Last year, I reviewed a new line of “iced energy drinks” available at Starbucks. At that time, I talked about how weird it was that Starbucks was paying to produce and ship 12oz energy drink cans that no one was allowed to buy because they were exclusively intended to be an ingredient. Starbucks must have also realized this was silly, because for the first time since the death of BAVA Energy, we’ve got a brand new lineup of Starbucks’ canned energy drinks.
Each can of Starbucks Iced Energy contains zero sugar, 160 milligrams of “plant-based” caffeine (20% less than your standard Alani Nu), and is sweetened with sucralose. These new Starbucks drinks launched in stores late last month (I found mine at Giant Eagle) after being revealed at NACS 2024. But how do they taste?
![Tropical Peach Starbucks Iced Energy]()
New Starbucks Energy Drink!
- Tropical Peach Starbucks Iced Energy
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Pros: This has a light, natural peach flavor. It’s closer to a Celsius than an Alani Nu on the tongue—something that feels obvious in hindsight, considering the can design also looks more like Celsius than Alani Nu.
Cons: There is definitely a hint of tropical fruit underneath the peach, but the can doesn’t specify which tropical fruit. Considering how much consumers appreciate transparency these days, I’m not sure why Starbucks wouldn’t just call this Peach Guava or Peach Starfruit or whatever.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
![Blueberry Lemonade Starbucks Iced Energy]()
New Starbucks Energy Drink!
- Blueberry Lemonade Starbucks Iced Energy
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Pros: The blueberry flavor here is, again, very authentic. I’ve talked before about how underutilized blueberries are in the energy drink space, so I’m glad a newcomer is giving it a shot. Lemonade can be overpowering as a flavor, but this didn’t fall into that trap—at a cost.
Cons: The blueberry and lemonade basically cancel each other out, leaving a vague “sweet citrus” flavor behind that I got bored of after just a few sips. This isn’t going to be anyone’s new favorite energy drink, I guarantee that.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
![Watermelon Twist Starbucks Iced Energy]()
New Starbucks Energy Drink!
- Watermelon Twist Starbucks Iced Energy
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Pros: This watermelon lime energy drink was unlike any watermelon or lime energy drink I’ve ever had before. The reason why will be obvious in the next paragraph.
Cons: Did you guys know that combining watermelon and lime apparently makes cucumber? Seriously, I opened the can, caught the aroma of cucumber, brushed it off, took a sip, and tasted absolutely nothing but cucumber. No watermelon, no lime; this just tastes like a spa day. I don’t dislike cucumbers, but I think a lot of people are going to be confused by this drink. Overall, I wasn’t terribly impressed with these new Starbucks drinks. The Tropical Peach flavor is the only one I was excited to continue drinking after I finished my review.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
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