Honey Citrus Mint Tea Starbucks

July 22, 2026 - By Sarah Thompson

Honey Citrus Mint Tea Starbucks. Honey Citrus Mint Tea is one of the most popular Starbucks hot tea, a hot drink containing a refreshing taste of citrus, and the aroma of mint leaves, made from a combination of delicious natural ingredients to form a warm and cozy beverage that can be enjoyed on a cold day. The honey based tea is made from a combination of Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea, which is mixed with steamed lemonade and hot water and honey blend to create a very unique, smooth and deliciously sweet hot tea.

Unlike the average tea made with a single tea bag, the Honey Citrus Mint Tea made at Starbucks combines two teas in one cup. The Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea is mixed with the Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea and then steamed lemonade, hot water, and honey blend are added to the tea. As a result, the Honey Citrus Mint Tea made at Starbucks is a very sweet tea that has a light tartness and a few minty notes, and is generally very smooth. It is the perfect tea to warm you up on a cold day or to enjoy if you like citrus tea.

This guide will explore everything Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea and how it can be made at home, including the ingredients, recipe, nutrition, amount of caffeine and ways to modify it to suit your taste buds.

Table of Contents

What Is Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea?

Honey Citrus Mint Tea is made with a combination of Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea. The Green Tea is combined with steamed lemonade and hot water, and then honey blend is added to complete the drink. The Green Tea provides a subtle earthy taste and a small amount of caffeine, while the Herbal Tea adds natural sweetness and a flavor of fresh fruit. The steamed lemonade adds a strong citrus flavor to the tea. Overall the Honey Citrus Mint Tea has a very unique flavor. The citrus flavor of the lemonade and Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea is combined with the sweetness of the honey and the flavor of fresh peaches from the Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea to make a very balanced and refreshing hot tea.

Honey Citrus Mint Tea is made with Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea and Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea. This tea is mixed with steamed lemonade and hot water and then topped with honey blend. Honey Citrus Mint Tea is a combination of the flavors of the two teas that it is made with. The Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea provides a mild flavor with a hint of earthy taste and a small amount of caffeine. The flavors of the Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea are natural and sweet with a floral taste. The steamed lemonade adds a nice citrus flavor to the tea and the honey blend adds a smooth finish to the tea.

Because of the warm and delicious flavors in Honey Citrus Mint Tea it is one of the favorite Starbucks tea drinks throughout the year. The drink is especially popular during fall and winter seasons.

Why Is It Called the Medicine Ball?

One of the biggest misconceptions about Honey Citrus Mint Tea is its nickname, Medicine Ball.

Although this drink is called the Honey Citrus Mint Tea by Starbucks, this tea is commonly referred to as the Medicine Ball. This is because this tea is a medicine for many sick Starbucks customers. It is usually ordered by customers with sore throats and colds, and they say it helps soothe their throats while tasting good. Although the Honey Citrus Mint Tea is a great drink to have when you are sick, it is not actually medicine. It is just a flavored tea drink. Although it does have honey and lemon in it, which are common ingredients for throat medicines, this drink is not a substitute for actual medicine.

The drink has become commonly known as the “Medicine Ball” due to the fact that many customers who order the drink are typically suffering from a sore throat and are hoping to find some relief. The honey, lemon, and tea in the drink provide temporary relief to an irritated throat, but it is by no means a cure and should not be substituted for proper medical care.

What Does Honey Citrus Mint Tea Taste Like?

One of the reasons why this Starbucks tea drink is so popular is because of the flavor. The Honey Citrus Mint Tea is well-balanced. The flavors of the citrus from the lemonade, the honey, the mint, the green tea and the peach herbal tea all combine to make a smooth and refreshing taste.

This sweet tea starts with a steamed lemonade that is neither too sour nor too wet. The honey from the honey blend adds to the lemonade to balance the acidity and provide a natural sweetness to the tea. The flavors of the Peach Herbal Tea are fruity and floral and combine perfectly with the light earthy flavor of the Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea to provide a smooth, light and refreshing tea that is not bitter or too sweet.

Many people describe the taste as:

Sweet
Citrusy
Lightly minty
Smooth
Peachy
Refreshing
Comforting
Mildly herbal

This tea has very little bitterness in it, so it’s a great option for someone who isn’t a big tea drinker.

