The Bleu Olive

Way overpriced for what they offer. Their Wheaton store has been shut down and frankly I’m not surprised — quality was average, prices were high, service was indifferent at best and rude at worst.

Great variety of oils, balsamics, and spice blends/​rubs. Everything is available to sample, which makes it easier to feel confident about your decision.
A very neat and uncluttered store and the woman working was very friendly.
Just what «downtown» wheaton needed!

Apparently The Bleu Olive is always getting in new flavors of oils and vinegars. On my most recent visit they had some delicious white balsamic vinegars to try. The pineapple was very good, but they were sold out, so I got a bottle of lemongrass-​mint. It’s delicious on mixed greens and probably goes very well with fish and seafood.
Since I liked the vanilla sea salt and ensuing salted caramels so much I picked up another flavored salt; lemon salt. Yum. Also really good with fish. I guess I’ll be eating a lot of fish in the near future.

I have to say that I am constantly amazed by the quality of product that the Bleu Olive brings in. The Picual olive oil from Spain ranks up there in the top five I’ve ever tasted, and at this point is the only olive oil that I use in salads, and as a vegetarian I am frequently eating salads. Mix that with the traditional Balsamic and Bam, that’s all you need. Another favorite of mine it to steam up some veggies and brown rice then pour a little of the toasted sesame oil with some tamari and you’ve got a quick, healthy and delicious dinner. Another pleasant surprise are the spice mixtures. I am usually a bit weary of pre mixed spices, but I thought, what the heck, why not try these, and thankfully, I was not let down, they are great. I use the Tuscan blend in just about everything, but it has become a staple in any stew I make, I barely have to do anything anymore and they always taste delicious! The owners and staff are wonderful, helpful and insightful, it is not everyday that you walk into a store and have someone give you their full attention, let you taste anything and direct where you’d like to go and to place you haven’t been before! As a resident of California I now order their products online and have had as great of service that way as I did in person.

They have some great balsamic vinegars– I especially LOVE the cinnamon pear. The owner is friendly and knowledgeable. Worth the trip!

This is a nice little olive oil (EVOO) & balsamic vinegar shop They also have other specialty oils (i.e. walnut oil), as well as a small selection of spices and spice rubs.
All the oils and balsamics can be sampled. They have plenty of delicious sourdough bread from Panera or Francesca’s on hand for dipping. They even keep strawberries and vanilla ice cream in back to sample the dessert balsamics with.
I’m not sure how many kinds they have but there are three big tables filled with oils/​vinegars plus more around the outer edges of the store.
My faves are the Wild Mushroom & Sage EVOO and the Dark Chocolate Balsamic (soooo good over ice cream and berries or bananas). I also loved the walnut oil with the red apple balsamic.
Prices were decent and the sales girl was ever so helpful, knowledgeable and friendly without being pushy. They even have cute little gift bags.
They do need more variety of bottle sizes. A smaller option would be great if you just needed something for a recipe or wanted to try a new kind out. This is the only reason I’m not giving them 5 stars. The sales girl did say they would be getting smaller sampler bottles so you can mix and match your own six pack.
Great store and a perfect addition for downtown Wheaton. Oh, and I didn’t think they were open on Mondays but I was just there on a Monday so you might want to call first.
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