The Starbucks Olive Oil Coffees Are Launching Stateside — Here’s What They Taste Like

Starbucks lovers, listen up: there’s a new line of drinks coming to your favorite coffee shop, and this time they’re made with *checks notes* — olive oil? Yup, you read that right. The new collection of beverages, called Starbucks Oleato, launches in select stores nationwide on March 23, and though it might sound like an odd pairing, I got to preview part of the lineup ahead of its initial release abroad in February, and I can already tell it’s about to be the next big coffee craze.

Get ready to swap out your coffee creamer for a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. OK, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but once you hear what Starbucks’ Oleato drinks are all about, you’ll never look at olive oil the same. Inspired by the Italian word for “with oil,” the brand’s new line of Oleato beverages combines Starbucks’ coffee with a highly curated blend of Partanna extra virgin olive oil through steaming, shaking, and blending to create six unique takes on your favorite Starbucks drinks. Included in the lineup are:

• The Oleato Caffé Latte: Starbucks’ Blonde Espresso Roast and Partanna extra virgin olive oil and steamed with oat milk (available in select stores, Starbucks Reserves, and Starbucks Roasteries).
• The Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso: Starbucks’ Blonde Espresso Roast, hazelnut syrup, and oat milk, shaken with Partanna extra virgin olive oil and ice (available in select stores in Seattle and Los Angeles).
• The Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew: Cold Brew topped with Partanna extra virgin olive oil and Sweet Vanilla Cold Foam-infused Golden Foam (available in select stores, Starbucks Reserves, and Starbucks Roasteries ).
• The Oleato Iced Cortado: Starbucks Reserve Espresso, demerara syrup, Partanna extra virgin olive oil-infused oat milk, and orange bitters served over ice with an orange peel on top (available at select Starbucks Reserves and Starbucks Roasteries).
• The Oleato Tasting Experience: An immersive, barista-guided five-part tasting experience featuring Starbucks Reserve coffee infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil (available at select Starbucks Reserves and Starbucks Roasteries).
• The Golden Foam Espresso Martini: Starbucks’ Reserve Espresso, vodka, and vanilla bean syrup topped with Golden Foam (available at select Starbucks Reserves and Starbucks Roasteries).

The drinks made their grand debut in Milan on Feb. 22, but now the lineup is finally coming stateside to select stores across Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. For more information on where to find Starbucks Oleato, click here. The Oleato collection is also expected to hit select markets across the globe later this year, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Middle East.

Believe it or not, people on TikTok have been perfecting the coffee-oil combo long before the March 22 announcement. But now that Starbucks is on board, don’t be surprised if the creation becomes the next big trend.

Starbucks Oleato Olive Oil Drinks Review

Whether you want to get in on the trend early, or you’re curious to find out how well the two staples of Italian culture actually work together, this review breaks down everything you need to know about four of the six brand-new drinks, so you can try them for yourself on your next Starbs run.

Oleato Caffé Latte

As soon as I took a whiff of this drink, I was immediately transported to an Italian restaurant. Though the olive oil aroma wasn’t as strong as the coffee, taking in the two scents together was an instantly familiar experience, almost like déjà vu.

Beneath the creamy foam top layer is the light latte sip that I can only describe as tasting fuller and lusher than a regular Caffé Latte. Though it’s subtle, I was able to locate the olive oil flavor pretty immediately — and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It gave the drink a thickness and a body that made it go down so smoothly and somehow tasted sweet yet savory at the same time.

Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso

Besides the slight scent of oat milk, this iced drink didn’t have much of an aroma. It didn’t have much of an olive oil flavor either, TBH. Though I detected notes of the special ingredient sporadically, the espresso was the most prominent flavor by far. At first, the biggest indication that the drink was made with olive oil was the fact that I could feel the oil on my lips after each sip. The olive oil flavor became more noticeable over time, but that may have to do with the fact that the oil separates to the top after it’s been sitting for some time. Thankfully, it didn’t alter the taste drastically (unless you don’t want to be able to taste the olive oil, that is), because the Partanna olive oil still manages to complement the coffee instead of taking over.

Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew

Not to pick favorites, but... this drink was my favorite hands down. The Golden Foam contains the lightest hint of green that lets you know you’re drinking something more unique than an average coffee. The olive oil definitely comes through the most on this sip, and it’s absolutely delicious. The airiness of the cream and earthiness of the coffee immediately reminded me of an olive oil cake — an obvious comparison, I know, but there’s a reason why they both work. They each contain just the right balance of sweetness and earthiness, and the end result is a refreshing take on a classic sip that leaves you wanting more.

Though I could’ve enjoyed a whole cup of the Golden Cold Foam on its own, I was able to appreciate how the light olive oil flavor played with the strong, rich taste of the Cold Brew as well.

Oleato Iced Cortado

Despite featuring flavors like olive oil and orange, the Oleato Iced Cortado is a coffee-forward sip for sure. Similar to the Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso, the olive oil isn’t the star flavor of the drink, but it does give it a fuller body and makes it go down extra smooth. The oil will separate on top with this sip too, but you don’t have to worry about finishing the drink in record time to prevent that. Being able to taste the olive oil is part of the experience, after all.

Starbucks has always been on the cutting edge of the next big drink trend (looking at you, PSL), but the brand’s new lineup of olive oil beverages might just take the cake for the company’s most original drinks yet.