Ingredients Used in Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea

There are only a handful of ingredients in the Honey Citrus Mint Tea, each ingredient plays a significant role in the flavor of the tea.

The standard ingredients include:

Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea
Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea
Steamed lemonade
Hot water
Honey blend

Together these few ingredients create a refreshing and soothing drink.

Honey Citrus Mint Tea Starbucks Recipe

It’s also another tea based drink that can be made at home with surprisingly few ingredients. It won’t taste exactly the same due to the proprietary ingredients used by Starbucks, but it’s close enough and fresh to make whenever you need it.

Making your own version of the Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea allows you to control how sweet you want your tea, how much caffeine is in the tea, and how much citrus flavor there is in the tea.

Ingredients

1 Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea bag (or other mint green tea)
1 Peach herbal tea bag
½ cup hot water
½ cup lemonade
1–2 teaspoons honey
Lemon slice (optional)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Step-by-Step Recipe

To make the tea first, heat the water until it’s hot but not boiling. Place both tea bags in a large mug and pour the hot water over them. Allow the teas to steep for 4-5 minutes to allow the flavors to be fully extracted from the tea bags.

While the tea is steeping, warm the lemonade in a small saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave. Be careful not to boil the lemonade as it can lose some of the fresh citrus flavor.

Next, remove the tea bags from the tea and slowly pour the warmed lemonade into the tea filled mug. While the drink is still hot add the honey to the drink and stir until it is dissolved.

Add a lemon slice or some fresh mint leaves to the top of the drink for a pretty finish.

Tips for Making It Taste More Like Starbucks

Note that even though the recipe for the homemade Honey Citrus Mint Tea is quite simple, by adding a few small details, the tea will taste much more like the tea served at Starbucks.

For better results:

Use fresh lemonade instead of concentrate whenever possible.
Warm the lemonade rather than boiling it.
Choose high-quality tea bags.
Add honey while the drink is hot.
Avoid over-steeping the green tea.
Serve immediately while warm.
Adjust to taste with more honey if desired.

Nutritional Information

Since most of the calories in the Honey Citrus Mint Tea come from the honey blend in the steamed lemonade as opposed to the green tea, the nutritional value will depend on the serving size and any alterations that you make to the drink.

Honey Citrus Mint Tea is low in fat and contains very little amounts of protein, while it is largely made up of carbohydrates, mostly from sugar, both natural and added.

Typical nutritional components include:

Calories
Carbohydrates
Sugars
Small amount of caffeine
Minimal fat
Minimal protein

Less honey or more hot water can lower the sugar content of the Honey Citrus Mint Tea.

Does Honey Citrus Mint Tea Contain Caffeine?

Yes.

Yes, we do use honey in our Honey Citrus Mint Tea and as an ingredient of Honey Citrus Mint Tea is Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea which contains caffeine, we try to balance out the caffeine of high amount of caffeine by using another tea bag of Peach Tranquility which is a caffeine free tea, therefore the Honey Citrus Mint Tea contains a considerable amount of less caffeine then coffee.

This tea contains a small amount of caffeine from the Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea but it is by far less than what Starbucks offers in their coffee drinks. In fact, the Peach Tranquility tea bag that is added to this tea is caffeine free. Therefore, this tea would be a good option for someone looking for a warm beverage with a little bit of caffeine.

Is Honey Citrus Mint Tea Good When You’re Sick?

Many of our customers, sick or feeling tired, order Honey Citrus Mint Tea because it is made with warm liquid, honey and citrus flavors and is soothing to the throat.

Warm liquids such as tea can soothe an irritated throat for short amounts of time. Additionally, the main ingredient in this tea, water, helps keep customers hydrated while they are ill. The honey in the Honey Citrus Mint Tea can provide temporary relief from mild throat discomfort and the citrus flavors are known to be very refreshing.

As for the question whether this tea is good for the mentioned illnesses, the tea is not a medicine for the mentioned illnesses and should not be used as a cure. If the symptoms persist or even after consumption of the tea, one should consult a doctor or other medical personnel.

Can You Customize Honey Citrus Mint Tea?

Like most Starbucks beverages, Honey Citrus Mint Tea can be customized in several ways. Many customers adjust the sweetness or citrus intensity depending on their personal preferences.

