Cold-Pressed vs Refined: Why Our Oils Taste Like the Seed

Open a bottle of cold-pressed sesame oil next to a refined one and the difference is immediate. One smells like toasted seed; the other smells like almost nothing. That gap is the whole argument for pressing cold.

What cold-pressing actually means

The seed is crushed slowly, without added heat. Because temperatures stay low, the aromatic compounds and natural colour survive the process. Refining runs hotter and uses further steps to neutralise and deodorise the oil, which produces a clear, long-lasting, largely flavourless product.

Cooking with it

Cold-pressed oils have a lower smoke point, so they are happier at moderate heat than in a hard deep-fry. Our sesame oil suits tempering, rice mixes and pickles, where its flavour is the point. Groundnut oil is the more neutral of the two and handles everyday sautéing comfortably.

Storage

Keep the bottle capped, away from the stove, and out of direct light. Cold-pressed oil has not been stripped of the compounds that make it taste good, which also means it does not sit indefinitely. Buy the size you will actually finish in a couple of months.

A sediment layer at the bottom is normal and not a fault. Tip the bottle gently before pouring.