The Starbucks Oleato Is Finally Available in the U.S.and We Tried It

For years, Starbucks has tinkered with fancy syrups, limited-edition Frappuccinos, and seasonal drinks that taste like desserts in a cup. But this time, the coffee giant took a hard left turn into Mediterranean wellness culture and said, “What if we just…pour extra virgin olive oil into your latte?” That idea became Starbucks Oleato, a line of olive-oil-infused coffee drinks that started in Italy and finally landed in the United Statesfirst in select cities, then across thousands of stores.

Inspired by former CEO Howard Schultz’s trip to Sicilywhere locals down a spoonful of olive oil before coffeeOleato promised a creamy, velvety texture and a little “good fat” halo on top of your daily caffeine fix. The result? A very 2020s mash-up of wellness trend and Starbucks customization culture, with a lot of buzz, plenty of skeptics, and more than a few “my stomach regrets this” reviews.

We dove into the story behind Oleato, how it finally became available in the U.S., what’s actually in these drinks, and, of course, what it’s like to drink coffee that tastes faintly like your favorite salad dressing.

What Exactly Is Starbucks Oleato?

Oleato is Starbucks’ branded line of beverages made with a spoonful of Partanna extra virgin olive oil blended into coffee drinks. According to Starbucks, the goal was to create an “alchemy” between high-quality arabica coffee and cold-pressed olive oil, producing a luxuriously smooth mouthfeel and richer flavor in classic espresso-based beverages.

Instead of simply drizzling olive oil on top, Starbucks emulsifies it into the drink or into cold foam. Think of it like making a latte vinaigrette: the oil is shaken or blended so it suspends in the coffee and milk, giving the drink a silky, almost buttery texture.

The signature Oleato drinks in the U.S. typically used:

• Starbucks Blonde espresso or Starbucks Reserve espresso
• Oat milk or other dairy alternatives
• Toffeenut or other flavored syrups
• “Oleato Golden Foam” – a sweet cream cold foam infused with olive oil

So no, you’re not sipping straight olive oil with a side of coffee. But the oil is definitely presentand your taste buds (and sometimes your digestive system) know it’s there.

How Oleato Finally Came to the U.S.

Oleato debuted in Italy in early 2023, then quickly made its way to the U.S. through a carefully staged rollout. Starbucks initially launched Oleato at its high-end Reserve Roasteries and Reserve stores in major cities like Seattle, Chicago, and New York, plus the Empire State Building location.

These locations offered not just the drinks but also a full-on Oleato Tasting Experiencea barista-led, multi-course tasting flight where guests could try different Oleato beverages, compare textures, and pretend they were at a coffee-themed wine tasting. The experience cost around $50–$60 and positioned Oleato as a premium “coffee moment,” not just an impulse order on your way to work.

After the Reserve rollout, Starbucks expanded Oleato to select Starbucks stores in cities like Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Miami, and then to additional states including Texas, Florida, and several in New England. By mid-2023, the line had moved from “exclusive roastery experiment” to “you might actually see this at your neighborhood Starbucks.”

The Core Oleato Lineup: What You Could Order

While exact offerings varied by location and over time, three drinks became the best-known faces of the Oleato lineup in the U.S.:

1. Oleato Caffè Latte with Oatmilk

This was the most “approachable” option: Blonde espresso, oat milk, and a spoonful of Partanna olive oil, sometimes lightly sweetened. Starbucks described it as smooth, subtly nutty, and comfortingbasically your standard oat latte that took a gap year in Sicily.

2. Oleato Iced Shaken Espresso with Oatmilk and Toffeenut

This iced drink leaned into Starbucks’ sweet-and-creamy wheelhouse. Baristas shook espresso with toffeenut syrup and ice, added oat milk, then crowned it with Oleato Golden Foam, the olive-oil-infused sweet cream foam. It was positioned as the “fun” drink of the bunch, ideal for fans of iced espresso drinks who wanted a richer texture and dessert-like flavor.

3. Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew

For cold brew lovers, Starbucks combined its slow-steeped cold brew with a generous cloud of Oleato Golden Foam. Many reviewers noted this one looked stunninglike a coffee lava lamp, with thick, glossy foam floating on topbut also called it extremely sweet and “olive-forward” in flavor.

