WASHINGTON — There's a new way to get caffeine at Starbucks, with the chain launching a new line of "iced energy beverages" for customers this week. The drinks are launching a month after Panera Bread discontinued its line of "charged lemonade" drinks over lawsuits involving two deaths.
The beverages, essentially canned energy drinks poured over ice, are part of Starbucks' summer menu additions.
Panera stopped offering their line of caffeine-heavy drinks after being hit with a pair of lawsuits alleging the beverages caused the deaths of two people who weren't aware of how much caffeine they were drinking.
What are the flavors?
The Melon Burst Iced Energy flavor combines melon and cucumber with "Passion Tango" tea.
The Tropical Citrus Iced Energy has passionfruit, citrus and green tea flavors.
Both are available at stores across the U.S. starting Tuesday.
Customers ordering through the Starbucks app are also able to order the tropical citrus drink with a strawberry puree, as a limited-time exclusive.
It's also easy to pick a size: there's only one option. All of the iced energy drinks come in a venti size (the biggest regular size offered by Starbucks), at around 20 fl oz per drink.
How much caffeine is in Starbucks' new energy drinks?
Each drink contains 180 to 205 mg of caffeine. The average person can consume around 300 to 400 mg of caffeine each day without adverse effects.
The average cup of coffee is around 90 mg of caffeine, and Starbucks says their grande cold brew is around 180 mg (comparable to the venti iced energy drink). Also comparable: Celsius energy drinks, which have around 200 mg of caffeine per can.
Panera's charged lemonade had around 390 mg of caffeine per serving.
For additional reference, Monster Energy drinks have around 160 mg of caffeine, while Red Bull cans have around 80 mg.
What else is Starbucks adding to the menu?
Starbucks is also adding nondairy creamer and cold foam to its coffee topping options, and is debuting a caramel vanilla swirl iced coffee for the summer.
The coffee chain is also launching two new food options: an egg, pesto and mozzarella sandwich and a blueberry streusel muffin. Starbucks said it plans to offer all new menu items throughout the year, and won't be capping them as seasonal options like their ever-popular pumpkin-spice drinks in the fall.
