Your Guide to Ordering a Healthy Tea at Starbucks
Navigating the Starbucks menu for a healthy option can be challenging, especially with the wide variety of sweetened lattes and flavored refreshers. However, for those seeking a beneficial and low-calorie beverage, the tea menu holds several excellent choices. The key is understanding the difference between the pure brewed teas and their sweeter, pre-mixed counterparts, and knowing how to customize your order to minimize added sugars.
Many of the best options are the simplest. For instance, a basic brewed tea, served hot or iced, is naturally free of calories, fat, and sugar. This provides a clean, flavorful base that you can enjoy as-is or customize with healthier additions. Herbal teas, in particular, offer a wide range of benefits, from soothing digestion to promoting relaxation, often without any caffeine.
The Healthiest Brewed and Herbal Teas
Starbucks offers a variety of brewed Teavana® teas that are fantastic healthy options. When ordered plain, these teas are zero-calorie and contain no added sugar. They are simply steeped tea bags in hot water or shaken with ice for the iced version. The customization options are endless, allowing you to control the sweetness and milk content completely.
- Mint Majesty® Herbal Tea: A zero-calorie, caffeine-free herbal tea featuring a blend of spearmint, peppermint, and lemon verbena. It is an excellent choice for a calming, digestive-aid beverage.
- Iced Green Tea: This tea contains powerful antioxidants and offers a gentle caffeine boost without the jitters often associated with coffee. Be sure to order it unsweetened, as the standard iced version contains added sugar in some regions.
- Iced Passion Tango® Tea: A caffeine-free herbal tea with vibrant notes of hibiscus, apple, and lemongrass. It is naturally sugar-free when ordered without sweetener and makes for a refreshing, colorful iced beverage.
- Emperor’s Clouds & Mist®: A delicate green tea that is a zero-calorie, pure tea option for those who enjoy a milder flavor profile.
Customizing Your Tea for Optimal Health
While many tea-based drinks at Starbucks start off healthy, the additions are where the calories and sugar can quickly add up. For instance, the popular Honey Citrus Mint Tea (a.k.a. “Coldbuster”) is made with lemonade and honey, resulting in high sugar content. The same goes for many chai and matcha lattes, which are made with sugary concentrates or powders. To make these drinks healthier, you must modify your order.
Here are some customization tips:
- Avoid standard syrups: Ask for sugar-free vanilla or caramel syrup instead of the classic syrup, which is just liquid sugar. Starbucks has a selection of sugar-free options.
- Skip the lemonade: When ordering an iced tea with lemonade, you can ask for a splash of lemonade or no lemonade at all to reduce the sugar. You can also replace it with water.
- Choose your milk wisely: Opt for skim milk or non-dairy alternatives like almond milk, which has fewer calories and fat than whole milk. Plant-based milks at Starbucks are now free of an extra charge in many locations.
- Control the pumps: A standard grande typically includes four pumps of syrup. Asking for fewer pumps (e.g., two) will significantly decrease the sugar content.
- Request unsweetened: Always specify “unsweetened” when ordering iced teas, as they often come with pre-sweetened bases in some markets.
Nutritional Comparison: Healthy Teas vs. Sugary Lattes
To highlight the importance of smart ordering, here is a comparison of some tea options. The data reflects a Grande (16 oz) size, assuming a standard, non-customized order versus a healthier alternative.
| Drink | Standard Calories (approx.) | Standard Sugar (g) | Healthy Customization | Customized Calories (approx.) | Customized Sugar (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iced Black Tea | 80 | 19 | Unsweetened | 0 | 0 |
| Matcha Green Tea Latte | 240 | 32 | Almond milk, no syrup | ~70 | ~8 |
| Iced Passion Tango Tea | 80 | 19 | Unsweetened | 5 | 0 |
| Honey Citrus Mint Tea | 130 | 30 | Brewed mint & peach tea, light honey | ~20-30 | ~5-10 |
| Chai Tea Latte | 240 | 42 | Brewed chai tea bag, almond milk, no syrup | ~40 | ~10 |
Conclusion
Ultimately, the question of "is there a healthy tea at Starbucks" can be answered with a resounding yes, but with a few important caveats. Plain, brewed hot or iced teas are the clear winners, offering zero calories and zero sugar. The power lies in your ability to customize. By forgoing sugary concentrates, standard syrups, and lemonades, and opting for unsweetened options or healthy alternatives like sugar-free syrups and non-dairy milks, you can transform many tea-based beverages into guilt-free treats. Always double-check your order with the barista to ensure it meets your wellness goals.
For more information on Starbucks' nutritional offerings, visit their official menu page.(https://www.starbucks.ie/nutrition)
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I order a low-sugar matcha latte at Starbucks?
To order a low-sugar matcha, ask for a Matcha Green Tea Latte with almond or soy milk and no added liquid cane sugar or classic syrup. You can add a pump of sugar-free vanilla syrup for flavor if you prefer.
Is the iced tea at Starbucks healthy by default?
No, iced teas at Starbucks are typically sweetened by default in many regions, including Canada. You must specify “unsweetened” when ordering to ensure there is no added liquid sugar.
What is the healthiest hot tea at Starbucks?
The healthiest hot teas are the simple brewed herbal options, such as Mint Majesty® or Peach Tranquility. These are naturally caffeine-free, zero-calorie, and contain no sugar when ordered plain.
Are the Starbucks Refreshers a healthy tea option?
While the name suggests refreshment, most Starbucks Refreshers contain a significant amount of sugar. For example, the Iced Passion Tango® Tea Lemonade has 11 grams of sugar in a grande. Opt for a plain iced tea instead for a genuinely healthy choice.
What is the healthiest milk alternative for a tea latte at Starbucks?
Almond milk is often the lowest-calorie and lowest-fat choice for a tea latte. Non-dairy alternatives like almond and oat milk are now offered without an extra charge in many locations.
Can I still get the Honey Citrus Mint Tea without all the sugar?
Yes, you can order a healthier version by asking for a brewed Peach Tranquility and Jade Citrus Mint tea, hot water, and a single pump of honey (or no honey at all), bypassing the sugary lemonade base entirely.
How can I customize my tea to be less caloric?
To reduce calories, order your tea unsweetened, choose non-fat or non-dairy milk, skip the whipped cream, and use sugar-free syrups instead of regular ones.
Is the Chai Tea Latte a healthy choice?
No, the Chai Tea Latte is typically made with a sugary concentrate and is very high in calories and sugar. A healthier alternative is to order a brewed chai tea with a splash of almond milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup.
