Starbucks Debuts Fruity Energy Drink Less Than Two Months After Panera Discontinues Highly Caffeinated Charged Lemonade

Starbucks has launched Iced Energy, a fruity energy drink with up to 205 milligrams of caffeine, which is about the same amount as six cans of Coke. This comes less than two months after bakery-cafe chain Panera Bread announced it was discontinuing its controversial Charged Lemonade, a beverage that lawsuits blamed for two deaths and referred to as a “dangerous energy drink.” The Iced Energy comes in three flavors, including one only available temporarily through the Starbucks app. Its two in-store menu offerings, Melon Burst and Tropical Citrus, range in caffeine from 180 milligrams to 205 milligrams, according to Starbucks. That’s more than a grande Starbucks Caffe Latte, which has 150 milligrams of caffeine, but significantly less than Panera’s Charged Lemonade, which had 390 milligrams of caffeine when it was served in a large, 30-fluid-ounce cup without ice.

Except for its limited-edition Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with Strawberry Puree, Iced Energy is sugar-free, made with artificial sweeteners. All flavors are sold in Starbucks’ venti, 24-fluid-ounce size only and have caffeine, vitamins, and taurine — an amino acid common in popular energy drinks that has been touted as helping to improve exercise performance, though more studies are needed. While taurine is not a stimulant, some animal studies indicate that regular consumption of it in high doses could be harmful to adolescents’ developing brains.

Charged Lemonade, on the other hand, contained sugar and guarana extract, a stimulant that purportedly aids with weight loss and improves cognition, but that can be unsafe when taken long-term in large amounts. Starbucks’ new drink comes amid a slew of similar options elsewhere. In February, as Panera reeled from multiple lawsuits over its Charged Lemonade, Dunkin’ introduced SPARKD’ Energy beverages, fizzy energy drinks with guarana and taurine that come in peach and berry flavors and have up to 192 milligrams of caffeine. Smoothie King offers lemonade refreshers that have up to 125 milligrams of “natural caffeine” from green coffee beans.

The energy drink market as a whole has exploded, with annual U.S. sales of energy drinks having surged to nearly $22 billion as of mid-May, up from about $13.5 billion at the end of 2019. Energy drinks have more caffeine than ever, with Red Bull, Celsius, and Bang containing up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Starbucks’ Iced Energy is different from its refreshers, popular caffeinated juices with about 30 milligrams or more of caffeine.

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