This article was originally published 22 February 2023 and has been updated 30 April 2024.

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Starbucks Oleato™ Olive Oil Coffee in the News

Tuesday evening Starbucks (SBUX) announced a range of new coffee drinks called Oleato™ which feature the addition of a tablespoon of EVOO. As a food professional and trained olive oil taster I could not easily imagine enjoying our favorite local artisan-roast coffee (or even Starbucks) with good EVOO, however, on a deeper level I was curious.

Olive Oil Coffee Exploration & Result

Olive oil easily and deliciously emulsifies with the fat in dairy. Good EVOO poured over ice cream has converted many a skeptic, and although I was uncertain as to the outcome, it was incumbent upon me to try olive oil coffee to form my own opinion.

This morning I blended 4 tablespoons of whole milk and 2 tablespoons of Arbequina EVOO into a smooth emulsion to serve two. It takes only seconds. The light and fruity mix was poured into a hot cup of black coffee (a Moka Java blend), and I found the result surprisingly pleasant and satisfying! I note that some of my colleagues have blended coffee, dairy, and EVOO at once versus just the oil and dairy, so that works, too.

The mouth feel is indeed rich and velvety, as Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz enthuses. From the standpoint of pleasure, this velvety texture is the highlight. The EVOO flavor was subtle, and I wonder if many could or would discern the presence of it were it not announced. Oleato™, as it will be trademarked, or olive oil coffee for us non-Starbuckians, is a beverage I can imagine serving or enjoying on occasion.

Why is Olive Oil Coffee Tasty?

The amazing velvety texture in olive oil coffee is the result of olive oil being 100% fat weighing in at 2.55x the grams of fat per tablespoon versus heavy cream. To achieve this same unctuous texture with heavy cream, one would consume ALL of one's daily recommended cholesterol allowance AND part ot tomorrow's too! As you well know, there is no cholesterol in olive oil. By my calculation, to achieve this texture with heavy cream would be subjecting yourself to 347 gms of cholesterol versus zero for EVOO.

Hear Hear for Healthy Fat

If folks need an additional way to make sure they’re getting 2 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil in their diet, as health professionals advise we do, then I very much support the notion of olive oil coffee as a delivery system. I have never liked the idea of downing a tablespoon of EVOO as if it were cod liver oil–-there is no pleasure in that.

Extra virgin olive oil, thoughtfully emulsified with a dairy product for coffee and enjoyed for health and pleasure--now, that's something I can support.

A few hours ago I scrolled through the first 50 comments on the Washington Post story about this launch (at the time of this writing showing more than 1,000 comments), and every comment I read--without exception--was riddled with skepticism, scorn, and derision rather than curiosity. I love good coffee, and admit that I, too, was skeptical, however, tonight admire Howard Shultz's vision and bravery in the face of public opinion.

I say, if it tastes good to you, enjoy it! Bravo, Mr. Shultz, bravo. What do you think? Will you try olive oil coffee? Let me know in the comments! - Liz

Spring 2024 Update

I had a nice chat with one of our customers this afternoon, which reminded me that I've never shared my personal experience trying the Starbucks version of olive oil coffee. The following is my opinion so this update is based solely on my own experience and personal taste.

Unfortunately, the versions that have been rolled out are sugary cold drinks, not anything like my at home experiment. I ordered the least milky version, the Oleato Golden Foam™ Iced Shaken Espresso with "Toffeenut" syrup, however, had the barista omit the four (4!) pumps of flavored sugar syrup and its wholly unnecessary 22 gm of sugar. That said, the folks at Starbucks corporate development still felt compelled to add sugar to the "golden foam" for the American market.

I ordered a standard formulation in their grande size at three different California locations (3 shots of espresso with oat milk, omitting the syrup each time), and found that sipping espresso through the sweetened creamy olive oil/oat milk was tasty and enjoyable, but still rather too dessert-like for my taste.

I remain encouraged that Starbucks and Americans are experimenting with extra virgin olive oil and coffee, however, regret that they do so by making promoting something that could be quite healthy in a vehicle loaded with excess sugar.

At this writing, Starbucks' pricing for an iced triple espresso is $3.45.

Their "shaken version" with sweetener is $5.45 (or if you order the regular iced triple espresso for $3.45 and ask for Oleato they charge $2.00 for the add in, so the same).

Starbuck's Shaken Oleato™ is $8.25.

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