The Trick To Making Olive Oil Coffee Drinks That Actually Taste Good
Coffee and olive oil aren't necessarily two foods that go hand in hand, but you can blame Starbucks for the idea. Inspired by the Italian tradition of slurping a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil each morning, the company's CEO, Howard Schultz, saw an opportunity. Starbucks rolled out new offerings via the Oleato line: the Caffè Latte, the Iced Shaken Espresso (also called the Iced Cortado), and the Golden Foam Cold Brew, all of which were infused with Partanna, a family-owned olive oil from Sicily. Tasting Table's review of the pairings didn't start out strong, but it did reveal the trick to making olive oil coffee that actually tastes good: Mixing it with oat milk.
We're not alone in this hypothesis. In fact, Katerina Mountanos, certified olive oil sommelier and founder of Mediterranean-rooted olive oil and lifestyle brand Kosterina, can back up Tasting Table's observation. She told us, "If you really want to use your coffee to get your daily dose of premium EVOO, I recommend mixing EVOO into an oat milk latte (the oat milk and the EVOO emulsify well)." As if her olive oil expertise wasn't enough, Mountanos is also a coffee fanatic. She said, "No one loves coffee more than me. I go to sleep at night dreaming of the cup of coffee I will sip on first thing in the morning." But, for as much as she loves both, she isn't a fan of mixing olive oil and coffee in general.
Read more: 26 Coffee Hacks You Need To Know For A Better Cup
The Secret Is In The Oat Milk
The reason why it's a tricky mix is because olive oil has a very pronounced flavor — one that can be earthy, buttery, grassy, bright, and peppery. It doesn't sound like it'd go well with coffee, but the idea is that the flavors are supposed to balance each other out. Except, that can only happen if the two are mixed correctly. That's where the emulsification that Mountanos was talking about comes in. Being an oil and a liquid, it's natural for the olive oil in your drink to separate from the coffee itself, which leads to an uneven distribution of flavors. By mixing the olive oil with your oat milk, however, you can create an emulsion of the two that will blend seamlessly into your coffee.
If you have a fancy milk frother, you can use it to mix a spoonful of olive oil into your oat milk. Without a frother, your other option is to use a blender to mix the two. If you like sweetness, honey is a common emulsifier you can add to help move things along. If you make your own oat milk at home, you can simply add olive oil directly into the recipe before you blend. Not only will it infuse your oat milk with all the olive oil benefits, but it will also give your homemade oat milk lattes a barista-worthy froth.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
