A grande Starbucks Medicine Ball (Honey Citrus Mint Tea) has 30 g of sugar; tall 22 g, venti 35 g, short about 15–16 g.
If you’re eyeing the soothing Honey Citrus Mint Tea—better known as the Medicine Ball—you probably want the sugar numbers by size and simple ways to cut them. This guide gives you the exact figures pulled from Starbucks’ nutrition, plus easy ordering tweaks that drop the sugar without losing the steamy comfort you came for.
How Much Sugar In Starbucks Medicine Ball—By Size
Starbucks lists the drink on the menu as Honey Citrus Mint Tea. The drink blends two Teavana sachets (Jade Citrus Mint and Peach Tranquility), hot water, steamed lemonade, and a touch of honey. Here’s what that means for sugar in each standard hot size.
| Drink / Size | Sugar (g) | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Honey Citrus Mint Tea — Short (8 fl oz) | 15–16 g | ~60–70 |
| Honey Citrus Mint Tea — Tall (12 fl oz) | ~22 g | ~90 |
| Honey Citrus Mint Tea — Grande (16 fl oz) | 30 g | 130 |
| Honey Citrus Mint Tea — Venti (20 fl oz) | ~35 g | 150 |
| Mint Majesty (Hot Herbal Tea) | 0 g | 0 |
| Chamomile Mint Blossom (Hot Herbal Tea) | 0 g | ~5 |
| Lemonade (Iced, baseline size on menu) | 27 g | 120 |
Those figures line up with Starbucks’ nutrition for the grande size and with widely used nutrition databases for the other sizes. In short, most of the sugar comes from lemonade and honey; the tea sachets themselves bring flavor, not sugar. You can confirm the grande figures on the official Starbucks nutrition page, which lists 130 calories and 30 g sugar for a 16-oz cup. Third-party databases match the short, tall, and venti patterns shown above.
What’s Actually In The Medicine Ball
Baristas steep one sachet of Teavana Jade Citrus Mint and one sachet of Teavana Peach Tranquility. They add hot water, steamed lemonade, and honey. Some stores offer a pump of peppermint syrup on request, but that adds more sugar. The lemony warmth and minty fruit notes make it a go-to on sniffly days, but it’s still a sweetened tea.
Where The Sugar Comes From
- Lemonade: Starbucks lemonade is sweetened; a baseline cup on the menu shows 27 g sugar. That’s the big driver.
- Honey: The standard build includes honey, which adds more sugar and a round, soothing finish.
- Tea Sachets: The Jade Citrus Mint and Peach Tranquility teas do not add sugar on their own.
Quick Answers To Common Size Questions
How Much Sugar Is In A Grande Medicine Ball?
A grande lists 30 g sugar and 130 calories. You’ll see the same numbers on Starbucks’ official nutrition for Honey Citrus Mint Tea.
How Much Sugar Is In A Tall Medicine Ball?
A tall lists about 22 g sugar and ~90 calories in nutrition databases that mirror Starbucks’ app values.
How Much Sugar Is In A Venti Medicine Ball?
A venti shows ~35 g sugar and 150 calories in mainstream databases that track Starbucks beverages.
How Much Sugar Is In A Short Medicine Ball?
A short clocks in around 15–16 g sugar and ~60–70 calories, which fits the scaled-down build.
Is This A Lot Of Sugar For One Drink?
Many people use the American Heart Association as a quick yardstick for added sugar goals. The AHA added-sugar guidance suggests aiming for no more than about 25 g per day for most women and 36 g for most men. By that lens, a grande Medicine Ball at 30 g can reach or exceed a day’s target in one cup for some folks. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it; it just helps to know where it lands so you can pick the size or tweaks that match your day.
