A Coffee Expert’s Look Into Starbucks UK 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 tea menu for the types, subtypes, and temperatures of teas to try.
The 27 Best Starbucks 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 or iced chai latte. Your barista will thank you.
1. Chai Tea Latte
The Starbucks chai tea latte is the most iconic combination of black tea, spices and steamed milk. Enjoy the radiating warmth, the 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. Classic Chai Tea
Chai in its most simple form is black tea brewed with a heady blend of spices like cardamom, cinnamon and black pepper. The non-latte version is a great way to experience the full range of flavours, as well as being lower in calories.
The 3 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. 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.
5. 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.
6. Lemon Iced Tea
When summer rolls around, you’ll be reaching for this refreshing fruity blast. The blend of citrus syrup and lemonade served over ice is a fresh way to quench that thirst.
The 9 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.
7. Matcha Green 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.
8. Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte
9. Emperor’s Clouds & Mist
You’ll be floating all day after sipping this deliciously sweet and uniquely smoky green tea.
10. Jasmine Pearls Tea
Want green tea with a little extra? The perfumed scent of jasmine will transport you to a world of luxury.
11. Citrus Mint Tea
Sore from post-workout or lack of sleep? The lemon verbena present in this 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.
12. Iced Green Tea
13. 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!
14. Peach Iced Tea
Iced Starbucks green tea lemonade just got a whole lot more peachy keen with its blend of vibrant peach and zesty lemon flavours.
15. Youthberry Tea
Starbucks UK’s Youthberry Tea starts with a base of white tea – a minimally processed tea with a refreshing floral taste. This is combined with pineapple and acai flavours for a fruity finish.
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.
16. Mint Herbal Blend Tea
This herbal blend has two kids of mint, with both peppermint and spearmint, plus the citrussy tang of lemon verbena. Perfect on days when you need a little hug or a gentle pick-me-up for oncoming flus.
17. Hibiscus Herbal Blend Tea
Starbucks have infused this herbal blend with all the flavours of the tropics. Along with hibiscus, you’ll taste papaya, mango and lemongrass, with a hint of cinnamon to finish.
18. Iced Hibiscus Tea
This summery refresher takes a pure hibiscus infusion and serves it over ice. Simple, delicious.
19. Iced Hibiscus Tea Lemonade
This version amps up the sweetness, adding still lemonade to the Iced Hibiscus Tea.
The 4 Starbucks Honourable Mentions
To end off this list, here are 4 honourable tea mentions of old, new, and quirky Starbucks teas.
20. Starbucks Wellness Teas
21. Starbucks Boba Tea
22. Very Berry Starbucks Hibiscus Tea
23. Starbucks Milk Tea
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose to enjoy a Starbucks hot tea or its iced twin version, there’s 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 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
