Starbucks tries to get Italians hooked on their coffee with Starbucks Oleato
Dutch people drink approximately 2.4 cups a day. Converted, that’s—don’t be alarmed—260 liters of coffee per person per year! We prefer to drink an espresso or cappuccino (and in the Randstad with haferrrr —yes, that’s really how they pronounce it here). If it were up to Starbucks, we’ll soon be adding a new favorite to that list—the flavor is, remarkably enough, being rolled out in coffee-loving Italy.
Going on holiday to Italy is a delight. Because of the divine cuisine and the insanely good coffee you can buy everywhere—even at gas stations, where there’s a barista—and at a very good price, too. Because those crazy coffee prices we pay here are, for now at least, unheard of in Italy. So why on earth would you go to a Starbucks in Italy (delicious coffee, great price) (inferior coffee, high price)? That’s exactly the problem: Italians don’t go to Starbucks often enough, and the chain wants to change that.
Starbucks Oleato
How? Through the introduction of Starbucks Oleato. In other words: coffee infused with olive oil. Will that win the Italians over?
Coffee with olive oil?
Although I can appreciate good olive oil, I can’t really picture the combination with coffee. But if you believe Starbucks director Howard Schultz, adding olive oil to coffee creates a silky-smooth and wonderfully indulgent flavor. “It creates an entirely new experience; the coffee gains a depth and dimension you’ll simply only believe when you taste it,” says Howard.
Oleato coffee comes in various versions, including espresso, Latté, Golden Foam (the olive oil is mixed into the milk) and an Iced version.
Weight gainer
As is often the case with Starbucks coffee, the new Starbucks Oleato is also packed with calories. A spoonful of olive oil contains approximately 100 calories. That makes this cup of coffee a real weight gainer, with roughly as many calories as a glass of beer. If you’d still like to try a cup of Oleato coffee, you’ll (for now) have to go to Italy or the US. The coffee is available only at a limited number of locations there. It is expected to become available in Japan, the Middle East and England later this year as well. It is not yet known when it will appear on the menu in the Netherlands.
Also read:
- 12 things that drive Starbucks baristas completely crazy
- Black coffee? You’re probably a dangerous lunatic
- Can we stop sending a Tikkie for a single coffee?
Source: Starbucks
