Los Angeles, CA - July 13: The Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd. and Vine St., is seen on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA. (Wesley Lapointe / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Food - News

The Untold Truth Of Starbucks Refreshers
By TAYLOR HUANG
Starbucks’ Refreshers, which became available on July 9, 2012, are iced fruity drinks that won't dehydrate you like coffee and are usually low on calories. One of the first-ever Starbucks Refreshers, the Very Berry Hibiscus, comes in at 70 calories in a grande size, while a Strawberry Açaí grande has 90 calories.
Although known as iced drinks, Refreshers do contain caffeine from the green coffee extract, which is unroasted coffee seeds. A grande-sized drink can contain about 45 mg of caffeine and a hefty amount of sugar — up to 20 grams in the Strawberry Açaí — which can spike your blood sugar.
The energy drinks line by Starbucks is also known as Refreshers, with flavors including Raspberry Pomegranate, Strawberry Lemonade, and Orange Melon. These 12 fluid-ounce serving cans contain 60 calories with green coffee bean extract, but unfortunately, a lot of the canned refreshers have been discontinued in recent years.
The Pink Drink Strawberry Açai started off as a secret menu item initially, but it was added to the main menu in 2016, following its popularity with the fans. Refreshers are the base of many secret menu drinks, like the Sunrise Drink and the Pink Starburst Refresher, because of their refreshing taste and low-calorie count.
Despite its huge following, the Valencia Orange Refresher was discontinued, which upset many people, who launched multiple petitions to bring the drink back, but to no avail. This light and fruit drink was among the first Refreshers that had to be retired because of the introduction of the iconic Strawberry Açaí flavor.