Starbucks Will Soon Offer Coffee With Olive Oil & Fans Aren't Sure Whether They're Into It

Starbucks is adding a new ingredient to its coffee drinks and the inspiration has an Italian twist.

The major coffee chain unveiled its new line of beverages that have a spoonful of olive oil in them on February 22 and it's getting a mixed reaction from coffee drinkers online.

So far, the new Starbucks drinks have only rolled out in Italy, but they are coming to North America later this year, as reported by CNBC.

The new line includes hot beverages like an Oleato caffe latte with oat milk and olive oil, an Oleato ice shaken espresso with oat milk, hazelnut flavour and olive oil, and the Oleato golden foam cold brew, made with a version of Starbucks’ sweet milk foam infused with two olive oil servings.

Each drink has the word "Oleato" in it, which is the Italian word for "with oil."

Even though some people drink a bit of olive oil every day for its health benefits, it seems like many of Starbucks fans don't love the idea of adding it to their coffee.

"We asked for more sugar free syrups/flavors and you give us…olive oil. No one wanted this," one person wrote on Starbucks' Instagram post announcing the new drinks.

"Respectfully, this sounds like the worst coffee on the menu," another instagrammer noted.

One commenter said they "gagged just thinking about this" and does not want to be adding the additional calories.

One tiktoker expressed her view on the new drinks with a TikTok video that just have a voiceover saying "what was the reason?" on repeat.

However, not everyone is against the idea.

Some tiktokers, who may not be in Italy, are making their own versions at home to test out the coffee and oil combo and aren't hating the results.

Tiktoker @mauramcinernyrowley says "it's actually really good" after making one herself.

Starbucks' interim CEO Howard Schultz says the inspiration behind the new drinks came to him during a trip to Sicily in 2022.

Schultz says he began taking a spoonful of olive oil each day as per the Mediterranean custom each morning along with his coffee, and that's when he decided to blend the two together.

"I was absolutely stunned at the unique flavor and texture created when the Partanna extra virgin olive oil was infused into Starbucks coffee," Schultz said, as per Starbucks' website.

"In both hot and cold coffee beverages, what it produced was an unexpected, velvety, buttery flavor that enhanced the coffee and lingers beautifully on the palate."

Starbucks plans to bring the olive oil-infused drinks to the U.S. this year, starting in California. It will also roll them out in the U.K., Middle East and Japan in 2023.

CNBC reports that Starbucks also plans to unveil an Oleato espresso martini in select Italy locations as well as Seattle and New York.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.