Since the start of Spring 2017, Starbucks has introduced a new core tea to their menu: white tea. Along with black tea, green tea, and passion tango tea, this new addition expanded Starbucks menu to include four shaken iced teas.
Now, if you’re an avid tea drinker like I am (and find yourself at Starbucks almost every day), this opens some exciting new flavors to try and enjoy. It’s only a bonus that tea comes with a bunch of benefits that could help improve your health and overall well-being.
All teas are packed with antioxidants; however, different types of teas have different benefits. Here are some awesome benefits that come with drinking the four shaken iced teas at Starbucks:
1. Shaken Iced Black Tea
Black tea, my favorite of the bunch, has a rich, energizing flavor and is your go-to if you need ever need a pick-me-up. It has the highest caffeine content (25-30mg in every Grande cup) out of the four teas, and can serve as an alternative to coffee if you’re just looking for a little caffeine kick.
Black tea is also known to help repair coronary artery dysfunction and help lower the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases. Sipping black tea can help with pains caused by diarrhea and digestion, provides relief to those with asthma as it expands their air passages, and reduces bad cholesterol levels and the chances of getting breast cancer.
2. Shaken Iced Green Tea
If you’re looking for a lighter flavor to clean your taste buds, try the Shaken Iced Green Tea. Known as “the healthiest drink on the planet.” The entire world has raved over this tea’s incredible benefits.
Powerful antioxidants present in the drink, such as polyphenols, protect your body from aging and diseases as it protects your cells from damage. Green tea improves brain function and physical performance, boosts your metabolic rate, reduces risk for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer as well as type II diabetes, and improves dental health by killing bacteria. The list of benefits goes on and on.
3. Shaken Iced White Tea
The newest addition to the teas at Starbucks, white tea, offers a light, slightly sweet taste (think of it like the green tea’s bubbly little sister). If you find yourself not the most avid fan of teas, I suggest you try the white tea—its flavor is so subtle that it’s almost like water but is still packed with the same benefits of tea.
As it shares many of the same antioxidants as green tea, white tea helps fight cancer and cardiovascular diseases, slows down the aging process, improves your skin condition and dental health, and provides relief to those suffering from the flu or a cold.
4. Shaken Iced Passion Tango Tea
This one’s a little odd—it’s a naturally colored passion fruit tea blend including hibiscus, apple, and lemongrass. Unlike the other teas, passion tango tea has a tropical refreshing flavor, a lot like a light fruit punch refresher.
It contains no caffeine (bonus for those who like decaf), so while it doesn’t have the energizing effects of black tea, as a drink itself, it is great for quenching your thirst on a hot day. (If you’re not feeling a drink, why not try 3 DIY Frozen Treats to Keep You Cool in the Heat.)
The Shaken Iced Passion Tango Tea isn’t just pretty—it nourishes the body, assists in body relaxation, helps cleanse the colon, and lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Of course, being tea, you can customize it in many ways—add lemonade for 70 cents extra (for the grande-size) if you want a flavorful twist in your drink; get it sweetened or unsweetened, it’s up to you! If you’re looking for a fruity kick, get the Shaken Iced Mango Black Tea Lemonade (my all time favorite) for only a dollar more than the original.
#SpoonTip: Get it unsweetened and just add honey, a much healthier alternative to the liquid cane sugar they pump into your sweetened teas. You may also enjoy: 7 Healthy Swaps for Ingredients You Use Everyday.
Save money by buying a Teavana Shaken Iced Tea for only $2.75 (grande size) instead of your go to frappuccino. Who knows? Maybe you’ve just found yourself your new favorite drink.