Here's How Much Caffeine Is In Your Starbucks Refresher

There is a flood of different ways to get caffeinated at your local Starbucks. The standard and most favored route is through a piping hot, ice cold, or even a blended cup of joe. Pumpkin Spice Latte anyone? But you can also catch a small energy buzz from one of the chain's fruity and oh-so appropriately named Starbucks Refreshers. As is the case with any Starbucks drink, the exact level of caffeine in each Refresher varies widely by size. In a 12-ounce Tall beverage, you can expect to find 35 to 45 milligrams. Meanwhile, Grande cups with 16 ounces of liquid carry 45 to 55 milligrams of caffeine, 24-ounce Ventis contain anywhere from 70 to 85 milligrams, and monster Trenta orders boasting 30 total ounces of beverage clock in at 90 to 110 total milligrams of caffeine. 

The exact amount also fluctuates slightly by flavor, but the variation is miniscule. For comparison, a solo espresso shot from Starbucks sits at 75 milligrams of caffeine, and a Grande Cappuccino has around 150 milligrams — though it's important to note that the chain always lists caffeine as an approximate value. So, where is all this caffeine coming from? The Refreshers are actually infused with green coffee extract, which is a mostly flavorless but natural source of caffeine extracted from unroasted coffee beans. This ingredient combines with water, sugar, white grape juice concentrate, freeze-dried fruit, sometimes lemonade, and other natural flavors and colorings to make up both the iced and frozen Refresher renditions. If you're curious, we've ranked 20 Starbucks Refreshers that you can try out.

In a completely separate section of the Starbucks menu, you will also find another non-coffee caffeine drink. These beverages are a recent addition to the lineup — Starbucks unveiled its new Iced Energy Drinks in June 2024 — and if you're looking for a fruity drink with a bit more of a boost, these bad boys are going to be your best bet. The two fixed Starbucks Iced Energy flavors of Tropical Citrus and Melon Burst are only available in Venti sizes, but they pack 205 milligrams and 180 milligrams of caffeine respectively — more than double that of the Refreshers. The more seasonal Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with Strawberry Purée offers less at 140 milligrams of caffeine, but it's still a noticeable increase comparatively speaking. 

This amount puts the beverages at the caffeine level of popular energy drink brands like Celsius, yet still nowhere near something like Panera's controversial Charged Lemonade, which carried a whopping 390 milligrams of caffeine in its 30-ounce size and was recently discontinued. Another detail to note about Starbucks Tropical Citrus and Melon Burst Iced Energy drinks is they come with less than 10 calories each and contain zero sugar. This is a big change compared to the Refreshers, which are certified sugar bombs, carrying a minimum of 24 grams within the smallest size.