People swear that drinking a Medicine Ball Tea from Starbucks can help cure a common cold or cough. This warm drink is so soothing and truly does provide some comfort whenever we feel a tingle in our throats or a sniffle in our noses. But you don’t have to leave your home to get your hands on a cup of this cozy healing warm tea drink. We’ve got the Medicine Ball Starbucks copycat recipe you’re looking for right here!
What is A Starbucks Medicine Ball tea?
You may have heard the insider tip that a Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea is just the thing to order when you’re feeling under the weather. For the longest time, this drink was on the Starbucks secret menu, and people in the know would order it as the “Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea” or the “Cold Buster Tea”. Many restaurants have an unpublished menu of secret items, just like this one, that doesn’t appear in print or on menu signs at the coffee shops. Knowledge of the special item is spread by word of mouth. And sometimes, as is the case with this popular Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea, the item actually DOES make its way onto menus. Now you can order this drink from any Starbucks as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea.
Highlights: Starbucks Medicine Ball Recipe
We love to make this warm and soothing lemony tea drink whenever we feel some congestion coming on. Here’s why we think it’s great:
- save money by making the Medicine Ball Starbucks drink at home
- when you’re not feeling well, you don’t need to leave the comfort of your home to get your hands on a Starbucks Medicine Ball Drink
- keep the simple ingredients on hand so you can make yourself a Medicine Ball tea all throughout cold and cough season
- make a larger batch if more than one person in your home is feeling under the weather
- we included two additional versions (in the recipe card notes below) that contain less added sugars than the Medicine Ball from Starbucks
- you can customize the drink using favorite brands and varieties of tea, adding more or less lemony flavor, and sweetening to your desired taste
ingredients to make The Medicine ball Starbucks Tea
Here’s what you need to make yourself one of the most soothing, cozy, and congestion relieving home remedies:
- water
- lemonade or lemon juice – the Medicine Ball Starbucks tea uses lemonade, which you can use also, if you’d like (store-bought or homemade); to cut back on some sugar, we provide a version (in the recipe card notes below) that calls for lemon juice, if you prefer that
- peppermint green tea – you can use any variety of green tea (we recommend an organic brand) and it’s even better if you can find a peppermint-flavored green tea, such as this one from Traditional Medicinals
- peach herbal tea – again, we recommend that you select an organic herbal tea (read below for why). You can use any brand (we like this delicious organic Peach DeTox tea from Yogi), or you can substitute with any fruity or floral flavor of herbal tea, such as a hibiscus or any berry flavor
- pure honey – you could use maple syrup instead, though we recommend honey
- peppermint extract – this is an optional ingredient, but we recommend that you use it if you have it. We love the extra punch of soothing flavor and aroma it provides
Find the ingredients list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
What is in a medicine ball at starbucks?
The store-bought Medicine Ball Starbucks tea is made from the Teavana brand of Jade Citrus Mint Tea and Peach Tranquility Tea (you can buy them as a set here). It also includes the Starbucks’ lemonade, honey, and sometimes customers request the addition of one pump of peppermint syrup. Our homemade version of the Starbucks Medicine Ball recipe is made with less sugar (since we don’t use a pump of peppermint syrup) and organic green and herbal tea. The result is a soothing remedy you’ll love to sip on when you feel a cold or cough coming on.
how to make starbucks medicine Ball Tea Recipe
You can make this homemade cold and cough remedy in just a few minutes right in your own kitchen. It’s a bonus that you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home when you’re not feeling well. Scroll down for the easy steps:
- Heat the liquids: Heat the water and lemonade (or lemon juice) to a very low simmer over the stovetop (our preferred method). You can also heat the liquids in a mug in the microwave or using a tea kettle.
- Steep the tea: Add the peppermint green tea bag and the herbal peach tea bag. Let them steep for a few minutes (we recommend 5-10 minutes of steeping).
- Stir in the flavoring: Stir in the honey and the peppermint extract (they will dissolve in the warm liquid). Pour your Copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea into a favorite mug and enjoy this soothing warm tea drink right away.
For the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium, and more per serving.
How to Make Medicine Ball Recipe video
The Science: Does A Medicine Ball Tea Really Work?
You may be wondering if this drink really does help cure a common cold or cough? We can’t really claim that anything can 100% cure you, but there is some science behind why this concoction of ingredients may be beneficial for helping you feel better faster when you are experiencing a runny nose, itchy throat, and/or cough.
- Lemon juice is high in vitamin C, and research shows that vitamin C can shorten the length of a cold. Studies also show that a warm lemon drink can help relieve congestion faster
- Studies show that green tea is a rich source of antioxidants and has natural anti-inflammatory properties to help relieve a sore throat
- It is well established in several studies that honey is a natural cough suppressant and an effective way to relieve cold symptoms
- And peppermint contains menthol, an ingredient shown to relieve congestion and soothe a sore throat. This is true of fresh peppermint, as well as peppermint extracts and teas
- Most importantly, research shows it’s good to stay hydrated in order to recover faster and ease your cold symptoms
Since this recipe contains all of the above ingredients, then perhaps this Medicine Ball Starbucks drink may work for you when you’re not feeling well.
