I buy:
- Kalamata oil (dark, green, strong flavor, $9 / 750 ml) from Trader Joe’s
- Marca Verde il Classico from Sur la Table (light, yellow, mild flavor, $13 / 750)
I haven’t come across any reasonably-priced California oil in years. I’m sure it’s like wine, real estate drives up the price. For years I bought an excellent house-brand oil at a local deli, but I think those olive groves were ripped out to build tract homes. Or maybe the old guys who made it retired, and whoever bought the groves started selling it in smaller bottles at twice the price.