How To Order A Lower-Sugar Medicine Ball
You don’t need to ditch the drink. Small moves go a long way because lemonade and honey make up the sugar. Try these barista-friendly phrases and what they do to the cup’s sweetness and sugar load.
| Customization | What To Say | Estimated Sugar Change |
|---|---|---|
| Light Lemonade | “Honey Citrus Mint Tea, light lemonade.” | Noticeably lower |
| Half Lemonade, Half Hot Water | “Half lemonade, half hot water.” | Lower than baseline |
| No Honey | “No honey.” | Lower |
| Honey On The Side | “Honey on the side.” | Let taste guide each sip |
| No Peppermint Syrup | “No peppermint syrup.” | Keeps sugar from creeping up |
| Short Or Tall Size | “Short” or “Tall.” | Less sugar by volume |
| All Water, No Lemonade | “All water, no lemonade.” | Lowest sugar version |
Smart Swaps When You Want The Same Comfort
There are days when you want the steamy mug and mint-citrus vibe with less sugar by default. These picks keep the warmth and flavor cues while trimming the sweeteners.
Mint Majesty Or Chamomile Mint Blossom
Both are herbal teas without sugar. Ask for a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of honey only if you need it. Starbucks lists Mint Majesty at 0 g sugar and Chamomile Mint Blossom at 0 g sugar with about 5 calories.
Half-Sweet Medicine Ball Style
Order the same build, but request light lemonade and honey on the side. Stir in only what you want. This keeps the core flavor while cutting sugar down to taste.
Plain Green Tea With A Lemon Wedge
Ask for Emperor’s Clouds & Mist or any brewed green tea with a lemon wedge. You get the steam, the citrus lift, and no sugar unless you add it.
What About Vitamin C?
The warmth and citrus feel soothing, and that’s a big reason people reach for this drink. The tea and lemonade bring a light vitamin C bump, but the sugar climbs with it. If you’re after vitamin C without the sweetness of lemonade and honey, brewed herbal or green tea with a lemon wedge is a simple route. Starbucks’ own beverage tips sheets group Honey Citrus Mint Tea under drinks that can include vitamin C, though that perk comes with the sweetened build.
Label Notes, Sizing, And Small Variations
Nutrition on Starbucks’ site and app reflects standard builds. Stores may pour slightly different lemonade proportions or honey drizzles, which can nudge numbers up or down. The size ladder matters a lot: stepping down from venti to tall trims both sugar and calories in one move.
Clear, Practical Takeaways
- Grande sugar is 30 g: That’s the straight answer most people need first.
- Size down to trim sugar fast: Short and tall versions drop sugar without any menu tweak.
- Target the lemonade and honey: “Light lemonade” and “honey on the side” are the easiest phrases to lower sweetness.
- Plain herbal teas are zero sugar: Mint Majesty and Chamomile Mint Blossom hit the soothing notes with none of the sweeteners.
- Compare with your day’s sugar goal: The AHA daily target is about 25 g for most women and 36 g for most men, so a grande can crowd that budget quickly.
Why The Numbers Matter When You’re Choosing A Size
Picking a size decides most of the sugar. The jump from tall to grande adds roughly 8 g sugar, and from grande to venti adds about 5 g more. If you want the same taste with fewer grams, keep the tea sachets and swap the lemonade ratio, or slide down one size. That’s the simplest way to keep the flavor and still fit your day’s plan.
Answering The Exact Query: How Much Sugar In Starbucks Medicine Ball?
Here’s the line you might need for a menu decision or a tracker entry. A grande Honey Citrus Mint Tea lists 30 g sugar and 130 calories on Starbucks’ nutrition. Short is around 15–16 g, tall is around 22 g, and venti is around 35 g. If you build it with less lemonade or with honey on the side, the sugar drops fast.
Sources You Can Check
You can verify the grande nutrition directly on Starbucks’ Honey Citrus Mint Tea nutrition page. For daily sugar targets, see the AHA added-sugar guidance. Menu pages for herbal teas and lemonade confirm the zero-sugar and lemonade baselines used in the comparison table.
Bottom Line
If your search was “how much sugar in Starbucks Medicine Ball?” the quick read is this: grande is 30 g sugar, with short, tall, and venti scaling around that number. Ask for light lemonade, keep honey on the side, or pick a smaller size to pull the sugar down while you keep the soothing mug in hand.