Starbucks Is Bringing Coffee And Olive Oil Together

Calling the new menu items the "next revolution of coffee," Starbucks is releasing a lineup of olive-oil-infused beverages in Italy that it plans to release to other markets later this year, per a press release sent to The Takeout.

The new Oleato menu debuts today in Italy and includes the Oleato Caffè Latte, Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso, and Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Milan will, in addition to those beverages, offer three additional Oleato beverages: the Oleato Iced Cortado, Oleato Deconstructed, and Oleato Golden Foam Espresso Martini. (Sorry we just wrote "Oleato" so much.)

Though the drinks are only available in Italy at the moment, Starbucks plans to release them to other markets throughout the year. They'll hit the U.S. this spring, though only in Southern California. Japan, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom will see Oleato on the menu "later this year."

The Caffe Latte, Iced Shaken Espresso, and Golden Foam Cold Brew are the three drinks Californian customers can look forward to. Here's how Starbucks describes the new beverages:

• Oleato™ Caffè Latte: Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast, a light roast that is smooth and subtly sweet, is infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil and steamed with creamy oatmilk to create a velvety smooth, deliciously lush latte.

• Oleato™ Golden Foam™ Cold Brew: The inviting aroma of lush Partanna extra virgin olive oil infused cold foam cascades slowly through the dark, smooth cold brew, creating a subtle sweetness in the beverage.

• Oleato™ Iced Shaken Espresso: This coffee-forward beverage offers layers of flavor sweetened with notes of hazelnuts, rich espresso and creamy oatmilk infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil.

Starbucks also notes that some markets will allow customers to add a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil to certain drinks, like espressos or tea lattes, as a customization once it's available. The golden foam will also be available as a topping for hot or cold beverages.

"Infusing Starbucks coffee with olive oil yielded a velvety smooth, rich texture, with the buttery, round flavors imparted by the olive oil perfectly pairing with the soft, chocolatey notes of the coffee," said Amy Dilger, principal beverage developer for Starbucks, in the company's press release.

Last summer, in an attempt to capitalize on a TikTok trend, Starbucks told us to put lemonade in our cold brew, so we did. It was neither good nor bad. The mixture has a history in Europe as mazagran, but it failed to catch on Stateside. 

Starbucks' push to get everyone on board with coffee and lemonade was not the brand's first unsuccessful attempt at creating a winning combo. In the mid-1990s, the chain collaborated with Pepsi on a coffee soda drink—which, incidentally, it named Mazagran—but it was ultimately a commercial failure.

While it has the potential to flop domestically, the Oleato menu sounds intriguing. Starbucks describes the new offering as a "velvety smooth, delicately sweet and lush coffee that uplifts each cup with an extraordinary new flavor and texture." We'll just have to rely on Italian customers' reviews for now.