Starbucks has a hot drink that’ll potentially help you feel better when you’re under the weather. Enter the “Medicine Ball”. From helping fight off colds to providing customers with a kick of caffeine, the drink has some interesting side-benefits. Here’s what you need to know.

The Medicine Ball drink at Starbucks is made of 5 ingredients:

• Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea
• Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea
• Hot water
• Steamed lemonade
• A bit of honey

PRO TIP: NOT A HEALTHY CHOICE

You order the Medicine Ball when you got a nasty cold, not when you’re A1C blood test comes back on the higher side.

A 16 oz Grande comes with a whooping 30 grams of sugar, mostly from the lemonade that they add.

From this Barista, a healthier choice is ordering a Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and add honey. Your sore throat will get the same effect, just without the unnecessary sugar.

It’s Now On the Regular Starbucks Menu

The Medicine ball drink used to be a part of Starbucks secret menu.

However, due to the popularity of this secret menu item, this drink is now found on regular menu as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea, under their Green Tea menu category.

Another name for the drink is the Starbucks Coldbuster, and some baristas, especially those that’ve been around for awhile, will know it best by this name.

See Also: 7 Starbucks Menu “Hacks” Guaranteed To Save You Money

The Health Benefits

The Medicine Ball drink, otherwise known as the Starbucks Coldbuster, is popular for, as the name suggests, warding off a cold.

The mint in the tea is supposed to help open up your nasal passages and clear your sinuses and the honey will soothe your throat.

Here is a breakdown of how the different Honey Citrus Mint Tea (aka Medicine Ball drink) ingredients can help you ward off a nasty cold:

Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea: Has many life-saving benefits from helping to detox the body while helping fight chest congestion, cough, and sore throat.

Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea: Rich in antioxidants, helps with detoxification and is overall great for your immune system.

Lemonade: Lemonade helps boost the immune system and provides a great daily supply of Vitamin C. Lot so sugar thought.

Honey: Helps serve as a cough suppressant.

But…keep in mind that if you are REALLY sick, following the advice of this Barista, and take your “germs back home” and go see your doctor.

PRO TIP: TAKE THE LID OFF

The proper way to drink a Medicine Ball is to take the lid off and breathe in the steam.

Making it humid and getting those vapors in your sinuses will help. Keeping the lid on won’t help with that, but the honey will soothe your throat.

You CAN Order It By Name

Because the Honey Citrus Mint Tea (formerly known as the Medicine Ball drink while on the secret menu) is now part of the regular menu, baristas will know your order by name.

If you refer to the drink as the “Medicine Ball” drink, some more experienced Starbucks baristas may know what you are referring to.

If not, ask for the “Honey Citrus Mint Tea”.

Nutritional Facts and Calories

The Honey Citrus Mint Tea is an extremely healthy drink that is a great beverage to help fight off a nasty cold.

The drink contains about 130 calories (this may change depending on size and any customizations).

Here is a brief breakdown of a Grande-sized Medicine Ball drink’s nutritional facts:

• 130 calories
• Total fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 10 mg
• Total carbohydrates: 32 g
• Protein: 0 g
• Caffeine: 16 mg
• Sugars: 30 g

Being just 130 calories and having zero grams of fat, the Honey Citrus Mint tea drink is one of the healthier Starbucks drinks that can give you a kick of energy while fighting off any nasty cold symptoms.

See Also: 8 No-Brainer Ways to Save Money at Your Local Starbucks

The Medicine Ball Has Caffeine

The drink does indeed have a little caffeine in it.

In a Grande (16-ounce) Starbucks drink size, you can expect there to be about 16mg of caffeine.

For reference, a 16-ounce coffee has about 190mg of caffeine.

The Current Price of a Medicine Ball

While all Starbucks’s prices will vary depending on the location, you can expect to pay about the following:

Prices as of 10/28/24:

• Short price (8 oz): $3.65
• Tall price (12 oz): $3.75
• Grande price (16 oz): $4.45
• Venti price (20 oz): $5.25

Ask the Reader: Have you ever ordered a Medicine Ball at Starbucks or made one at home? Did it seem to help with your cold?

By Kyle James

Kyle James( Owner/Founder )

I started Rather-Be-Shopping.com in 2000 and have become a consumer expert and advocate writing about out-of-the-box ways to save at stores like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Costco to name a few. I’ve been featured on FOX News, Good Morning America, and the NY Times talking about my savings tips. (Learn more)