Starbucks Hibiscus Herbal Blend Tea

Starbucks Hibiscus Herbal Blend Tea carries 6 calories in a Grande and no caffeine at all. Hibiscus sits at the centre of the blend with papaya and mango flavour, lemongrass and a little cinnamon, and it brews to a deep red that looks nothing like the rest of the tea menu.

Hibiscus is sharp rather than sweet. The tartness is closer to cranberry than to any tea, and it is what makes this blend work iced as well as hot. Lemongrass adds a clean citrus lift in the middle and the cinnamon sits right at the back, more warmth than flavour. Papaya and mango round the edges without making it taste like squash. The colour comes entirely from the hibiscus calyces and it deepens the longer the bag stays in.

No delivery partner prices this blend, so the figure above is left blank rather than filled with a guess. Calories are 6 in a Short, Tall and Grande, and 12 in a Venti. Carbohydrate is 1.1g in a Grande with 0.8g of sugar, which is the small amount the dried fruit brings. Caffeine is 0mg across every size, and unlike the black and green teas on this menu that figure is straightforward to trust, because there is no tea leaf in the blend to carry any.

The deep red has nothing to do with the fruit in the blend. It comes from anthocyanins in the hibiscus calyx, the same pigment family that colours blackcurrants and red cabbage, and it shifts with acidity. A squeeze of lemon turns the cup noticeably brighter and a pinch of bicarbonate would push it towards purple. That is a party trick rather than a serving suggestion, but it explains why two cups of the same blend can look different.

It is the base of several iced drinks Starbucks sells in summer, and brewing it double strength over ice is the best thing to do with it at home. Like the mint blend it cannot be over brewed, so a long steep only deepens the colour and the tartness. The Mint Herbal Blend is the other caffeine free infusion on the menu, and the English Breakfast is where to go for a proper black tea.