Oleato Recipe

As we have mentioned before in some of our previous articles, Starbucks has unveiled a new drink. This one, the Oleato line of beverages which includes lattes and other variations on coffee with olive oil, is certainly interesting. 

       Amalgamating coffee, Italian culinary culture, and Blue Zone food, the Oleato line of beverages has been called a disruptor in the coffee scene. It certainly is and bears striking resemblance to previous coffee recipes such as butter and coconut oil in coffee. 

       But the Oleato brings something a little new and different to the table. We have explored a little bit in one of our previous articles about olive oil’s health benefits, and when paired with coffee comes together to make a health-inducing treat. Hence why some coffee lovers at home may just want to make an Oleato or, olive oil coffee to be more general, at home. Keep reading to learn how!

The specifics

       It should be mentioned that Starbucks uses a particular brand of olive oil, Partanna, which is a cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil and is an authentic olive oil from Italy. Starbucks using this brand, in particular, is maybe in part due to partnership deals and well, basically stuff the average coffee lover need not worry about, that is unless you are very interested in the reasoning behind various partnerships and mergers with big brands. 

       So in this regard, if you would like to use the "authentic" olive oil that Starbucks also uses then certainly go ahead! Partanna is tasty and authentic olive oil for sure. But if you cannot find Partanna brand cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil on hand or in your local supermarket don't sweat it. You can instead just use any other brand of extra-virgin olive oil. That does not mean ANY olive oil in general. The reasons are mainly gustatory so there are no real risks in using standard heavy olive oil over extra-virgin olive oil. It just may very well be a bit TOO oily and also overpower the flavors and aromas of your beans. Also Though it is very certainly possible to just add a teaspoon or so of olive oil to black coffee, usually mixing it into cream seems to be the better way to go about it. Starbucks refers to this special cream as the Golden Foam. Most likely for similar reasons as to why adding some potent full olive oil might be a bit overpowering. But, how can one make an olive oil cuppa at home?

What you will need

• Coffee beans
• Extra-virgin olive oil of your choice
• Teaspoon
• Filtered or purified water
• Milk or cream of choice 
• saucepan
• Egg beater or electric frother

What to do

• First, brew your coffee of choice. Espresso is the best choice as it is exactly what Starbucks will be using. The second best would be Starbucks coffee pods. If you do not have access to either, then any coffee you enjoy drinking will be more than perfect!
• Then, prepare your cream by adding 6 oz of milk or cream of your choice to your saucepan.
• Next, add 1 tbsp of your olive oil to the milk.
• Now, turn your saucepan up to a simmer, not a boil, a simmer and stir, froth, and whisk for 2-5 minutes.
• Pour your coffee into your cup or mug of choice and spoon or carefully pour your Golden Foam on top.
• Finally, enjoy your olive oil coffee!
• If you would like to enjoy your olive oil coffee black then simply skip ahead to the coffee brewing step and add 1 tbsp of olive oil.

       Feel free to experiment with what flavors and tastes you prefer the most. Though be aware that some sources point out that hot coffee is the only optimal way to enjoy olive oil coffee. That is because the olive oil will end up as an oily congealed slush at the bottom of ice coffee. And cold brew? The olive oil may congeal and solidify making for a unique but probably not very appetizing mode of coffee! 

Ciao Bella

       If a visit to Starbucks is a bit out of your price range or you would just like to give this innovative new take on coffee a try yourself then we have got you covered. Feel free to play around with bean, grind, and brew types as well as modes of foam and cream to really discover something new. Who knows, your homebrewed recipe may be truly bellissimo and end up becoming a hit too! Happy brewing.

Works Cited

• “Coffee with Olive Oil (Oleato).” The Short Order Cook, 23 Feb. 2023, theshortordercook.com/coffee-with-olive-oil-oleato/. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
• “Introducing Starbucks Oleato.” Starbucks Stories, stories.starbucks.com/starbucks-oleato-olive-oil-meets-coffee/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=oleato1. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.
• Olive Oil Coffee - Copycat Oleato Recipe & Trending News. 2 Mar. 2023, voltagecoffee.com/olive-oil-coffee/. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.