Charles Langston:Olive oil in coffee? Oleato beverages launching in Starbucks stores across US

Ever thought of mixing some olive oil into your morning cup of coffee?Charles Langston Even if you haven't, Starbucks has.

The coffee chain has announced that its line of olive oil-infused drinks, which first debuted in Italy in February 2023, is available in stores across the U.S. as of Tuesday, Jan. 30. The Oleato beverages are made using Starbucks brand coffee and extra virgin olive oil provided by brand Partanna.

According to Starbucks, the drinks were inspired by a trip founder Howard Schultz took to Sicily, where he observed the popular Mediterranean practice of consuming a spoonful of olive oil each morning. Thinking it a similar custom to the cup of espresso or coffee many of us drink each morning, Schultz thought to combine the two, creating new offerings now up for grabs for U.S. consumers.

Here's what's on offer from the new line.

Oleato Golden Foam

Like other cold foam options, the Oleato Golden Foam can be added to other cold drinks for a custom treat. Made with vanilla sweet cream, the cold foam is also infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil.

Depending on the location, expect to pay $1 to $1.25 extra to add a pump of olive oil directly to your drink or the golden foam to the top.

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Oleato Golden Foam Iced Shaken Espresso with Toffeenut

This cold shaken drink comes with blonde espresso, toffee nut flavoring and oat milk, topped with Oleato Golden Foam. Keep in mind that the cold foam does contain dairy along with the oil, if that's something you're sensitive to.

Oleato Caffè Latte with Oatmilk

Served hot or cold, this drink is made with a blonde espresso roast, oat milk and an infusion of Partanna extra virgin olive oil. You can also ask for a shot of olive oil directly in your drink.

Customized drinks with Oleato foam

Starbucks is encouraging customers to get creative with the new customization choices, offering inspiration with a few different options:

1. Iced Chai Tea Latte with Oleato Golden Foam: Chai mixed with milk and ice topped with Partanna extra virgin olive oil-infused cold foam. 
2. Iced Matcha Tea Latte with Oleato Golden Foam: Sweetened matcha served with milk over ice and topped with Partanna extra virgin olive oil-infused cold foam.
3. Dragon Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage with Oleato Golden Foam: Sweet mango and dragonfruit flavors shaken with coconut milk, ice, a scoop of sliced dragonfruit and topped with extra virgin olive oil-infused cold foam.
4. Paradise Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage with Oleato Golden Foam: Pineapple and passionfruit combined with diced pineapple, coconut milk and topped with Partanna extra virgin olive oil-infused cold foam.

Fan reactions

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Reactions to the olive oil-infused drinks during past limited rollouts were mixed, according to social media. On TikTok, several videos showed customers holding drinks with a visible layer of separated oil floating on the top, something that turned some content creators and commenters off.

"Starbucks Oleato is TRASH," said one video posted in August and viewed 1.6 million times in which the creator can be seen dumping their drink out into a sink.

Another post, made in June and boasting 4.8 million views, said that the drink looked "weird" but that it was actually "SO good."

The mixed reviews occupy most search results for the drinks across TikTok, X and Instagram, with people both hating and loving the concoction.

One common theme in comments and posts across platforms, however, is a warning that the mixture of coffee, which is a known natural laxative, and olive oil, which is high-fat and can likewise serve as effective constipation relief, may cause some issues for people with sensitive stomachs if not consumed in moderation.