Popular customizations include:

Less honey blend
Extra honey blend
Light lemonade
Extra steamed lemonade
Additional Jade Citrus Mint tea bag
Additional Peach Tranquility tea bag
Extra hot water
Fresh lemon slices
Extra peppermint

Availability of customizations may vary by location.

Can You Make It Without Lemonade?

Yes.

You can also make a version of this refreshingly citrusy drink by substituting the steamed lemonade with fresh lemon juice and hot water, or by using homemade lemonade that is made with less sugar. We have customers who like this lighter version of the drink.

Common alternatives include:

Fresh lemon juice
Homemade lemonade
Reduced-sugar lemonade
Herbal citrus tea
Fresh orange juice

Although the options may change up the taste of your drink a little bit, they all have citrusy taste profiles. This means that no matter what choice you pick, the drink will be very refreshing.

Is Honey Citrus Mint Tea Vegan?

No, because the Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea contains honey blend (bee product) in it.

Using maple syrup or agave syrup in place of honey (found in the honey blend) will create a plant-based alternative to the drink that tastes nearly as sweet and has many of the same flavor characteristics.

Homemade vs Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea

When you make this at home you will notice that the drink is very similar to the Starbucks original Honey Citrus Mint Tea, but there are a few differences. The main differences are that the Starbucks version uses a proprietary tea that they use in their tea blends and also the honey blend that they use in the drink.

Making homemade Honey Citrus Mint Tea is relatively similar to the Starbucks original recipe, but you will notice a few differences mainly because the recipe at Starbucks uses their proprietary tea, honey blend, and more. However, with the homemade version, you are able to experiment with the different brands of teas that you like best, be able to adjust the honey to your taste, to reduce the amount of sugar in the drink, or to even add more citrus.

Some key differences include:

Starbucks uses proprietary tea blends.
Homemade versions allow full control over sweetness.
Fresh lemonade often creates a brighter flavor.
Homemade tea can be more affordable over time.
You can customize every ingredient.

Common Mistakes When Making Honey Citrus Mint Tea

While the recipe for Honey Citrus Mint Tea seems simple enough, there are a few mistakes that can ruin the flavor of your drink.

Avoid these common errors:

Boiling the lemonade.
Over-steeping the green tea.
Adding too much honey.
Using low-quality tea bags.
Skipping the herbal tea.
Serving the drink after it has cooled significantly.

Pay attention to the details in this smooth recipe to create the best cup of Honey Citrus Mint Tea.

Final Thoughts

Honey Citrus Mint Tea is one of the more comforting Starbucks tea drinks, made with green tea, peach herbal tea, steamed lemonade and honey. Honey Citrus Mint Tea is a very smooth and refreshing tea that contains a balance of citrus and mint as well as natural sweetness. This tea is very popular among regular coffee and tea drinkers alike throughout the year, especially during the cooler months. Often referred to as the Medicine Ball, this tea is a tasty tea drink, not a medicine. Whether you go to Starbucks and order it or make a homemade version using a similar recipe, Honey Citrus Mint Tea is a comforting warm tea with citrus and herbal flavor that is sure to please.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use bottled lemonade instead of fresh lemonade?

Yes. Bottled lemonade can be used for a homemade version. However, the bottled will not be as fresh and as citrusy as fresh lemonade.

Which tea bags are closest to Starbucks’ version?

Mint-flavored green tea and peach herbal tea are two teas available in tea bag form that would work well for making a Honey Citrus Mint Tea at home and closely resemble Starbucks’ Jade Citrus Mint Tea and Peach Tranquility Tea.

Can I make Honey Citrus Mint Tea without honey?

You can also make Honey Citrus Mint Tea with other sweeteners such as maple syrup, agave syrup, etc.

Is it safe to consume Honey Citrus Mint Tea every day?

Most healthy adults can drink this as often as they like as part of an generally healthy diet. Of course, there is sugar added to the honey and lemonade so that needs to be taken into consideration.

Can Honey Citrus Mint Tea be served cold?

Yes. Typically Honey Citrus Mint Tea is served hot, however you can also make a cold version by chilling the tea after you have brewed it and then pouring it over ice with fresh lemon slices and honey to taste.