FOOD NEWS
The Baristas At Starbucks Want You To Stop Ordering The 'Medicine Ball'
BY Eibhlis Gale-Coleman
Starbucks' medicine ball is a nickname for a green tea with chamomile, mint, honey, and steamed lemonade. However, it's one drink baristas wish you'd stop ordering.
Originally a customer-created secret menu drink, the honey mint citrus tea is hailed as a cold and flu remedy. Thanks to its popularity, Starbucks has now added it to the menu.
For baristas, the issue lies in patron behavior. Due to the tea's healing reputation, it has people coming in with hacking coughs and spluttered sneezes, risking spreading illness.
One Starbucks employee took to Reddit in a furious keyboard rant and said, "All for a tea that gets sugary syrup and sugary lemonade in it.... no medicinal properties whatsoever."
To avoid vexing your barista, try ordering a honey mint citrus tea instead. Starbucks can't legally claim a drink is medicinal, so mislabeling risks putting staff in a sticky spot.