Roland Foods Whole Sicilian Castelvetrano Olives, Specialty Imported Food, 3 Pound 4.9 Ounce Can, Pack of 1

I absolutely love Castelvetrano olives, but a small jar of them is rather expensive for the amount that you get versus the brine. So I went shopping on trusty Amazon and looked at all of the items and compared prices, sizes, stars and reviews. After quite a bit of research, I decided to purchase this Roland brand of olives and I couldn’t be happier! The olives are briny, but not too salty. They taste fresh and solid, and they are of a wonderful size. As you can see, I got exactly three quarts of olives, they are packed to the top, with only a bit of brine in between the olives. The third quart didn’t even have enough bring to fill to the top, but that’s ok as we will go through those in a hurry, anyway. The olives do have pits, but I love my olives to have them as I believe they keep the olive more solid and they don’t get mushy that way. The olives are solid, fresh and buttery, and I’m quite happy with the taste. Bang for your buck, these are excellent olives for a very decent price. The other two quarts will be put in the fridge to preserve their shelf life, but I am quite sure they will not last a month. Run, don’t walk to get these delicious olives!!

Whole or pitted, these are by far the best if you enjoy Castelvetrano olives. They arrive in a steel, sealed can with plastic lid for later use. Once opened, I divide olives and brine into 4 or 5 well-sealed plastic containers, making sure olives are covered in brine, and place in refrigerator. The value was amazing...until the US tariff hit. Foolishly, I decided to try another vendor at a lesser price. That was a mistake I will not repeat. Quality. Taste. Unparalleled. I am going back to Rolands even at the high price.

So I've never really been a big fan of olives. Didn't hate them, but didn't love them either. I was recommended to try Castelvetrano olives as they were touted as top tier olives and I figured what the heck. Let me tell you, these things are mind blowing.. The flavor starts out as most olive do.. salty, a bit sour, typical olive flavor.. however, right before it gets to be too much of that olive flavor that Ive personally never been a big fan of, you get this buttery, creamy flavor, with just a touch of sweetness that is heavenly. The texture is meaty, and juicy.. It gives me almost a mozzarella cheese vibe. The pits have a way of enhancing all of this too and without them I feel the olive would be too mushy and salty and would ruin the experience. This brand is particularly well made as well. I want to try all brands to see if I can find even better ones but you definitely wouldnt go wrong with these. I could finish a can of these almost weekly if I didn't stop myself. I am obsessed!

I personally like these olives. They tasty and come in a good quantity. Next time, though, I think I might consider the pitted ones. You really can't cook with them because pitting them is a pain in the neck. I never leave pits in a finished dish so I DO wish I had purchased the pitted ones.

My wife and I are both very fond of Castelvetrano olives, and with the pandemic, olive bars that used to operate at several of the stores I frequent have either been shut down or reconfigured and replaced with jarred olives. I decided to indulge and buy a larger can, in part because the price per pound was very competitive with what I used to pay at an olive bar, in part because I have had good luck with other Roland products, and in part because the product got delivered to my door. The olives are a delight. The are a good size, perhaps not as large as some I have seen of this variety, but you are definitely rewarded when you eat one. There is plenty of olive there. It was so nice to eat these wonderful little morsels again. They have a beautiful mild and almost buttery flavor. They make a wonderful snack, and are a great addition to salads. I have not yet made a tapenade or used them in cooked dishes, but I expect to do both. I confess that it is a large quantity, but give some to friends and to family, or split a container with a neighbor who also enjoys olives. I expect that I will buy them again when I have finished my first can. Fortunately, if you transfer them into a sealable container or large jar, they should keep for a very long time.

Many years ago I got a selection of olives from an olive bar. There was one olive that stood out. All I knew about it was it was Sicilian, green, not pitted, and absolutely delicious. Ever since, I've examined every olive bar I passed in search of that scrumptious olive to no avail. I ordered the 3 lb tin of Castelvetrano olives because the price was right and it got rave reviews and olives are the perfect keto snack. After a few dozen olives I realized these were the olives I fell in love with so many years ago, like bumping into an old lover. For me, the salt level is perfect and the firm crunch and smooth buttery flavor is quite addictive. I put some in a half pint jar with olive oil, added some to salads, and munched on some with Edam cheese or nothing at all. These are so good it's hard to pair them with anything. Two days after I received these little darlings, the amount is down by half. Thanks Roland for the new addiction. These things are better than rum, and I love rum.

Too bad I can't divide this review into two parts. Number one, the quality and taste of the olives - SUPERB! Number two handling during shipping process - PEA POOR! Somewhere along the route from order to receipt, somebody did their best to destroy the can because the package apparently was dropped on it's corner - there was absolutely no packing material. We had a heck of a time opening the can to transfer the olives to another container, but made it. They are good and that's why I am not submitting a claim but maybe the packing and handling could be improved? Eh?

Love these olives!