You’ve never seen the words “Medicine Ball” on a Starbucks menu, but that doesn’t mean you can’t order one there. Starbucks is notorious for its lengthy secret menu – a seemingly never-ending compilation of off-menu drink concoctions that loyal customers continue to get creative with – and one of those concoctions is what’s (formerly) called a Medicine Ball.
This sweet and fruity drink is a customer creation that goes back to 2016, but what’s special about the Medicine Ball is that it was so popular it earned a permanent spot on the Starbucks menu…but under an entirely different name. It’s still a popular item at Starbucks today – you just have to know how to order it.
So what is a Medicine Ball made of, and how do you get your hands on one (assuming you don’t want to make your own Medicine Ball at home)? Here’s everything you need to know about this not-exactly-off-menu customer favorite.
Medicine Ball = Honey Citrus Mint Tea
A Medicine Ball, also referred to by some as the Cold Buster, is an aptly named drink that many customers reach for during cold or flu season, or to help them feel a little better if they’re under the weather. At Starbucks, the drink is known on the menu as Honey Citrus Mint Tea.
Starbucks’ Honey Citrus Mint Tea stays true to the original customer creation: it’s a tea-based drink that’s made with two types of tea infusions – Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and Peach Tranquility tea – which are steeped in hot water and steamed lemonade. The drink is then sweetened with Starbucks’ honey blend (which is essentially like a honey simple syrup).
What does the drink taste like? It’s fairly sweet from the lemonade and honey, with flavors of lemon verbena, pineapple, chamomile, and mint from the infusion of teas.
How to order a Medicine Ball
If you’re interested in trying this fruity tea concoction, Starbucks has made the ordering simple thanks to the drink’s official addition to the menu back in 2017.
No need to ask for a Medicine Ball or Cold Buster (although some baristas may still know what you mean) – just order a Honey Citrus Mint Tea in the cup size of your choice, and you’ll get the exact creation you’re after.
From there, like any Starbucks beverage you can always customize your order. The standard recipe includes the Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and Peach Tranquility tea infusions, water, lemonade, and honey blend – a short and a tall come with one pump, and a grande and venti come with two pumps – but the drink includes customization options to change the amount of honey pumps included or to choose extra, light, or no lemonade.
While most teas at Starbucks can be ordered hot or iced, the Honey Citrus Mint Tea is only available as a hot drink. All the better to bust that cold!
Nutritional information for Honey Citrus Mint Tea
You might be wondering about the nutritional information of this drink, given that it’s not just a blend of teas but it includes other ingredients that sweeten things up.
While the tea infusions themselves are calorie-free, thanks to the lemonade and the addition of Starbucks’ honey blend, this drink does come with calories, carbs, and sugars. The beverage also includes around 16 mg of caffeine, regardless of the size.
Below is some top line nutritional information for a Honey Citrus Mint Tea (or Medicine Ball) in each of the various cup sizes available for ordering.
| Short | Tall | Grande | Venti | |
| Calories | 60 | 80 | 130 | 150 |
| Total Fat | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 16 g | 20 g | 32 g | 37 g |
| Sugars | 15 g | 19 g | 30 g | 34 g |
A Medicine Ball, which is officially on the Starbucks menu as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea, is made with an infusion of steeped Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and Peach Tranquility tea, hot water, lemonade, and one to two pumps of Starbucks honey blend.
While you can order the drink as a Medicine Ball or perhaps as one of its other names of Cold Buster, it’s not guaranteed that your barista will know the exact recipe for the secret menu item. The best way to order a Medicine Ball is to order it under its new name on the official menu: the Honey Citrus Mint Tea.
Starbucks has a very robust secret menu that’s gradually been built by customer creations over the years. This includes unique flavor concoctions or drinks inspired by pop culture, and some items (like the Pink Drink and what was formerly known as the Medicine Ball) have even made it to the permanent Starbucks menu.
Leave a Comment