Living in Washington State, you probably rely on Starbucks to get your coffee when you are on your way to work or even school. Well in February, Starbucks released the Oleato (oh-lee ah-toe) drinks– an oat milk latte, ice shaken espresso with oat milk, and a golden foam cold brew  – which are infused with Partanna cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, although the after-effects for the customers have not been great. Oleato drinks are only available in Seattle and LA stores  so far but already have complaints about stomach issues after digesting it.  

You see, caffeine is a stimulant for your bowels and oil is a relaxant and when you combine high  fat in a beverage along with coffee, the outcomes aren’t great. In this case, the olive oil with a 16-ounce drink has as much as 34 grams of fat and this combination can cause cramping. It can also cause an increase of mobility in the colon and therefore have that laxative effect. 

Now how did we get the idea of olive oil-infused coffee? CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz  picked up the habit of the Mediterranean culture of taking a spoonful of olive oil a day as part of  a daily routine while in Sicily, Italy. Olive oil is a staple in Mediterranean culture and some  people drink bits of olive oil in the region daily. While also replacing unhealthy fats like butter  with olive oil because it’s known to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and lower blood pressure. 

Being a Starbucks worker in the Seattle area, I was able to sample these drinks before they were  launched. Starting out with the golden foam cold brew. It is a cold brew with sweet vanilla cream  cold foam that is infused with 2 pumps of the olive oil. At first taste, you instantly get hit with  the taste of olive oil from the foam and it’s not so great. After tasting the drink, my mouth was  coated with olive oil and didn’t leave the best after taste. The ice-shaken espresso, I do like how it  comes with toffee nut syrup in it so it’s not just olive oil, ice, espresso, and oat milk, but honestly 

I didn’t taste a difference in the initial tasting of the drink. Like the cold brew, it did leave my  mouth coated in olive oil. Although I didn’t get any sort of stomach problems after the taste and  it’s because I didn’t consume the 12, 16, or 24 oz of the drink. I only have little samples of 2 oz  when tasting Oleato. 

When Oleato first dropped, customers were interested in it at first but a frequent problem with  the Oleato drinks is when a customer orders it and doesn’t pick it up within 10 minutes.  Even though the olive oil is infused by blending, shaking, or steaming, after a little bit, the olive oil starts to separate and form at the top, causing us to have to remake it so it’s up to quality to the customer. 

Overall, I would say if you know you have stomach issues or anything along the lines of that, I  would steer clear of Starbucks Oleato and stick to the usual but if you are interested in trying  new drinks with Oleato, the ice shaken espresso topped with oat milk is a simple starter drink. 

Sources:  

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/08/business/starbucks-oleato-drink-stomach-issues/index.html

https://www.today.com/food/news/starbucks-oleato-olive-oil-coffee-stomach-issues-rcna7840

https://www.self.com/story/starbucks-olive-oil-coffee-making-you-poop