The Mistake To Avoid When Adding Olive Oil To Your Coffee

Last year, Starbucks received mixed reviews — and a few raised eyebrows — with the introduction of the Oleato line, a series of drinks that blend olive oil with coffee. Strange as the combo might seem, it's not utterly unprecedented. The idea is similar to bulletproof coffee, which blends coffee, MCT oil, and butter for a keto-friendly morning boost. The brand's founder, Howard Schultz, came up with the idea on a trip to Italy, where downing a spoonful of olive oil with breakfast is a common custom. The flavors work surprisingly well together. The fatty olive oil helps take the acidic edge off the coffee, and the flavors blend together to create an earthy, savory alternative for folks who don't like sugary syrups.

Starbucks is often ahead of the curve when it comes to coffee trends, and this one is exceptionally simple to recreate at home. But you can't just stir olive oil into coffee like you would with milk or creamer. To learn how to make the drink properly, Tasting Table turned to Matthew Woodburn-Simmonds, a former barista and one of the experts behind the site Home Coffee Expert. "You need an electric mixer or blender to mix olive oil into your coffee or it will just separate back out again," Woodburn-Simmonds explained. But don't feel bad if you don't get it right the first time — even some Starbucks baristas missed the memo, with reports of poorly-mixed Oleato coffees circulating online.

Using a blender won't totally emulsify the two liquids (an emulsion is a stable mixture that won't settle and separate over time). However, with enough brute force, you can break the oil up into tiny droplets that disperse evenly throughout the coffee, more or less. This is what scientists call a colloidal suspension — it's not fully stable, but it should last long enough for you to enjoy your coffee.

Blenders aren't the only way to mix oil and coffee together by brute force, though. Take a tip from Tasting Table's guide to bulletproof coffee and use an immersion blender; it's an easy way to blend the ingredients together right in your cup. You can also use a hand-held milk frother, and a standard whisk could work in a pinch. If possible, add the oil slowly. Drizzling it in as you blend the coffee will help prevent the two liquids from separating. Once your oil and coffee are fully blended, you'll have an opaque, light-colored mixture without any oil pooling on top: silky smooth, savory, and ready for you to enjoy.