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Polarizing olive oil-infused Starbucks drinks go nationwide

The unique ingredient in the new Oleato line has some customers perplexed

Deputy Food Editor

Published

Starbucks cup of coffee (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Starbucks cup of coffee (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Coffee is, inherently, one of the most customizable beverages. Some people add strange things to gussy up their brew, from butter to any mixture of saccharine syrups. Starbucks, however, opted for a unique addition which is now going nationwide.

Oleato, which previously was offered in Italy before being tested in certain US cities last year, has now made its way to all Starbucks in the US, with two special drinks: "an oat milk latte infused with the extra virgin olive oil; and a new toffeenut iced shaken espresso with golden foam, which is vanilla sweet cream infused with extra virgin olive oil into a cold foam," per Jordan Valinsky at CNN. The drinks came to be after former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz who met with an olive oil producer who encouraged him to consume a tablespoon per day.

Now, while olive oil can have a fruity or almost nut-like flavor, the oil's essence might act strangely in a coffee drink, no matter if it's hot or iced — which can be seen from multiple reports of people who say that the drinks "send them straight to the bathroom," as Valinsky writes. It remains to be seen how the Oleato line will fare with Starbucks diehards.

By Michael La Corte

Michael is a food writer, recipe editor and educator based in his beloved New Jersey. After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, he worked in restaurants, catering and supper clubs before pivoting to food journalism and recipe development. He also holds a BA in psychology and literature from Pace University.


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