After a trip to Italy, CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz had the idea of adding olive oil to coffee. There is a Mediterranean custom of drinking a spoonful of olive oil each day, and Schultz incorporated that into his routine by mixing a spoonful into his a.m cup to make olive oil coffee. That’s where the inspiration for Starbucks Oleato, a new line of coffee drinks infused with olive oil, came from.
The line consists of the Oleato latte with oat milk, Oleato golden foam cold brew, and the Oleato ice shaken espresso with oat milk. Although the names sound tasty, the idea of olive oil coffee makes me hesitant to drink it. Is there an oily film? Or is it emulsified together like a creamy salad dressing? Do I want to compare my coffee to a salad dressing? So. Many. Questions.
Starbucks is bringing this Italian tradition only to select U.S. markets and not every location. If you live in Southern California, expect to see it on the menu at your local Starbucks. Later this year, Japan, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom will get to try it, and it’s already on menus in Italy. Apparently, the addition of olive oil will bring out a new texture and flavor within the drink. But olive oil steamed with oat milk? But I’m still not convinced. Seems like someone got too excited with the olive oil mixed into their pasta dinner in Italy.
Instead of getting a new refresher for our feeds, the spoonful of virgin olive oil in the Oleato drinks will be our spring drinks. But I think I want to stay virgins to this new Oleato Starbucks line. We all go through midlife crises in college, and I can’t tell if this is genius or gross.