While most college students drink coffee to fuel their day-to-day life, there is more than one way to get your daily intake of caffeine, and it’s not just tea. As a non-coffee drinker, my go-to-caffeine shop is Starbucks. Here are some of my favorite Starbucks coffee free drink categories to consider the next time you order.
Acai Refreshers
For those who aren’t tea and coffee drinkers, refreshers are the best drink to order. I first discovered a Pink Drink, which has an acai refresher as a base, when I was staying up late in high school for newspaper layout nights. It contains coconut milk which makes it very light but still keeps me caffeinated. To incorporate more of a cotton candy flavor, try adding two pumps of raspberry syrup and vanilla sweet cream cold foam. There are some other refresher options that don’t include milk at all and make for a much lighter drink such as pineapple passion fruit lemonade, hot girl summer drink, peach mango lemonade.
Tea Lattes
These are a great transitional drink for those who are unsure about tea but want to experience something new. A few of my favorites to grab at Starbucks when I need a caffeine fix are their chai tea latte and matcha green tea latte.
Pro tip: if you generally don’t drink hot tea, then I suggest ordering one of these since they don’t taste like it’s just a tea bag in your drink.
Matcha
Much like coffee, matcha is an acquired taste. One of the reasons I favor Starbucks is because of the different ways they add matcha to their recipes. They have their iconic iced green tea latte along with some newer recipes such as green drink and matcha lemonade. Matcha has great health benefits, if consumed correctly, and honestly has saved me so many times so I urge you to try it!
Creme Frappes
This is always a tricky area for me to order. Sometimes you have to emphasize that you don’t want coffee especially if you’re getting one that typically comes with it. For that reason, Starbucks created the creme frappes since they originally don’t include coffee. I personally enjoy the double chocolate chip frappuccino, and I’ve heard of their seasonal ones such as pumpkin spice and peppermint vanilla.
Hot Chocolate
Sometimes, the classics are the best go-to. Now that the holiday season is in full swing, Starbucks’ hot chocolate flavors have expanded. Most of their reputable drinks include white hot chocolate and peppermint hot chocolate but there are some more kept on the DL drinks such as hazelnut and salted caramel hot chocolate.
Steamers
Personally, I’ve never tried any of Starbucks steamers because I always get either matcha or a refresher but I have seen a lot of hype about them not containing coffee. They have their classics like vanilla but with the holiday season, their menu has expanded. There are some that crisscross into this category like the cinnamon dolce drink that seems tempting.
Teas and acai refreshers have seriously changed my study experience. Even if you don’t choose any of these drinks, I hope I have inspired you to consider them!