Beyond these, some Reserve locations also experimented with Oleato-inspired espresso martinis and other specialty drinks, but the three core beverages above were the main options at most U.S. stores.

So… How Does Starbucks Oleato Actually Taste?

Short answer: it’s complicated. Long answer: it depends which drink you order, how you feel about olive oil, and how sensitive your stomach is.

Texture: Luxuriously Creamy or Just…Oily?

The biggest difference you notice right away isn’t the flavorit’s the texture. Olive oil is naturally rich and viscous, so when it’s emulsified into coffee and milk, it creates a velvety, almost buttery mouthfeel. For some people, that’s indulgent and satisfying. For others, it feels like drinking a warm latte that’s been spiked with salad dressing.

Reviewers from food publications like Bon Appétit and Tasting Table described the Golden Foam Cold Brew in particular as smelling like vinaigrette and tasting both intensely sweet and strongly olive-y, with the novelty wearing off as you keep drinking. It’s the kind of drink you might enjoy as a one-time experiencebut not necessarily crave on a random Tuesday.

Flavor: Nutty, Sweet, and Sometimes Salady

When Oleato works, the olive oil shows up as a subtle, nutty richness that plays well with oat milk and toffeenut syrup. In the Iced Shaken Espresso, for example, many tasters felt the sweetness and milk smoothed out the oil, making the drink closer to a super-creamy dessert coffee.

In simpler drinks or sips of straight foam, the olive oil flavor can become a lot more obviousgrassy, peppery, and almost savory. Some people loved that grown-up complexity. Others felt like they’d accidentally ordered a coffee-flavored aioli.

The Infamous Digestive Side Effects

We can’t talk about Starbucks Oleato without addressing the elephant in the room (or, more accurately, the customer sprinting to the restroom). As reports of Oleato drinks spread, so did social media posts and news stories about people experiencing digestive distress after drinking them.

Olive oil is a natural fat and can have a mild laxative effect, especially in larger quantities or on an empty stomach. Combine that with caffeine and, in some drinks, a significant amount of sugar and dairy or oat milk, and you have a beverage that can be…energetic, metabolically speaking.

Not everyone had issues, of course. Some customers swore they felt fine and loved the drinks. But the jokes about Oleato being “a legit laxative” became part of its reputation almost as fast as the official marketing copy.

Is Starbucks Oleato Actually Good for You?

Starbucks leaned heavily on olive oil’s heart-healthy image. Extra virgin olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants and is a staple of the Mediterranean diet. In theory, adding a tablespoon of good olive oil to your coffee isn’t the worst idea in the world.

But here’s the catch: you’re not just drinking olive oil and black coffee. Oleato drinks often include:

• Sweetened cold foam or sweet cream
• Syrups like toffeenut
• Milk or oat milk
• Multiple shots of espresso

All that can add up to serious calories. A venti-sized Oleato Golden Foam Iced Shaken Espresso with Toffeenut, for instance, clocks in around 400+ calories with high fat and sugar. That’s more of a dessert than a “health drink,” olive oil or not.

If you’re looking for a genuine wellness boost, you’re better off drizzling olive oil on a salad or roasted vegetables and sticking to a simpler coffee order.

Is Oleato Still on the Starbucks Menu?

Here’s where the story takes a twist. After all the hype, global rollout, and intense marketing, Starbucks began quietly pulling Oleato from menus. By late 2024, multiple reports confirmed that the Oleato olive-oil-infused drinks were being discontinued in the U.S.

The reasons? A mix of factors:

• Mixed customer reception: Some people loved the drinks, but a lot didn’t, especially after trying them once.
• Operational complexity: Olive oil, special foam, extra stepsbaristas already juggle complicated orders, and this didn’t simplify things.
• Menu cleanup: Under new leadership, Starbucks has been working to streamline its menu and focus more on core drinks that actually sell well.

That said, Oleato isn’t totally gone from Starbucks history. You might occasionally see olive-oil coffee pop up as a trend, especially in specialty shops or online recipes. But as a mainstream, nationwide Starbucks offering, Oleato had a fairly short, dramatic run.

