Even though Starbucks is famous for its extensive list of coffees, it also has a number of tea options — and most of them have a decent amount of caffeine. So, if you’re looking for an energy boost from something other than a cup of joe, you’ll have no trouble finding a Starbucks tea that suits your taste.
Starbucks offers several hot and cold teas that contain caffeine. If you’re looking for more of a kick, you can try the Chai Latte, Matcha Latte, or Earl Grey Tea. For something a bit less caffeinated, choose the iced green or black teas. The herbal teas typically have no caffeine.
The caffeine content in Starbucks drinks can vary quite a lot, so it’s important to know exactly what’s present in your tea before you order. After all, a tea that you thought would give you a much-needed kick might not do anything, and an option you chose to wind down might keep you up through the night! Let’s take a closer look at the various drinks so that you can choose wisely.
What Are the Most Caffeinated Teas at Starbucks?

If you’re looking for a pick-me-up, we’ll go through some of the most caffeinated teas at Starbucks that you can try out. But before you take a look at the list, there are a few things you should know.
When it comes to hot drinks, the amount of caffeine is determined in part by the number of tea bags used. For instance, both short and tall hot teas are made with one tea bag, while Venti and Grande drinks are made with two tea bags.
Meanwhile, iced tea drinks are made in batches, which means the amount of caffeine is determined by the drink size and not the number of tea bags used. Since there’s no way to determine the amount of caffeine with just the size, it’s best to ask the barista for more precise information.
The amount of caffeine in iced drinks is only an approximation, since things like the amount of milk, sugar, and ice tend to lower the caffeine content.
You can therefore consider the amounts of caffeine mentioned in the descriptions below to be relatively high estimates.
And finally, note that there are numerous similarities between the hot and iced tea menus. A good rule of thumb at Starbucks is that if you can get it hot, then you can get it cold, too.
Chai Tea Latte
If you really want something highly caffeinated — something that’ll wipe away all traces of sleep — the Chai Tea Latte should be your go-to option.
While brewed chai made with a Teavana tea bag has 40 mg of caffeine, the Chai Tea Latte contains 95 mg in the Grande size. Meanwhile, the larger Venti size contains 120 mg of caffeine.
The significant difference in the caffeine content is because the latte version uses a chai concentrate instead of a tea bag — the former is sweeter and contains more caffeine. In addition to the black tea concentrate, the drink contains different spices like cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger, so you get the perfect balance of spicy and sweet.
There are many ways to enjoy this delicious drink. For instance, you can have it over ice and enjoy an Iced Chai Latte or make a Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte by adding pumpkin spice syrup. If you’re looking for something with less caffeine, then you can get the Chai Crème Frappuccino.
You can find all of these drinks on the Starbucks menu, but there’s a lot more you can do to create your perfect tea drink.
For instance, you can try out different combinations of milk options, syrups, and other ingredients until you find something that satisfies your cravings.
Matcha Latte
Another drink you can try out to get a nice caffeine boost is the Matcha Tea Latte. The Grande size of this drink contains roughly 80 mg of caffeine, while the Venti size contains about 110 mg.
The Matcha Latte, also known as the Green Tea Latte, is made using sweetened matcha powder mix, which is a combination of special Japanese green tea and sugar. If you don’t like sweet drinks, then you might have to find a different drink since this one doesn’t have a sugar-free option.
But if you like sweet drinks, you’re in for a treat. There are many ways to enjoy this drink, depending on what you prefer. If you’re looking for something cool and refreshing, you can get the drink over ice and enjoy an Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte or get a Matcha Green Tea Crème Frappuccino, which is less sweet.
If you’re not in the mood for a latte, you can try something tangier (without milk), like the Matcha Green Tea Lemonade. Even though the two differ drastically in taste, they have the same amount of caffeine (110 mg in Venti, 80 mg in Grande, and 55 mg in Tall) because they include the same amount of powder.
Earl Grey or London fog
The Starbucks Earl Grey Tea, which is also used to make the London Fog, contains about 40 mg of caffeine in all sizes. It’s a unique and enjoyable drink since it combines strong black tea with bergamot essence (oil extracted from bergamot oranges), which is a citrus fruit with slightly floral lavender and lemon notes.
The end result is a slightly caffeinated, aromatic tea with hints of chocolate that can give you a much-needed energy boost.
At the same time, it’s a suitable option if you’re trying to regulate your caffeine intake or don’t want so much caffeine that it doesn’t let you sleep at night.
If you get this drink served over ice, you end up with an Iced London Fog Tea Latte (with vanilla syrup and milk), but you can also customize it and make it just how you like by adding in your desired flavors and sweeteners. Many people opt for honey, but there are a number of options for you to try.
Both the hot and cold version of London Fog Latte have the same amount of caffeine.
Royal English Breakfast Tea
This drink is made by steeping English Breakfast tea bags and adding some milk to it. It contains 40 mg of caffeine, which comes from the tea blend. The blend includes different kinds of black tea.
Both the cold and hot versions of the drink have the same amount of caffeine.
Which Starbucks Teas Have a Lower Caffeine Content?

Not all Starbucks drinks contain a lot of caffeine. Some have only a bit of caffeine, like their green tea beverages, while others — like herbal teas — don’t have caffeine at all. These are available in both cold and hot varieties.
Iced Green Tea
Since green tea naturally has caffeine, you can expect the Iced Green Tea at Starbucks to contain some amount, too. A Grande Iced Green Tea contains about 25 mg, which is similar to the caffeine in a Starbucks black tea.
Iced Black Tea
A Grande Iced Black Tea also contains 25 mg of caffeine, while a Tall order contains 20 mg, and a Venti contains 40 mg.
The good thing about the Iced Black Tea is that it’s one of the healthiest teas available at Starbucks since it doesn’t contain any syrups, sauces, or sugar.
Herbal Tea
Herbal teas, like the Iced Passion Tea and Peach Tranquility, don’t contain any caffeine since they’re made using herbs instead of tea leaves. Instead, they contain some spices and ingredients like lemongrass and fruit juice extract.
Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade
This drink is a combination of different flavors, including the Starbucks refresher base, lemonade, and peach juice. The caffeine in this drink comes from the refresher base, which contains green tea. The Tall variety contains 20 mg, Grande has 25 mg, and Venti has 40 mg.
Even if you opt for a non-lemonade variety, you’ll get the same amount of caffeine. But keep in mind that this drink is relatively calorie-rich.
Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea
This drink is made by steeping a mixture of lemon verbena, lemongrass, mint, and green tea. Both grande and tall sizes are made with one tea bag (which means 16 mg of caffeine), while a venti contains 2 tea bags (40 mg of caffeine).
The caffeine comes only from green leaves, so it’s not really dominating.