Honey Citrus Mint Tea
Starbucks Medicine Ball: What Is in the Honey Citrus Mint Tea
The Medicine Ball is a nickname for the official Honey Citrus Mint Tea, a hot mix of green tea, herbal peach tea, steamed lemonade and honey. Order it by the menu name. It is low in caffeine and fairly sweet. The sections below cover ingredients, price notes and tweaks.
About 18 mgGrande caffeine
About 30 gGrande sugar
HotServed
$4.75+From price
Medicine Ball quick facts
The Medicine Ball is a nickname for the Honey Citrus Mint Tea, a hot drink built from a green tea blend, a herbal peach tea, steamed lemonade and honey. Plenty of people hunting for the Starbucks Medicine Ball type those words into the app and find nothing, because the menu lists it under its real name. This guide covers what is inside, the caffeine and sugar, and how to order it. It sits under the Starbucks tea menu with the other hot teas.
Teavana Honey Citrus Mint Tea: The Official Name for the Medicine Ball
The official name is Honey Citrus Mint Tea. Medicine Ball is the name customers gave it, and Cold Buster is another nickname you may hear. It began as a customer creation, and the menu description says it became so popular that it moved onto the regular menu. Reports place that move in 2017.
In the app it lives under Hot Teas. The description calls it a green tea with notes of chamomile and hints of spearmint and fruit, served with steamed lemonade and a touch of honey.
Honey Citrus Mint Tea
The card shows the delivery-app starting price, not the in-store price.
- Served hot, in tea cup sizes
- Two teas in one cup: one green, one herbal
- Steamed lemonade and honey for sweetness
- Caffeine stays low compared with coffee
What Is in a Starbucks Medicine Ball Drink
A Medicine Ball is a mix of two Teavana teas, hot water, steamed lemonade and a honey blend. The green tea is the Jade Citrus Mint blend, which brings lemon verbena, lemongrass and spearmint. The herbal tea is Peach Tranquility, a caffeine-free blend. Nutrition listings for the drink name apple, rose hips, chamomile and licorice among the tea ingredients, and the lemonade is made from water, lemon juice, sugar and lemon oil.
The taste is gentle: sweet citrus first, then mint and a floral edge from the chamomile, with honey rounding it off. It reads more like warm lemonade with tea notes than a strong brew. The steamed lemonade is what separates it from a plain mug of tea, and the lemonade-based drinks page covers the iced side of that ingredient.
Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea Explained
Peach Tranquility is an herbal tea, which means it has no tea leaves and no caffeine. It is a fruity, soft blend that leans on peach flavor with floral and herbal notes underneath. Starbucks pairs it with the green tea so the cup tastes round and fruity instead of grassy.
Searches for "teavana peach tranquility" or "tea peach tranquility" usually lead here, because the Medicine Ball is the main drink that uses this blend.
Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea Starbucks Adds to the Cup
In the cup, the Peach Tranquility half softens the green tea and lets the citrus and honey come through. It is also why you can cut the caffeine almost to nothing: ask for the herbal tea only. Whether a store sells it as bagged sachets depends on the location, so ask at the counter.
Medicine Ball Caffeine, Calories and Sugar by Size
The drink is light on caffeine and heavy on sugar. All the caffeine comes from the green tea half, since the herbal half has none. Sugar comes mostly from the lemonade and the honey.
Medicine Ball Caffeine, Calories and Sugar by Size
| Size | Calories | Sugar | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tall (12 oz) | 90 | 20 g | About 9 mg |
| Grande (16 oz) | 130 | 30 g | About 18 mg |
| Venti (20 oz) | 150 | 35 g | About 18 mg |
These numbers come from nutrition trackers that use Starbucks data. Other reports put a Grande between 16 and 25 mg of caffeine, so treat that row as a range. Check the app for current official values.
For comparison, a Grande brewed coffee is commonly listed at roughly 300 mg or more. Iced Passion Tango Tea, an herbal blend, has no caffeine at all. A Grande Medicine Ball has about as much sugar as a small soda, so the lower-sugar tweaks above matter if you are watching that.
Medicine Ball Questions People Ask
What is the official name of the Medicine Ball?
The official name is Honey Citrus Mint Tea. Medicine Ball and Cold Buster are customer nicknames. Baristas usually recognize them, but the menu and app list the drink as Honey Citrus Mint Tea, so use that name when you want to be sure of getting the right order.
What teas are in the Medicine Ball?
It combines a green tea blend called Jade Citrus Mint with a herbal tea called Peach Tranquility. The first brings lemon verbena, lemongrass and spearmint. The second is a caffeine-free peach-flavored herbal blend. Hot water, steamed lemonade and honey complete the cup.
How much caffeine is in a Medicine Ball?
Not much. Nutrition trackers list about 9 mg in a Tall and about 18 mg in a Grande or Venti, while other reports give a Grande somewhere between 16 and 25 mg. The green tea supplies all of it. The herbal tea adds none.
How many calories are in a Grande Medicine Ball?
Nutrition trackers using Starbucks data list a Grande at 130 calories and 30 g of sugar. A Tall is about 90 calories and a Venti about 150. Most of the calories come from the lemonade and honey, so reducing either lowers the total.
Is the Medicine Ball on the Starbucks menu?
Yes. The delivery menu lists it as Honey Citrus Mint Tea under Hot Tea, and the description says it is a customer creation that became popular enough to join the menu. Availability can still vary by store, especially in licensed locations such as grocery stores or airports.
Does the Medicine Ball have honey and lemonade?
Yes to both. The menu describes it as served with steamed lemonade and a touch of honey. The honey is a honey blend, and the lemonade is warmed with steam. You can ask for less of either one if you want the drink to taste milder.
Can you get a Medicine Ball iced?
Not as an official menu item. The drink is built hot, and the steamed lemonade is part of that. Some people ask for a custom iced tea with lemonade, which is a different drink. Ask your barista what they can do, and expect it to taste different.
Can you make a Medicine Ball caffeine-free?
Yes, in most cases. Ask for the Peach Tranquility tea only, with or without lemonade and honey. Since that tea is herbal, the cup has no caffeine. Confirm with the barista when you order, because the standard recipe includes the green tea.
Does the Medicine Ball help with a sore throat?
A warm cup with honey and lemon can feel soothing, but it does not treat the cause of a sore throat. Mayo Clinic says honey may help ease coughs, though stronger studies are needed. See a doctor if symptoms are severe or last several days.
What does the Medicine Ball taste like?
Sweet, citrusy and mild. Lemonade leads, followed by mint and a floral note from the chamomile, with honey softening the edges. It does not taste strongly of tea. If you want less sweetness, ask for less honey or skip the lemonade.