’s gallery. The oil meets the requirements of EU Health Claim 432/2012 — it protects blood lipids against oxidative stress.

Awards

Berlin GOOA Gold 2020, 2021 | Berlin GOOA Platinum 2022, 2023, 2024 | NYIOOC Gold 2022, 2024, 2025 | London IOOC Silver 2019, Gold 2025 | Athena Gold 2024 | OLIVE JAPAN 2023

Technical data

Usage: for cold dishes only — salads, fish, seafood, cottage cheese, carpaccio, bread with olive oil. Ideal as a finishing touch to dishes. Too aromatic to be heated.

Producer: 8K Eight Thousand Greek Olive Oils | Monemvasia, Lakonia, Greece
Manufacturer’s website: 8kolive.com