How do you make Starbucks Medicine Ball tea at home?

By Mark Debson · July 7, 2026 · 7 min read · Food & Drink

Steep one Teavana Jade Citrus Mint and one Peach Tranquility bag in a 50/50 mix of hot water and lemonade with honey for Medicine Ball tea at home.

Quick Answer

To make Starbucks Medicine Ball tea at home, steep one Teavana Jade Citrus Mint bag and one Teavana Peach Tranquility bag in a 16-ounce mug filled with equal parts hot water and hot lemonade (about 1 cup each), then stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey.

Starbucks calls this drink the Honey Citrus Mint Tea on its official menu; "Medicine Ball" is just the nickname baristas coined back in 2016.

The two tea bags you actually need

Both are from the Teavana line and are still stocked in most US grocery tea aisles (in the boxed tea section, not the coffee aisle) even after Starbucks closed its standalone Teavana retail stores.

• Jade Citrus Mint , green tea with spearmint, lemon verbena, and lemongrass. This is the sinus-clearing, throat-cooling side.
• Peach Tranquility , herbal (caffeine-free) with peach, candied pineapple, chamomile, and rose hips. This is the sweet, fruity, calming side.

Using two bags of the same one does not work; the flavor is unbalanced and thin. The combination is the whole point.

Ingredients (per 16 oz mug)

• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 cup lemonade (Simply Lemonade or Minute Maid work; pulp-free is easier)
• 1 bag Teavana Jade Citrus Mint
• 1 bag Teavana Peach Tranquility
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (clover honey matches Starbucks best)

Step-by-step

1. Combine the water and lemonade in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Warm until the mixture just starts to steam (about 190°F). Do not let it boil hard; boiling lemonade caramelizes the sugars and turns the flavor bitter.
3. Meanwhile, squeeze the honey into the bottom of a large mug and drop in both tea bags.
4. Pour the hot water-lemonade mix over the tea bags, filling the mug.
5. Stir once to dissolve the honey.
6. Cover the mug with a saucer to trap steam and steep for 5 to 7 minutes.
7. Remove the tea bags, stir, and sip.

Why the long steep matters

Peach Tranquility contains large dried peach pieces and dense chamomile flowers. They release flavor slowly. A 2-minute steep gives you a thin, watery cup. Five to seven minutes is the sweet spot; longer than 10 and the green tea gets slightly astringent.

The variations that also work

• All-water version. Skip the lemonade; add a fresh lemon wedge squeezed in. Milder, less sweet, easier on the stomach.
• Ginger boost. Add a 1-inch peeled slice of fresh ginger to the water while it heats. Great for congestion.
• Cold brewed. Steep both bags in the water-lemonade mix in the fridge for 8 hours. Serve over ice.
• Alternative tea brands. If Teavana is out of stock: pair Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon with Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion. Not identical, but close.

Does it actually help a cold?

None of the ingredients are medicine. But the drink hits several evidence-backed sore-throat soothers at once:

• Honey coats the throat and has mild antibacterial properties (well-studied for cough symptom relief in adults and children over 1 year old).
• Warm steam loosens sinus congestion.
• Mint (spearmint, menthol precursors) creates the cooling sensation that dulls throat pain.
• Chamomile is a mild sedative that helps you rest.
• Lemon (citric acid + vitamin C) cuts through mucus.

It will not cure a virus, but it makes you feel better while your immune system does the work.

Cost comparison

Cafe Venti Honey Citrus Mint Tea: 4.75 to 5.50 dollars. Home version: 0.85 to 1.25 dollars once you own the tea box and honey. A box of 16 Teavana sachets is about 6 to 8 dollars.

Safety note for kids

Do not serve any honey-containing version (this drink or the Starbucks cafe version) to children under 12 months old due to infant botulism risk. For older kids, halve the honey.

Frequently asked questions

What if my grocery store does not carry Teavana anymore?

Starbucks shut down standalone Teavana retail stores, but grocery-channel Teavana boxed teas are still widely distributed by parent company Nestlé Health Science. Check the tea aisle (not the coffee aisle). If your local store is out, both bags are easily available on Amazon, Target.com, and Walmart.com. Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon plus Celestial Seasonings Country Peach Passion is a decent substitute if you cannot find Teavana.

Can I make it iced?

Yes. Steep both bags in 1 cup of hot water and 1 cup of hot lemonade with honey for 5 minutes as usual, then pour over a tall glass of ice. Or cold brew: steep both bags in cold water + lemonade in the fridge for 8 hours, then add honey when you serve.

Is it safe during pregnancy?

Green tea (in Jade Citrus Mint) contains a small amount of caffeine, roughly 15 to 25 mg per bag depending on steep time. That is well under the 200 mg per day guideline most OB-GYNs use during pregnancy. Peach Tranquility is caffeine-free. Honey is safe for pregnant adults but never for infants under 12 months.

How much caffeine is in the drink?

Roughly 15 to 25 mg from the Jade Citrus Mint bag (green tea, low caffeine). Peach Tranquility contributes zero. Compare to a cup of coffee at 95 mg or black tea at 47 mg.

Can I make a big batch to sip through the day?

Yes. Scale to 4 cups water + 4 cups lemonade + 4 bags of each tea + 6 tablespoons honey. Steep for 7 minutes, remove bags, cool. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat individual cups in the microwave or drink over ice.

What is the best mug to use?

A wide-mouth ceramic mug retains heat better than glass. Aim for 14 to 16 ounces so the full 2 cups of water-lemonade mix plus the tea bags have room to steep without splashing over. Preheat the mug by filling it with hot tap water for 30 seconds and dumping it out before you add the tea bags; a preheated ceramic mug keeps the drink at drinkable temperature for 10 to 15 extra minutes.

Can I stir espresso into it?

Some people do (an off-menu combo sometimes called a "medicine ball latte"). One shot adds about 75 mg of caffeine and cuts the sweetness. If you are testing it, add the espresso after the tea has steeped and been removed; brewing tea directly in espresso extraction produces a bitter cup.

Bottom line

The Medicine Ball is not a proprietary Starbucks brew; it is two off-the-shelf Teavana bags plus a 50/50 mix of hot water and hot lemonade sweetened with honey. Do not let the lemonade boil, steep the bags a full 5 minutes, and you have a nearly identical copycat for a fraction of the drive-thru cost.