It’s less than a month before our Good Value Guru Soirées kick into overdrive – a bit like the legendary Candle Light Suppers of Hyacinth Bucket from the BBC’s Keeping Up Appearances, only less formal – and we’ve decided to include an “out of the box” category to the weekly tastings. The first will be Olive Oil and after reading Jon Rimmerman’s recommendation for Soefija’s, I jumped onto the interwebs and ordered a bottle from Yuppiechef for R95 with delivery free. That’s less than half Jon’s price, but then I live in Tamboerskloof, not Tennessee.

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The New York Times reports that Jon shifts $30 million worth of wine each year on the interwebs, so clearly he is doing something right. Soefija sure blew up his skirt:

I don’t believe what I just tasted…and neither will you.

What I sampled was one of the word’s finest top-end values in estate extra virgin olive oil.

It is not from Italy, it is not from France….

It is from Paarl – in South Africa.

Yes, South Africa.

For $19.99, this full 750ml (wine bottle size) extra virgin is downright fabulous. The tree stock is old and came to South Africa years ago by way of 3-4 different groves in Italy. The trees have not only thrived in the South African climate but I will be very curious to hear what you have to say about comparing this to the original from central Tuscany. Without influencing your opinion too much (yeah, right), try to blind taste this next to your favorite high-grade/organic first-pressed oil. After tasting Soefija’s you may wonder why European oils trade for $30-40+/750ml when this immaculate oil is $19.99.

One of the bargains of the year in the high-grade/small batch extra virgin olive oil.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for stunning quality in a large format size (for olive oil). My guess is that most of you will nurse an open 750ml for a year or more – that’s what I call value (i.e. – a $19.99 bottle of wine is gone in a night or two).

This parcel will be bottled and shipped expressly for you from their new stock – directly from Paarl (this 100% natural/hand-made oil is the result of seven generations of woman olive oil pressers in Agter Paarl – the story is as amazing as the oil).

FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 24/person until we run out.