This Is How Much Caffeine Is Really In Your Favorite Starbucks Refresher

If you're not in the mood for coffee or tea, Starbucks also offers a line of fruit-flavored drinks called Refreshers in lemonade, coconut milk, and regular varieties. But since you're ordering a drink from a cafe, you might be wondering if — and how much — caffeine might be in them. 

First of all, yes, Starbucks Refreshers are caffeinated. But just like any other caffeinated beverage, the amount of caffeine is dependent on the serving size. A tall 12-ounce drink has anywhere between 35 to 45 milligrams of caffeine; a grande 16-ounce has between 45 to 55 milligrams; a venti 24-ounce has between 70 to 85 milligrams; and a trenta 30-ounce drink can contain 90 to 110 milligrams of total caffeine. While that's still just a rough estimation, it gives you a ballpark idea of what kind of kick to expect with your drink. These numbers provided by Starbucks aren't flavor-dependent, meaning all flavors of Refreshers contain the same amount of caffeine, per size. (I checked.)

I know not everyone tracks the amount of caffeine they drink, since it's not like you can feel the effects down to the milligram, but it's still a useful piece of information, especially if your heart's thumping after a few of these things. In the worst case scenario, too much caffeine can have disastrous side effects — as seen in Panera's Charged Lemonade lawsuits from some years back.

A Starbucks Refresher isn't actually all that potent when compared to other Starbucks offerings. If we're comparing a 16-ounce Refresher to the same-sized traditional drip coffee, (like Pike Place Roast, for example), the coffee can contain anywhere between 315 to 390 milligrams of caffeine, while the Refresher comes in at the aforementioned 45 to 55 milligrams of caffeine. That means the coffee contains a massive difference of about seven times as much caffeine when put next to a Refresher. A Refresher is more in line with a matcha latte, which contains 65 milligrams of caffeine, when comparing 16-ounce servings.

A healthy adult is thought to be able to consume 400 milligrams of caffeine daily without adverse affects. But everyone is different, and frankly, you probably already know when your body tells you it's had enough. So as a rule of thumb, if you're sipping on your favorite Refresher, you can think of it as being about as strong as a cup of matcha, which is to say it has some caffeine, but not as much as Starbucks' standard cup of coffee.