Between my senior year of college and now, I’ve become inconveniently tolerant to caffeine and am always on the lookout for a drink that’ll make me feel something. So when I found out about Starbucks’ new iced energy drink, I was intrigued by the possibility of a beverage that might help me take the heat off of my body. and Gives you an energy boost in just one serving.
The company’s new iced energy drinks, which “combine sparkling fruit flavors with iced tea,” as Starbucks’ website puts it, look appealingly refreshing, but unlike your typical smoothie or slushie, they’re packed with caffeine. According to nutritional information available online, a 24-ounce drink contains 140 to 205 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, which is on par with a store-bought Grande (16 oz) Cold Brew. Customers can choose from three different options: Melon Burst Ice Energy, Tropical Citrus Ice Energy, and Frozen Tropical Citrus Ice Energy with Strawberry Puree (the last one is only available for purchase on the Starbucks app for a limited time). The Tropical Citrus flavor has the most caffeine, at 205 mg.
On a scorching hot day in New York, I decided to try one to help ward off afternoon drowsiness. I ordered a Tropical Citrus Ice Energy at a Starbucks a few minutes from my office and started sipping it after lunch. By the time I got back to work, I’d downed about a quarter of it (it tasted like carbonated iced tea, so that wasn’t too hard). About 30 minutes later, as I was sitting at my desk, I noticed I was more focused, my heart was beating faster, and my fingers were shaking when I tried to move. I still had half a bottle of Tropical Citrus Ice Energy left. Next, I lost focus and felt a pressure in my head. It felt like my eyes were sliding over Google Docs on my computer screen. My body’s reactions seemed to stabilize there, but by the time I left the office around 6:30pm, my heart rate still felt high.
So what was going on? First, the drink flooded my body with caffeine. The FDA recommends no more than 400 mg per day, so one cup of Tropical Citrus Iced Energy contained just over half the daily limit (plus, I’d had coffee that morning, so I was already up to about 100 mg). That’s a lot more than an 8.4-ounce Red Bull (80 mg) or 8 ounces of coffee (which typically have 80-100 mg), but less than a 20-ounce Panera Charged Lemonade (259-260 mg). Panera recently announced it was stopping selling these drinks after multiple lawsuits were filed against them, according to the Associated Press.
As someone who normally drinks two cups of coffee a day (or three if I’m feeling particularly low on energy), my reaction to Iced Energy was particularly noticeable — or at least more noticeable than I expected. Too Surprisingly, caffeine can cause a variety of effects, especially in people who are sensitive to stimulants: increased alertness, increased urination, and stomach upset or heartburn. Too Overdosing can cause symptoms like anxiety, dehydration, dizziness, headaches, and insomnia.
