Starbucks raised plenty of eyebrows when it announced a new olive oil-infused line of Oleato coffee drinks, and a viral TikTok review is probably not going to make this go down any smoother.
Starbucks debuted the drink in Italy in February, but the coffee chain has now started rolling it out to customers in the United States, meaning people are finally getting their greasy paws on it for reviews (emphasis on greasy).
TikTok user @Banashrooms recently posted a video of herself with one of the iced Oleato coffees, and she was not kind about the results.
The video shows her half-empty drink in a plastic Starbucks cup, and you can briefly see on the label that it was purchased on March 27.
But it's when you look inside that things turn ick, because as Banashrooms shows, the congealed oil sits on top of the coffee like a gob of snot.
"I just wanted to show you guys what this really is," she says. "Really what it is, it's like an oil spill on your iced coffee."
She adds that's there's "a lot of separation" between the coffee and the oil, and when you swirl your straw around you can see "ooey gooey olive oil on the sides of the drink."
@bananashrooms Starbucks new olivie oil iced coffee 🥴 #oleato #starbucks #oliveoil #starbucksdrinks
"I dunno," she says at last, "it literally just tastes like olive oil and iced coffee."
Starbucks fans jumped into the comments to rip the chain for offering up the Oleato while refusing to deliver other most wanted drinks, such as mango black tea lemonade and new types of refreshers.
"Starbucks really serving lard coffee," reads the top comment.
Other reviews have been meh at best, with many blasting the drink for the way it looks with the oil separated out at the top.
\u201cThis is the new Starbucks oleato drink! I thought someone had pissed in the cup!!\u201d— Nicole \ud83c\udf65 (@Nicole \ud83c\udf65) 1679980500
"So far my stomach is gurgling and my throat is burning," wrote one Twitter reviewer. "Not sure if it's the olive oil."
\u201cFrom the girl who absolutely tried Oleato Coffee in Italy a week ago, I can 100% confirm this disgustingness. You have to be able to drink and like olive oil. The after taste is EXTREMELY strong. I hated every second of it and the Italian barista tried to warn me \ud83e\udee0\u201d— c.a.k.\ud83e\udec0lcsw (@c.a.k.\ud83e\udec0lcsw) 1679780854
"That new 'oleato' sh*t at Starbucks is the worst thing I've ever tasted," wrote another user. "I could not drink it. it tastes exactly how you would hope it wouldn't taste."
Even the kind reviews aren't all that kind.
@boksoongahs Would you guys try the Oleato @starbucks line? :0 #starbucks #oleato #starbucksoleato #oliveoil #oliveoilcoffee #starbucksoliveoilcoffee
If you don't mind the idea of an oil spill in a glass, there are several different Oleatos to choose from, including a caffe latte Oleato and an iced shaken espresso Oleato.
The Oleato was apparently a pet project for now-ex Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who stepped down earlier in March. It's unclear if Schultz's replacement, Laxman Narasimhan, is as committed to the oil business as he was.
The Oleato is already available in Italy and now available in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York, with plans in the works to bring it to Japan, the United Kingdom and the Middle East later this year.
Starbucks hasn't set a release date for the Oleato in Canada, but given olive the reviews, you're probably not missing much.
