Starbuck’s New Star Drink: Olive Oil Coffee
Photo from Starbucks
Edited by Michelle Ho
Starbucks has introduced a drink line with a new addition to its ingredient list: olive oil. The company recently announced Oleato Coffee Beverages. The line infuses Italian Partanna extra-virgin olive oil into these Starbucks drinks: Caffé Latte, Iced Cortado, Golden Foam Cold Brew, Deconstructed and Golden Foam Espresso Martini. The new drinks debuted on February 22nd in Milan and other Starbucks stores in Italy. They will soon make their way to Southern California and the USA; later in the year, select markets in Japan, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom will launch the beverages.
Their inspiration came from Italy, which has always been a special place for Starbucks – four decades ago, Howard Schultz (who had recently joined the company in 1982) walked the streets of Milan, Italy. He experienced the romance of its espresso bars, which motivated him to bring the Italian coffeehouse experience to Starbucks and the rest of the world.
Last year, Schultz was travelling in Sicily when he found something interesting. He was introduced to the Mediterranean custom of taking a spoonful of olive oil daily. After that, he began enjoying a spoonful of Partanna extra virgin olive oil with his morning coffee, and soon, he had the idea of trying the two together.
He discovered an unexpected yet delicious alchemy of Starbucks coffee drinks infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil. “I was absolutely stunned at the unique flavour and texture created when the Partanna extra virgin olive oil was infused into Starbucks coffee,” Schultz said. “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.”
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