Now as then, once the olives are crushed, the resulting paste is spread onto loosely woven hemp mats. These are stacked, [...] interspersed with metal discs, which help to distribute the pressure evenly in the press, where they undergo hundred of tons of weight in an [sic] hydraulic press. Today where this form of pressing is still in use (but is becoming rarer), the mats are usually made of nylon rather than esparto.