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The medicine ball, listed on the Starbucks menu as Honey Citrus Mint Tea, is two tea bags and three pantry items: one green tea with mint, one peach herbal tea, 8oz hot water, 8oz warmed lemonade, and honey to taste. Steep both bags in the water-lemonade mix for 4 to 5 minutes, stir in the honey, done. This is a home version built from the drink's published ingredient list, not a Starbucks formula, and the only caffeine in the cup comes from the single green tea bag.
The build
| Ingredient | Amount | Replaces |
|---|---|---|
| Green tea with mint (1 bag) | 1 bag | Teavana Jade Citrus Mint |
| Peach herbal tea (1 bag) | 1 bag | Teavana Peach Tranquility |
| Hot water | 8 oz | Hot water |
| Lemonade, warmed | 8 oz | Steamed lemonade |
| Honey | 1 to 2 tsp | Honey packets |
How to make it
- Heat 8oz water to a bare simmer and warm 8oz lemonade in a small pot or the microwave. Do not boil the lemonade; it goes bitter.
- Combine both liquids in a 16oz mug.
- Steep one green tea with mint bag and one peach herbal bag together for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the bags without squeezing them and stir in honey.
Why the lemonade is half the drink
What makes a medicine ball taste like a medicine ball is not the tea, it is the 1:1 water to lemonade ratio. The lemonade brings sugar and acidity that turn two mild teas into something closer to hot lemonade with a tea backbone. Skip it and you have ordinary honey tea. The green tea with mint supplies the herbal edge, and the peach bag does the aroma work. Any green tea blended with spearmint gets you close to the Jade Citrus Mint profile.
The honest limits of this drink
People order this when they feel rough, and it is a comforting hot drink, nothing more. We make no health claims for it and neither should anyone selling you tea. On flavor, the honest gap in the copycat is the peach: Starbucks' peach bag is heavy on candied pineapple and chamomile, so a plain peach black tea will not match it. Look for a caffeine-free peach herbal blend specifically.
Caffeine, with sources
The caffeine here is whatever the single green tea bag contributes: Bigelow puts green tea at 25 to 50mg per 8oz cup (Bigelow caffeine guide), and herbal teas like the peach bag at zero. Split across a 16oz drink, that is a light dose by coffee standards. More tea numbers live in our tea caffeine guide. The FDA cites 400 milligrams a day as an amount not generally associated with dangerous effects for healthy adults (FDA). Everything on this page is information, not health advice.
The two bags to keep in the cupboard
The build is only as good as the two teas: a green tea with mint and a peach herbal tea. A temperature-control kettle stops you from scorching the green tea.
Related reading
- The medicine ball, from the barista side
- Tea caffeine guide
- London fog tea latte recipe
- Caffeine database hub
FAQ
What teas do I need for a homemade medicine ball? One green tea with mint (the Jade Citrus Mint stand-in) and one caffeine-free peach herbal tea, steeped together in half hot water, half warmed lemonade, finished with honey.
Does a medicine ball have caffeine? A little. The green tea bag is the only caffeinated ingredient; Bigelow puts green tea at 25 to 50mg per 8oz cup, and the peach herbal bag adds none.
Can I make a medicine ball without lemonade? You can steep the same bags in plain water with honey and lemon juice, but the 1:1 lemonade ratio is what makes the drink taste like the Starbucks version, so expect a thinner result without it.
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