Making a mug of Honey Citrus Mint Tea at home is exactly what we need on a cold day! This sweet, bright, formerly secret menu item is so cozy and surprisingly easy to make with two types of tea, lemonade and honey, you'll be enjoying it all this season.
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Make the Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea at Home!
Starbucks' Honey Citrus Mint Tea (aka the Medicine Ball) is so easy to whip up, you'll be wondering why you've been paying for it at all. It's light and flavorful with peach tranquility herbal tea and green tea, with a touch of honey that sweetens the deal.
This sweet, bright, formerly secret menu item is so cozy and surprisingly easy to make you'll be enjoying it all this season.
Why You'll Love this Starbucks Copycat
- Made with simple ingredients - Both of these kinds of tea can be found at your local grocery store, and lemonade is simple and easy. A drizzle of honey, and boom, done!
- Tastes even better than the Starbucks' medicine ball - you can really make this your own version of medicine ball tea, use your favorite green tea bag, choose to make it as sweet as you like, use different flavorings, the options are endless.
- More bang for your buck - make it at home and have the ingredients on hand to make a honey citrus mint tea any time you want. Much more affordable!
- The easiest drink you'll make all season - seriously, all you need to do is heat up some lemonade! Can't beat that with a stick!
What is a Medicine Ball at Starbucks?
The Medicine Ball, which was also called The Cold Buster Tea and the Medicine Bomb, was a starbucks secret menu item that became so popular that starbucks added it to the menu as the Honey Citrus Mint Tea.
After starbucks baristas shared the recipe online, it was obvious that you could make the recipe at home!
The honey citrus mint tea is made with green mint tea and peach herbal tea that is steeped in hot lemonade. Then a drizzle of honey is added. It's that easy!
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Mint Green Tea and Peach Tea - use your favorite types, but don't use ones with a black tea base.
- Homemade lemonade or your favorite store-bought lemonade - you can also use fresh lemon juice and hot water, unsweetened.
- Honey - depending on how sweet you like your tea, use anywhere from a teaspoon of honey to a tablespoon!
- (Optional) Pump of Peppermint Syrup or Peppermint Extract- this is an ingredient that was commonly added before the teavana tea drink was officially added to the starbucks menu. If you had it before with that very minty quality a pump of peppermint syrup, or a couple of drops of peppermint extract, will do it for you.
How to Make Honey Citrus Mint Tea at Home
Step 1 | Steam lemonade in either an electric tea kettle set to 185 degrees F or on the stovetop in a saucepan (measure temperature with a thermometer) over medium heat. Once at temperature, remove the lemonade from the heat and into a large mug.
Optional: Once heated, use a milk frother or the steam wand on your espresso maker to froth the lemonade just like the baristas do as Starbucks.
Step 2 | Steep the mint and peach teavana tea bags in the hot lemonade: the green tea for 3 minutes, the peach tea for 5 minutes.
Step 3 | Remove tea bags and stir in honey until it's fully incorporated into the medicine ball drink.
Variations and Substitutions
- Garnish with fresh mint or lemon slices, because the glam doesn't stop when you're sick, honey.
- Starbucks uses the Teavana Jade Citrus Mint tea and Peach Tranquility, but in the last couple of years, the Teavana tea bags have vanished from stores. I have used Tazo Zen tea, it's most similar to the Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea, and the Bigelow Perfect Peach herbal tea in lieu of the Peach Tranquility Herbal Tea.
- Make this an iced honey citrus mint tea by adding ice and cooling the drink down! So simple.
Homemade Medicine Ball Recipe Tips
- To make this drink healthier, use lemonade that is sweetened with honey, agave, stevia, or monk fruit.
- You can also do half-lemonade/half-water to lower that sugar intake.
- Be patient and let the tea steep fully before you remove them for maximum flavor.
Storage and Reheating
Make a ton of honey citrus mint tea and save it in the fridge with a lid over the container or pitcher.
To reheat it, pour a serving into a microwave-safe cup and heat until hot, for about a minute and a half.
Equipment I Used
A Milk Frother
I love this little tool! Starbucks froths their steamed lemonade, so to keep it authentic, you can do it, too!
FAQs
Nope! Only heat it up to about 185 degrees F, or until gently steaming. You don't want to boil the lemonade because it'll burn the tea when you steep the sachets.
Raw honey or a lightly flavored honey, like clover or wildflower, works beautifully. These varieties enhance the tea’s natural flavors without overpowering the citrus and mint. If you want a more floral note, orange blossom honey pairs wonderfully with citrus.
Absolutely. Agave syrup, maple syrup, or even a few drops of stevia can replace honey.
More Starbucks Inspired Drinks
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Homemade Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea (Medicine Ball Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup lemonade
- 1 sachet Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Tea, or Tazo Zen Tea
- 1 sachet Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea, or Bigelow Perfect Peach Herbal Tea
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2-3 drops peppermint extract, or a teaspoon of peppermint syrup, optional
Instructions
- Steam lemonade in either an electric tea kettle set to 185 degrees F or on the stovetop in a saucepan (measure temperature with a thermometer) over medium heat. As it's steaming, add peppermint syrup or drops, if using. Once at temperature, remove the lemonade from the heat and into a large mug.1 ½ cup lemonade, 2-3 drops peppermint extract
- Optional: Once heated, use a milk frother or the steam wand on your espresso maker to froth the lemonade.
- Steep the two tea bags in the hot lemonade: the green tea for 3 minutes, the peach tea for 5 minutes.1 sachet Teavana Jade Citrus Mint Tea, 1 sachet Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea
- Stir in the honey until fully incorporated into the tea.1 tablespoon honey
- Drink and enjoy hot!
Recipe Notes
Storing and Reheating
You can easily double, triple, even quadruple the recipe and keep it in a pitcher to keep in the fridge. Remove the tea sachets before storing. The medicine ball tea reheats really well in the microwave in a microwave-safe mug or on the stove top over medium-low heat in a saucepan.Nutrition Information
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