How Much Caffeine Is In A Starbucks Pink Drink?

With such a diverse menu, there's something at Starbucks to fit everyone's tastes — the caffeine addicts, sweet treat enthusiasts, and those that simply want a cool, fruity drink to sip on. For that last category, the refreshers fit the bill, particularly the iconic Starbucks Pink Drink. While the drink is certainly refreshing, it's energizing as well. It has caffeine, but is it enough to keep you wired throughout the day?

With its creamy coconut milk-sweetened taste and vibrant color, the pink drink appears like a fun, caffeine-free beverage, but don't let the appearance fool you. The pink drink actually does contain caffeine, despite some people's perceptions. How much is in there depends on the size you get; while the tall only has 35 mg of caffeine, a trenta will inject 90 mg of caffeine straight into your system. If you're not familiar with caffeine dosages, this isn't a terribly large amount. A typical 8-oz cup of coffee has an average of 95 mg of caffeine, which is large when compared to a 30-oz trenta.

Compared to other Starbucks drinks, the pink drink has a small amount of caffeine. While its grande size has 45 mg of caffeine, the grande Pike Place roast coffee has 195 mg, and a grande Starbucks iced coffee blend has 185 mg of caffeine. Although everyone is different, it takes as little as 50 mg of caffeine to feel more awake, so you can definitely get your fix with one or two pink drinks.

While the pink drink's caffeine level pales in comparison to traditional Starbucks brews, it's about on par with the other Starbucks refreshers. Other popular flavors, like the mango dragonfruit lemonade and the strawberry acai refresher, have the exact same caffeine level as the pink drink. There are also a few that are slightly higher, such as the spicy strawberry and frozen pineapple passionfruit lemonade; however, the difference is only a few milligrams.

The similar caffeine levels between the refreshers comes from their shared DNA. All of the beverages are made with green coffee extract, which is essentially unroasted coffee beans. Since they're not roasted, they don't have as much caffeine when they're brewed. Brewed coffee with unroasted beans also has a lighter flavor, like a cross between very mild coffee and herbal tea. Due to their lower caffeine levels, a few pink drinks won't get you anywhere near 400 mg, the maximum amount of caffeine that you can safely consume each day. Still, if you have an underlying condition that may prevent you from drinking a higher amount of caffeine, it's best to limit how many pink drinks you indulge in.