Olive oil and coffee are staple ingredients for many people but what happens if you combine them? In early 2023, Starbucks started rolling out its Oleato line of coffee drinks featuring olive oil in Starbucks locations around the world. But what is the point of adding olive oil to coffee and should you be doing it at home? Here’s what to know before you start buying olive oil in bulk.
The Origin of the Starbucks Oleato Line
The Starbucks Oleato line was inspired by the Mediterranean tradition of taking a spoonful of olive oil in the morning, at the same time that many people may also be enjoying a cup of coffee or a shot of espresso. The Starbucks team had the idea to combine the two, and voila, the Oleato line was born. The beverages are infused with an award-winning extra-virgin olive oil.
If you would like to try an Oleato drink, check your local Starbucks stores for availability.
The Benefits of Olive Oil
Adding olive oil to coffee can offer some benefits for the mere fact that olive oil is a superfood with impressive benefits:
It is full of heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which help to reduce your bad (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) cholesterol while increasing your good (high-density lipoprotein or HDL) cholesterol, which can help to prevent heart disease. Olive oil has also been found to lower blood pressure, another key player in heart disease.
Fats, including olive oil, slow digestion, helping you to feel fuller longer and offering sustained energy. This means that fats also dull the blood sugar response, helping us to avoid big spikes in blood sugar after eating. While this is great news for those with diabetes or other metabolic conditions, it will also help the rest of us avoid the crashes that can sometimes occur after eating.
Olive oil is also full of nutrients including vitamin E and plant compounds. Vitamin E is a super effective antioxidant, helping to reduce inflammation and boost immune function. Plant compounds or plant polyphenols are also antioxidants that help to fight off free radicals that can cause chronic illness. Plus, they have been found to ward off signs of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, one review found that consuming olive oil may help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, while another meta-analysis found olive oil to be associated with the prevention of all types of cancer.
Olive oil helps us to absorb fat-soluble vitamins—vitamins A, D, E, and K. You might be surprised to learn that, no matter how many foods rich in these vitamins we eat, our bodies won’t reap the benefits without consuming fat at the same time. Given the other amazing benefits of olive oil, it’s a great fat choice to help with that absorption.
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Store olive oil in a cool, dark place away from your stove or any heat source. Don’t put it in the refrigerator; the constant cooling then warming of the oil when you take it out to use it can alter the flavor and make it go bad more quickly. Generally experts advise finishing the bottle of olive oil within three to six months of opening it.
The Bottom Line
So should you start mixing olive oil into your coffee at home? Well, there’s certainly no harm in doing so. Though, if you do want to give it a try, make sure to use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). It is less processed and maintains more of its nutrients. It will also have a more refined taste, giving a nutty sweetness to your coffee, though many olive oil–coffee fans claim that they don’t even taste it at all. However, if the taste does deter you, try adding cinnamon, honey, or your milk of choice into the mix.
However, the idea of drinking olive oil doesn’t appeal to everyone and you can reap all the wonderful health benefits of olive oil by simply using it in your cooking, including in sauces, dressings, and baked goods. You could also try adding olive oil to other drinks, but the taste may not be as palatable.
To mix coffee and olive oil yourself, add about one tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil into your coffee (plus any other desired mix-ins) with a hand-held drink mixer or blender, otherwise it will separate.