Starbucks Is Putting Olive Oil In Coffee – Is It A Brilliant Way To Start The Day Or Disgusting?

Coffee giant Starbucks is known for its unusual flavor combinations. Some become hits; take his Pumpkin Spice Latte, which freaks fans out every fall.

Still others, such as the latest offering, are more divisive. Splash of olive oil in your coffee, anyone?

Starbucks’ Oleato range (oliato means ‘oiled’ in Italian), launched in Italy earlier this year and available in the UK from this month, combines arabica coffee with extra virgin olive oil.

There are three drinks to choose from: a latte made with oat milk, a shot of espresso and a shot of oil (from £4.65); cold brew coffee with vanilla syrup and a sweetened olive oil foam (from £5.65); and an iced shaken espresso with oil, toffee nut syrup and oat milk (from £5.45).

Packed with healthy fats, extra virgin olive oil is one of the mainstays of the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to reduce the risk of developing several diseases.

Extra virgin olive oil, full of healthy fats, is one of the mainstays of the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to reduce the risk of developing several diseases

And if you add a splash of it to your morning brew, you’ll get a “velvety texture, while the buttery flavors of the oil pair perfectly with the chocolatey notes of our Arabica coffee beans,” emphasizes Alex Rayner, general manager at Starbucks UK.

I am a big fan of olive oil and coffee and consume both daily. But I’m quite skeptical about the prospect of ruining two delicious things by mixing them together. Could I be convinced?

The first offering I try is the cold brew. I taste the fresh, grassy taste of olive oil in the pleasantly creamy cold foam, but the vanilla syrup coffee underneath quickly washes it away. It’s refreshing, but neither the coffee nor the oil can shine when masked by sweet syrup.

The Oleato range, available in the UK from this month, also includes an iced shaken espresso with oil, ‘toffee nut’ syrup and oat milk (from £5.45)

Then the latte. While I usually prefer black coffee, I make an exception for a rich latte for breakfast.

But why is this one with oat milk, I ask? ‘The taste works better’, I am told, which I am not convinced of, because in my opinion oat milk is like drinking watery porridge.

Instead, I suspect they picked oat milk (which contains canola oil) to keep the drink from breaking up into unsavory layers like water-based cow’s milk.

I take a sip and immediately hate it. It’s very oaty and has no discernible olive oil flavor – although that may be the point.

Finally, I try the iced shaken espresso, which I’ve heard is the most popular so far. I can really taste the olive oil – and even see it on the top, where I let it settle to an oily layer – which gives it a spicy edge (the sign of good quality olive oil), surprisingly pleasant with the bitter coffee. But it’s tainted by the sickly syrup.

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the best things you can eat for your cardiovascular health, a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants, which protect our red blood cells from damage. But registered nutritionist Mays Al-Ali warns that the addition of sweeteners and oat milk undermines the health benefits.

Some experts claim that adding oil to coffee also helps slow down the absorption of caffeine, meaning those sensitive to it feel less jittery

‘Oat milk is made by breaking down raw oats and mixing them with water. When oats are broken down, a sugar called maltose is formed. So if you put 350 ml of oat milk in your latte, you add almost a tablespoon of sugar to your drink.’

Instead, she suggests adding a splash of high-quality extra virgin olive oil to freshly brewed black coffee.

I try and you know what? It is not bad. I can taste both flavors and oddly enough they make for an elegant combination. Some experts claim that adding oil to coffee also helps slow down the absorption of caffeine, meaning those sensitive to it feel less jittery.

But I can think of nicer ways to consume extra virgin olive oil, such as drizzled on pasta or with steak—much tastier than adding it to your morning espresso.