Should You Try Oleato If You Ever Get the Chance?

If Oleato ever makes a cameo return in a special promotion or if you’re tempted to DIY your own olive oil coffee at homehere’s the bottom line:

• If you like rich, silky textures and don’t mind a hint of savory flavor with your coffee, you might genuinely enjoy it.
• If you’re sensitive to fats, sugar, or coffee on an empty stomach, proceed with caution (and maybe stay near a bathroom).
• If you’re expecting a simple health upgrade, remember this is still a sugary specialty drinknot a miracle Mediterranean tonic.

Oleato was bold, weird, and memorableexactly the kind of experiment you’d expect from a brand that made unicorn Frappuccinos a thing. Whether it was genius or gimmick depends on your taste buds. But it definitely proved one thing: we’re not done pushing the boundaries of what coffee can be…or what we’re willing to put in it.

Our Oleato Taste Test: A Full Day with the Olive Oil Latte

When Oleato finally became available near us in the U.S., we did what any responsible coffee-obsessed adults would do: we dedicated an entire afternoon to drinking it in all its forms and taking entirely too many notes.

Stop 1: The Reserve Roastery “Experience”

The first stop was a Starbucks Reserve locationa polished, industrial-chic space that feels like someone crossed a coffee shop with a design museum. Oleato wasn’t just a menu item there; it was a moment. The barista talked us through the story of Schultz in Sicily, the extra virgin olive oil, and how the foam is infused and whipped until it’s glossy and thick.

We started with the Oleato Caffè Latte with Oatmilk. At first sip, it was surprisingly gentle. The olive oil didn’t punch us in the face; instead, it played backup singer, adding a soft, round richness behind the nutty oat milk and Blonde espresso. If no one had mentioned olive oil, we might have just assumed it was a very creamy, slightly unusual oat latte.

Halfway through the cup, though, the oil’s personality came forward. The finish turned a bit more savory, with that faintly peppery note you get from good extra virgin olive oil. One person at the table loved that complexity. Another said, “It tastes like my latte and my salad dressing had a meeting.”

Stop 2: Golden Foam and High Drama

Next up: Oleato Golden Foam Cold Brew. Visually, it was a 10/10. The cold brew at the bottom, the thick, glossy golden foam on topit looked like something designed to live on Instagram, preferably with natural light and a marble table.

Taste-wise, it was intense. The foam was ultra-sweet and very rich, like melted ice cream that had just spent a semester abroad in Italy. The olive oil here was more obviousgrassy and a little heavy. A few sips were fun, almost decadent. But as we kept going, the drink became overwhelming, like eating too many bites of a super-rich dessert.

This was also the point where a few stomachs at the table started to negotiate. No one was in full-blown panic mode, but you could feel the combination of coffee, sugar, and fat starting to make itself known.

Stop 3: Iced Shaken Espresso with Toffeenut

Our last Oleato of the day was the Iced Shaken Espresso with Oatmilk and Toffeenut, topped with more golden foam. This one was the crowd favorite. The toffeenut flavor, espresso, and oat milk created a strong dessert-coffee baseline, and the olive oil mostly came through as a plush texture rather than a bold flavor.

It felt like the most “balanced” Oleato drink, especially for those who already love Starbucks’ sweeter iced espresso options. If any Oleato item was going to win over the average customer, it was this one.

The Aftermath: Would We Order It Again?

By the end of the mini Oleato marathon, everyone agreed on a few things:

• The concept is genuinely interestingthis isn’t just another syrup flavor.
• The drinks are rich enough that one per day (or week) is probably plenty.
• Your stomach’s reaction may vary, and it’s not a bad idea to pair Oleato with actual food.

Would we order it again? For most of us, the answer was, “Maybe once in a while, for the novelty.” It’s the kind of drink you might buy to split with a friend, just to experience it together, laugh about it, and decide whether you’re Team Olive Oil Coffee or Team Absolutely Not.

In the end, Oleato was less about becoming the new everyday latte and more about starting conversationsabout flavor, texture, wellness trends, and how far we’re willing to go in the name of “elevating” our coffee. And on that front, it definitely delivered.