A Coffee Expert’s Look Into Starbucks Tea Menu
How does the Starbucks tea scene compare to the brand’s world-renown specialty coffees? Does Starbucks have green tea? Not only does Starbucks feature green teas, but the quality teas at Starbucks are surprisingly diverse. The main types of Starbucks tea drinks include Starbucks black tea, Starbucks chai, Starbucks green tea, and Starbucks herbal tea.
Let’s get a coffee expert’s look into the Starbucks Canada tea menu for the types, subtypes, and temperatures of teas to try.
The 30 Best Starbucks Canada Tea Flavours
From avid bookworms wanting to curl up with a hot cup of tea to aspiring writers needing the focus of an iced tea, we’ve got you covered. Take a look at our carefully organized list of hot and cold Starbucks tea menu items sorted by tea type to peruse the best drinks to get at Starbucks.
Why Starbucks Tea Over Coffee?
There is less caffeine in tea vs coffee, so you can still cut back on it without losing Starbucks.
It’s [also] pretty well established that the compounds in tea – their flavonoids – are good for the heart and may reduce cancer.
Considering suitable coffee alternatives? Tea is a great option with many health benefits (1).
The 3 Starbucks Chai Teas
Starbucks lists 3 subtypes of chai teas on their online menu. As “chai” means “tea,” shorten these drink names to chai latte, iced chai latte, and Teavana tea. Your barista will thank you.
1. Chai Tea Latte
The Starbucks chai tea latte is the most iconic combination of black tea and espresso to appease any tea lover or coffee connoisseur seeking a taste of both. Enjoy the warmth radiating from its steamed milk with a foam topping and a balanced spicy infusion of clove and cinnamon.
If you prefer the iced version, you’ll still get the same flavour profile over a nice glass of refreshing ice.
For more tea lattes or even just regular lattes, check out Starbucks’ latte menu online.
If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, try making a dirty chai latte recipe yourself at home.
2. Iced Chai Tea Latte
3. Teavana Chai Tea
Did you know Oprah hopped into the coffee scene a decade ago? Her bold spice blend with cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and ginger gives you the Winfrey taste to start your day strong (2).
The 8 Starbucks Black Teas
Not ready to fully give up on caffeine? Black tea is made from fermented tea leaves and has the closest caffeine content to coffee of any other tea, ranging from 47 mg per 240 ml up to 90 mg. Let’s explore these stronger teas.
4. London Fog Tea Latte
The London fog tea latte Starbucks has, hot or iced, is pumped full of vanilla syrup with bright citrusy hints of bergamot and lavender notes. It takes earl grey tea up a notch for fancier days.
5. Iced London Fog Tea Latte
6. Earl Grey Tea
For a simpler and more classic take on the London fog tea latte, the Earl Grey tea has none of the vanilla, replacing it instead with the hint of lemonade and the Grande strength of 2 tea bags.
7. Royal English Breakfast Tea
What else could be more fitting than a royal English breakfast black tea to start off your morning right? It’s full-bodied, complex, and strong, with an elegance you’ll carry with you all day long.
8. Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte
If you need a sweeter morning wake-up, take the royal English breakfast tea and turn it into a hot or iced latte with velvety steamed milk, espresso, and many pumps of liquid cane sugar.
9. Iced Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte
10. Iced Black Tea
Shaken, not stirred. This sweetened and flavourful iced black tea is full of ice and everything nice.
11. Iced Black Tea Lemonade
Add lemonade, and voila! A tea version of an Arnold Palmer is born from just an iced black tea.
The 11 Starbucks Green Teas
Moving on to steamed tea leaves, let’s dive into green teas featuring crowd-pleasing matchas and regular green teas with smoky, citrus, and minty notes, added lemonade, and peach flavours.
12. Matcha Tea Latte
This matcha tea latte Starbucks offers, hot and iced, started it all. Made creamy with its steamed milk, this smooth sipping experience gives you the perfect mix of espresso and matcha powder. I would personally classify this drink as the best hot tea at Starbucks.
Check out this YouTube video to learn how to make a Starbucks matcha tea latte at home.
13. Iced Matcha Tea Latte
14. Iced Strawberry Oat Matcha Tea Latte
Spring is in bloom, and so is matcha. This non-dairy matcha delight features matcha tea powder, lots of strawberry syrup, creamy oat milk, and real chunks of strawberry over ice.
15. Iced Matcha Tea Lemonade
This iced matcha tea lemonade is summer in a cup with its green grassy look, crisp clear taste, and soothingly cool mouthfeel. It pairs perfectly with a hot sunny day and a nice patch of shade.
