Tillen Farms Lemon Twist Olives

These were the olives that turned me from a hater to a lover. I have never, ever enjoyed pimento olives, and I thought I just hated olives as a result (as I do genuinely despise black olives). But these? Salty, smooth, oily, rich, intense. A delightful dance of flavors! If you get a bit squeamish about slightly softer/less ideal looking olives, I think it's important to note that about 10-20% of the olives in any jar are a bit "imperfect". In almost all cases, they taste fine, but they don't have that perfect appearance. I like to use these as extra snack olives—something I never thought I would say a few years ago! If you want the maximum visual and flavor effect, I recommend a single martini (gin if possible!). Take an orange peel/twist, cut off the rough edges, and express it onto the martini. Curl it into a spiral and skewer it onto a garnish pick. Repeat this with a lemon peel/twist. Finally, add the olive. The orange-yellow-green is delightful but subtle, the perfect pairing for a martini, and the citrus at the top means its fragrance more readily gets into the nose. This will turn your martinis from enjoyable to spectacular!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] These are amazing! I could eat the whole jar at one time.

I bought a jar of these yesterday and I have found the Holy Grail of Martini olives. I will NEVER buy another type again and I've tried dozens and dozens of olives in my day. I just now went to look them up and found out they were Stonewall Kitchens. No big surprise there as their jams are phenomenal and I won't buy any other brand of jams as well. These guys are doing it right and actually TASTING what they are making. Sometimes I wonder if some companies aren't...they are so bad.

These olives are firm and mild-flavored (not bitter or sour) with just a hint of lemon flavor in the brine and a bit of lemon rind inside. They are great for cocktails, of course, but they are also delicious to cook with. I like them chopped up in tuna or egg salad, on charcuterie plates, sliced into Mediterranean dishes (Italian, Spanish, Greek, Moroccan, etc.). They go well in anything that has preserved lemons also. Very versatile and so good!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I love these olives, they are fantastic in martinis. The olives are firm and large. The brine is good and very smooth.

These lemon-stuffed olives have given a new, fresh accent to my gin martinis. And thanks to 'Dana' I will sacrifice a few for cooking, too.

Love these little morsels in my martinis. The olive is firm and the lemon center adds just the perfect zest for a fabulous drink.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Would like them to be smaller and a little less salty so I can eat more than one ! but I love them!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] These olives were soft and poor tasting. There was no lemon :lemon: flavor and what little bit of lemon in some of the olives was mushy. I can't recommend this product. Stonewall Kitchen usually has quality products but this one slipped past.

My bottle of these tasted way too bitter, and definitely not just "a hint of lemon" as others have posted. I love olives too much to waste these, so removed them from the bottle, carefully scraped out both rind and "pink" layer tainted by the horrid-tasting lemon, and placed them half-cut in a large jar of sweet pickle juice to re-invent them for a much better taste. IMO, if you're on a sodium-restricted diet, stay away from these.