Starbucks Refreshers Strawberry Lemonade Energy Drink Review

Recently another wave of energy drinks crashed onto the Ontario shores and this time it was Starbucks' Refreshers line. I first had a refresher last year when I went to Michigan and now I have access to all the flavours at any time...or until Starbucks decides to pull them from stores. For $2.99 (or $3.49 at some places I saw) you can pick up a can from almost any gas station. I noticed that the 7-11's in my area do not yet carry these, but all the Shell gas stations do.

Taste

At the start you get a well balanced strawberry and lemon flavour without much sweetness. Quickly the light flavours go away and are replaced by light bitterness that is really hard to pinpoint where it comes from.The only thing that it could be from is the green coffee.

The aftertaste is very dry and does carry some sweetener as well as light strawberry and lemon notes that sit at the back of your mouth. There is also some trailing bitterness, but it is not a deal breaker.

The drink is definitely refreshing when cold, but the dryness leaves the package incomplete.

Energy

There are only around 50 mg of caffeine in the can, but I was able to get a very quick boost and perk up within 15 minutes. I felt a little jittery for a few brief moments, but once that passed, the energy was very good. I felt focused and was able to read a few news articles without skipping any lines or paragraphs.

The kick lasted for a little under an hour and there wasn't a crash at end.

Overall, I think these are great for a light boost on a hot afternoon or first thing in the morning, but don't expect a torrent of energy like you would with a Monster or a Rockstar.

Here is a shot of the ingredients and the nutrition info...for reference.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99
Taste - 8.5/10
Energy - 5.5/10

Overall - 14/20...refreshing with a small burst of energy