16. Emperor’s Clouds & Mist
You’ll be floating all day after sipping this deliciously sweet and uniquely smoky green tea.
17. Honey Citrus Mint Tea
The honey citrus mint tea is a classic Starbucks tea for sore throat and other flu-like symptoms. It was often ordered as a secret menu tea drink called Medicine Ball, but due to its popularity it gained its own official name. The soothing Starbucks medicine ball tea drink is made with jade citrus mint green tea, peach tranquility herbal tea, steamed lemonade, hot water, and honey.
18. Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea
Sore from post-workout or lack of sleep? The lemon verbena present in this jade citrus mint brewed green tea has been said to help with muscle damage (3). And if that’s not enough lemon flavouring, there’s also lemongrass with a complimentary note of spearmint to soothe your soul.
19. Iced Green Tea
The iced green tea is a more down-to-Earth and unsweet green tea Starbucks version of the jade citrus mint tea. For another take on this classic drink, order a Starbucks green tea latte.
20. Iced Green Tea Lemonade
Can’t get enough lemon? Throw lemonade into the mix of lemongrass and lemon verbena with the cooling minty freshness of an iced green tea lemonade. Talk about life giving you lemons!
21. Iced Peach Green Tea
The special peach juice blend elevates plain iced green tea to new heights with its fruiter take.
22. Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade
Iced Starbucks green tea lemonade just got a whole lot more peachy keen with its blend of vibrant peach and zesty lemon flavours.
The 4 Starbucks Herbal Teas
For more R&R and less stress, these 4 Starbucks herbal teas will perk you up on your low days.
23. Mint Majesty
The mint majesty has all of the mint and lemon verbena of a jade citrus mint tea, with none of the caffeine. Perfect on days when you need a little hug or a gentle pick-me-up for oncoming flus.
24. Peach Tranquility
The peach tranquility tea Starbucks offers is a wonderfully relaxing blend of candied pineapple, chamomile blossoms, lemon verbena, peach, and tasting notes of rose hips.
25. Iced Passion Tango Tea
Bold and fiercely bright with its characteristic red hue, the iced passion tango tea is shaken by hand with care amidst the vibrant apple, hibiscus, and lemongrass flavours swimming within it.
26. Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade
Just when you thought the iced passion tango tea couldn’t get any better, add lemonade to taste the refreshing, lip-smacking goodness of a passion tea lemonade Starbucks is well known for.
The 4 Starbucks Honourable Mentions
To end off this list, here are 4 honourable tea mentions of old, new, and quirky Starbucks teas.
27. Starbucks Wellness Teas
28. Starbucks Boba Tea
29. Very Berry Starbucks Hibiscus Tea
30. Starbucks Milk Tea
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose to enjoy a Starbucks hot tea or its iced twin version, there are plenty of options on the menu. The biggest choice you’ll make is the type of tea you wish to experience: chai, black, green, or herbal. Keep in mind, some variations are caffeine-free while others aren’t. Ultimately, the best tea at Starbucks Canada will be up to your personal preference. So sip and enjoy!
FAQs
Yes, the Starbucks Wellness teas are unfortunately discontinued now. The Rev Up was the last Starbucks Wellness tea to go, along with the comfort and defence wellness teas. The hot brewed passion tango herbal tea has also been discontinued recently.
Starbucks uses Teavana tea. The Teavana teas listed on the Starbucks menu online include Earl Grey, emperor’s clouds & mist, jade citrus mint, peach tranquility, royal English breakfast, and chai. Each tea is loose-leaf and brewed with filtered water in pyramid bags with enough space to expand for the most optimal flavour extraction. If you’re watching your caffeine intake, note green tea has caffeine, as well as black and chai. To avoid Starbucks tea with caffeine, go for herbal tea.
The cold Starbucks refreshers listed on the Starbucks menu online include the dragon drink, the mango dragon fruit, the mango dragon fruit lemonade, the paradise drink, the strawberry acai, the strawberry acai lemonade, the pineapple passionfruit, the pineapple passionfruit lemonade, and the pink drink.
References
- Edgar, J. (2009, March 20). Types of Teas and Their Health Benefits. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/tea-types-and-their-health-benefits
- Starbucks Stories & News. (2014, March 19). Starbucks and Oprah Winfrey Come Together to Create Teavana Oprah Chai Tea. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2014/starbucks-and-oprah-winfrey-come-together-to-create-teavana-oprah-chai-tea/
- WebMD. (n.d.). Lemon Verbena – Uses, Side Effects, and More. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-632/lemon-verbena
