Brightland’s New Olive Oil Is Infused with Sumo Citrus and We Tried It

Along with brands like Graza (the best olive oil), Brightland is at the forefront of the aesthetic olive oil movement. Did I make up the “aesthetic olive oil movement”? Perhaps, but you know what I’m talking about—the brands who saw olive oil in those classic dark green glass bottles and said, “Not in my Millennial pink kitchen, f*ckers.”

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Brightland’s most famous product is probably the spicy pizza oil, which is infused with jalapeno peppers and herbs and is downright delicious, if I do say so myself. A pepperoni pizza drizzled with hot oil? Heaven for your tastebuds (even if it’s more like hell for your gastrointestinal system).

Besides being a Brightland Pizza Oil fan, I have another reason to get excited about their newest product: It’s olive oil infused with the flavor of Sumo Citrus and, dammit, I love Sumo Citrus. I wrote a whole essay urging people to get some while they’re in season. Here’s the condensed version: Sumo Citrus are big, easy to peel, juicy (unlike Cuties), and they have a very perfect sweetness-to-acid ratio. They’re only in stores from January through May, so they definitely have that McRib effect—you have to get them before they’re gone or you’ll regret it.

But hey! Is it possible that Brightland Sumo Citrus Olive Oil can scratch that itch all year long? I poured some directly onto a spoon and tasted it to find out.

New Product!

Brightland Sumo Citrus Olive Oil

Brightland

Pros: You know when you’re peeling an orange and the oils squirt out of the pores, making your fingers taste and smell super citrusy? Brightland basically bottled that experience. This is VERY orange-y olive oil. I’ve never tasted straight orange oil from the bottle, but I might have confused this for orange oil if I wasn’t physically looking at a bottle that identified it as olive oil. It’s very bright and sunny, with just a hint of that olive-oil bitterness on the finish.

Cons: I do think it might be too orange-y and not olive-y enough for some people. It’s a very specific, very potent flavor profile, but, hey, the bottle claims there’s a lot you can do with this: make vinaigrette (obviously), use it in a citrus olive oil cake, or drizzle it on cottage cheese (I’d add a bunch of black pepper to the mix, too). It’s a lot of citrus flavor, even for me, but I’m still excited to take it home and see what I can do with it.

Credit: Liv Averett / Brightland

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.