Make It A Double
If you’d like to make a Medicine Ball Tea for more than one person at a time, you can easily double the recipe to make a bigger batch. Here’s how:
- Double the liquids, using 2 cups of water and 2 cups of lemon juice
- You still need to use just 1 of each kind of tea bag
- Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, depending on your preferred taste
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract
Use these amounts and follow the directions as listed in the recipe card below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if it’s easier for you to heat the water and lemon juice in a microwave instead of the stovetop, you can do that, too. Then, simply steep the tea right in the same mug and add the honey and peppermint extract to the mug, as well.
You can use any brand of green tea and fruity herbal tea that you like. Scroll back up to read why we recommend you use organic brands of tea. Some of our favorites for this Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea recipe are Traditional Medicinals Peppermint Green Tea and Yogi Teas Peach DeTox Tea.
We call for lemonade because it tastes the most like a Medicine Ball Tea from Starbucks. However, you can use lemon juice if you’d like to cut back on some added sugars. Check out the recipe card below (including the Notes section) to see the different versions of making a Medicine Ball Tea at home.
Of course! This soothing drink is a wonderful beverage to have whenever you want one. We love to sip a Medicine Ball Tea when we’re feeling a cold or cough coming on, and also just to take the edge off on a chilly day.
We recommend you steep the tea bags for 5 to 10 minutes.
We think this tea tastes especially good when you drink it warm, which is so soothing for a sore throat, too. However, you don’t have to drink it warm. You could also enjoy it as a lemony sweet tea drink over ice.
This drink does contain some caffeine from the green tea. One cup of brewed green tea contains about 25 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of about 1/3 cup of brewed black coffee. Herbal tea does not contain caffeine.
When to Serve Copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea
Some good occasions to make yourself one of these drinks are:
- when you have a sore throat
- at the first sign of a cold or cough
- when it’s chilly and you want to warm up
- when you’re having stomach cramps
- to change up your regular coffee or tea routine
- anytime you’d like!
Copycat Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea
Use this simple recipe to make a soothing home remedy that can help you feel better when you have a cold, cough, or sore throat (or any time)! This is our version of the Medicine Ball Starbucks Tea, but now you can save money and time by making it at home!
Ingredients
- 1 cups (8 ounces) water
- 1 cup (8 ounces) lemonade
- 1 peppermint green tea bag
- 1 peach herbal tea bag
- 1 tablespoons pure honey
- 1/8 teaspoon peppermint extract
Instructions
- Heat the water and lemonade in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Alternatively, you can heat the liquids in a large mug in the microwave or use a tea kettle. Bring the water to a barely-there simmer.
- Add the two tea bags to the liquid and let them steep for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the honey and peppermint extract.
- Pour the drink into a mug and enjoy it warm.
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Notes
The Medicine Ball Tea (also known as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea) that you can buy at Starbucks uses Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Tea and Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea (you can buy them here as a set).
However, you can use any brand of green tea and fruity herbal that you like. We recommend an organic brand of tea, such as Traditional Medicinals Peppermint Green Tea and Yogi Peach DeTox Tea, which are both organic options.
Lower Sugar Option: Follow the recipe as written above, but use 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup lemonade instead. This version contains 85 calories, 0 g fat, 2 mg sodium, 20 g carb (17 g sugars), 0 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol
Lemon Juice Option: Follow the recipe as written above, but use 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (the juice of about 1 small lemon). This version contains 72 calories, 0 g fat, 2 mg sodium, 19 g carb (16 g sugars), 0 g protein, 0 mg cholesterol
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 drink
- Calories: 130
- Fat: 0 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 2 mg
- Carbohydrate: 32 g
- (Fiber: 0 g
- Sugar: 30 g)
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 g
Dietary
Pin It Now To Make It Later!
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
I found a similar recipe on Instagram recently, and a commenter noted that Starbucks uses Teavana brand teas, so I bought those from my local Target + real lemons (which I juiced) + the other ingredients to make this tea. It’s so yummy!! Perfect timing too, because I was battling a sinus cold (those usually turn baaad quickly for me), and multiple cups of this tea each day plus extra sleep, a humidifier at night, and my trusty Neti pot seemed to have done the trick and nipped the burgeoning infection in the bud….and that very very RARELY happens (chronic sinusitis sufferer here). Thank you for offering up such a beneficial “hack” to the masses!!
★★★★★
Hello, we’re so glad this tea was soothing for you!
So yummy and warming! Perfect for when you’re not feeling the greatest. I used peppermint essential oil in place of peppermint extract (one drop per serving) and it turned out great.
★★★★★
We’re so glad this drink was comforting and hit the spot for you!
Can you make this a day ahead?
Hi Jennifer, yes you could make this tea one day ahead of time, store it in the refrigerator, and then reheat it as needed, or even enjoy it as an iced beverage.