Handmade Olive Oil Cruet - Azulejo Blue
The Azulejo Blue olive oil cruet is a stoneware olive oil bottle made in Portugal, with a deep cobalt blue glaze over a raised azulejo tile pattern. It holds 500 ml (16.9 fl oz) and comes with a stainless steel pourer with a cap, so you can pour a thin, steady stream of olive oil straight onto a salad, pasta or fresh bread.
Why you'll like it
- Made in Portugal, a country with centuries of ceramic tradition
- Raised tile relief with a handmade reactive glaze, so no two pieces are exactly alike
- Food-safe, lead-free glaze
- Opaque stoneware keeps light away from your olive oil
- Stainless steel pourer with a cap for a clean, controlled pour
- Looks as good on the dinner table as it does next to the stove
The details
- Capacity: 500 ml (16.9 fl oz), about 33 tablespoons
- Size: about 3.9 in wide x 2.4 in deep x 7.9 in tall (10 x 6 x 20 cm)
- Material: ceramic stoneware
- Finish: raised tile relief with a handmade reactive glaze
- Food safety: food-safe, lead-free glaze
- Color: a deep cobalt blue glaze over a raised azulejo tile pattern
- Pourer: stainless steel pourer with a cap, included
- Weight: 0.38 kg (about 13 oz)
- Made in: Portugal
- Care: Hand wash recommended
How to use
Fill it with your everyday extra virgin olive oil or a flavored olive oil using a small funnel, then keep it on the counter away from the stove and direct sun. Fill only what you will use in a month or two, and wash and dry it before you refill so old oil never mixes with fresh.
A note on the finish
Glazes and hand finishing vary from piece to piece, so the color and pattern of your cruet may differ slightly from the photo. Colors can also look different from screen to screen.
Order Processing: 2-4 business days, transit time varies by location.
Carriers: USPS and UPS
Shipping Costs: Calculated at checkout, free shipping on orders $150 +
International Shipping: Available, with UPS, USPS and DHL
Tracking: You'll receive tracking information once your order ships.
Need Assistance? Contact our friendly support team.
Return Policy: 7 day return policy.
The Craft Behind Every Cruet
Handmade in Portugal from stoneware, finished with a food-safe, lead-free glaze, and chosen by Georgetown Olive Oil Co. to pour the oils we sell
Handmade in Portugal
Portugal is famous for its azulejos, the glazed tiles on its churches, stations and houses. The Azulejo cruet carries that pattern from the wall to your table.
Stoneware, pressed in relief
Stoneware is fired at a high temperature until it is dense and hard. This one is pressed with a deep tile relief before it is glazed and fired.
Food-safe, lead-free glaze
The glaze is food-safe and lead-free, made for direct contact with olive oil every day.
Handmade glaze, no two alike
The cobalt glaze is finished by hand and pools in the carved pattern, so the lighter raised lines stand out a little differently on every bottle.
Flat shape, steady pour
The rectangular body is easy to grip and tilt for a controlled pour, and it stands neatly against a backsplash.
Get to Know Your Azulejo
Tap a card to learn about the clay, the glaze and where your cruet comes from.
Dense, durable and fired at high temperature, stoneware is the clay of choice for ceramics that get used every day.
Stoneware is a clay body fired at a high temperature, where it partly vitrifies and becomes dense and hard. That is what makes it stronger and less porous than lower-fired pottery.
An olive oil cruet lives next to the stove and gets picked up every day. A dense stoneware body handles that, and because it is opaque, it keeps light away from the oil inside.
Raised azulejo scrollwork under a deep cobalt reactive glaze, finished by hand.
The glaze is food-safe and lead-free, made for direct contact with olive oil and everyday kitchen use.
A reactive glaze flows as it melts in the kiln. It gathers in the carved lines and thins on the raised scrollwork, which is why the pattern shows lighter on the edges and deeper in the recesses, and why no two bottles match exactly.
A pattern drawn from the glazed tiles that define Portuguese buildings.
Azulejos have decorated Portuguese churches, palaces, railway stations and house fronts for more than five centuries, and blue and white is their best-known color scheme.
Azulejo is the Portuguese word for these tiles, which is exactly what the raised pattern on this cruet is drawn from.
Why We Carry Portuguese Ceramics
Portugal is one of the world's leading olive oil producers, and its potters have been making pieces for the kitchen for generations. We chose the Azulejo because it pours cleanly, keeps light off the oil and looks good on the table, which is what we want from a cruet in our own kitchens.
Browse the rest of our olive oil and vinegar cruets, or fill this one with an extra virgin olive oil from our shelves.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much olive oil does it hold?
It holds 500 ml, which is 16.9 fl oz or about 33 tablespoons. For most home cooks that is a few weeks of everyday cooking and drizzling, a good amount to keep the oil in the cruet fresh.
Does it come with a pourer?
Yes. Every Azulejo cruet comes with a stainless steel pourer with a cap. It pulls straight out of the neck, so refilling with a small funnel is easy.
How do I refill it without a mess?
Pull the pourer straight out and stand the cruet in the sink or on a folded towel. Pour through a small funnel and stop at the shoulder of the bottle rather than the very top, so the pourer goes back in without overflowing. Wipe the neck before you put the pourer back.
How do I clean it?
The manufacturer does not list it as dishwasher safe, so we recommend washing it by hand with warm, soapy water and letting it dry upside down before refilling. A soft bottle brush reaches the corners.
How long can oil stay in the cruet?
We suggest filling it with what you will use in a month or two. When it is empty, wash and dry it before refilling, rather than topping old oil up with new, so the fresh oil tastes as it should.
How can I tell if the oil in my cruet has gone stale?
Smell it. Fresh extra virgin olive oil smells green and fruity. Oil that has gone stale smells flat, waxy or like crayons and old nuts. If it smells off, pour it out, wash and dry the cruet, and start again with fresh oil.
Should I use one cruet for oil and another for vinegar?
It is the easiest way to keep flavors clean. The Azulejo is designed for olive oil. For balsamic or other vinegars, pair it with our Alicatos cruet, which is made for both oil and vinegar.
Where is it made?
It is made in Portugal. Azulejo is the Portuguese word for the glazed decorative tiles that cover churches, stations and house fronts across Portugal, and the raised pattern on this bottle is drawn from them.
Why does my cruet look a little different from the photo?
Reactive glazes move as they melt in the kiln, so the depth of color and the pattern change slightly from piece to piece. That variation is what gives each cruet its own character, not a flaw.
Which Portuguese cruet should I choose?
All of our Portuguese cruets pour the same way; the difference is size and look. The Comporta and Giro hold 350 ml (11.8 fl oz) and suit a small kitchen or the table. The Breezy (grey, blue or verde) holds 400 ml (13.5 fl oz) in a tall amphora shape. The rectangular Alicatos (yellow or red) holds 500 ml (16.9 fl oz), as does the taller Azulejo in cobalt stoneware, and the terracotta Aroma (blue stripe or yellow dot) is the largest at 600 ml (20.3 fl oz).
Does it make a good gift?
Yes. It is a practical gift for anyone who cooks, and it makes a thoughtful housewarming or hostess gift. Pair it with a bottle of our extra virgin olive oil so it is ready to use the day it is opened.
Can I put it in the microwave or oven?
No. A cruet is made for storing and pouring, not heating. Keep it away from the stove, and never put the metal pourer in a microwave.
