The best Starbucks drink for energy is not the one with the highest caffeine content as there is a big difference between stimulation and producing energy – especially if you want to avoid that cycle of energy crashes.

Since everyone’s tastes are different I’ve compiled a list to give you options. Some will raise an eyebrow…or two.

Keep reading to find out what Drink on Starbucks drinks menu is the best for energy.

Best Starbucks Drink For Energy

The best Starbucks drink for energy is not always the one with the insanely high caffeine content like a Venti blonde roast brewed coffee, which has an insane 475 mg.

Energy production and stimulants are two different things, two very different things. Of course the drinks on this list have an ample amount of caffeine, but it is not sole basis. Healthy fats and importantly getting B complex of vitamins will help your body to produce energy.

This, in my opinion, a nutritional approach, is much better than a stimulation-fatigue-stimulation cycle through the day.

Let’s get right to this list of the best Starbucks drink for energy.

Read: What roast of coffee has the most caffeine?

#1 Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso Can – 120 mg

At 120 mg of caffeine the stimulation effect is normal, about what you would expect from an 8 Oz brewed coffee from your local coffee shop. The caffeine will wake you up or keep you going mid-afternoon.

What makes this the best choice is the nutritional profile.

• Panax Ginseng: 120 mg.
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 3.4 mg.
• Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6): 4 mg.
• Niacin (Vitamin B3): 38 mg.
• Taurine: 1,800 mg.
• Guarana: 90 mg.

Guarana is a stimulant that according to studies can be twice as effective as caffeine. Panax Ginseng, Korean Ginseng has an effect of boosting you energy.

At the very base of what is in a doubleshot espresso (all flavors) you have two sources of stimulation: caffeine and guarana and Panax Ginseng to aid your energy production.

The addition of the B group of vitamins will help your body to produce energy, particularly Niacin which helps to convert food to energy.

As I said in the introduction to this list, it is not always about how much caffeine is in a Starbucks drink if you are seeking an Energy boost.

If you feel the need for extra stimulation or a larger drink, you can request a short 8 oz (240 ml) coconut latte. The extra 75 mg of caffeine and the coconut milk used will add to the nutritional profile and a sprinkle of cocoa.

#2 Starbucks Dragon Drink – 35 mg to 90 mg

The caffeine content of a dragon drink is fairly light, less than half a shot of espresso to a little more than a full shot. Let’s detail the exact caffeine amount in each drink size:

• Tall 12 Oz (360 ml): 35 mg.
• Grande 16 Oz (480 ml): 45 mg.
• Venti 24 Oz (720 ml): 70 mg.
• Trenta 30 Oz (900 ml): 90 mg.

If it is a caffeine stimulation that you need to ward off the cloud of fatigue, a shot of espresso will add 75 mg of caffeine.

Obviously it is not the strongest Starbucks drinks on the menu in terms of caffeine, but it is not the caffeine that gives you energy in this drink, it is the fruit.

It’s made with real dragon fruit, a popular fruit grown in Asia, mango and coconut milk. You’ll get all the stimulation and energy boost that you need to last you all day long.

It’s tarty, fruity and the taste reminds you of a hot, tropical paradise.

In my own opinion, it is the best Starbucks refresher, at least in terms of taste.

#3 Matcha Latte – 75 mg – 150 mg

This is one of the better, if not the best type of latte for energy. Make with milk, matcha powder and a dash of simple syrup to sweeten and balance the taste.

That Instagram-worthy green latte is great for your energy as like Panax ginseng, one of the plus points of matcha, among many is that it is great for energy production and keeping you going.

If you are feeling an energy slump, switch out your regular latte for a matcha. It also comes with the health benefiting fact of being a good source of antioxidants and vitamin B. One of the compounds, EGCg, helps zinc to get into your body which aids your immune function. The vitamin D content will help in many aspects too.

#4 Coconut Mocha – 90 mg to 185 mg

Requesting your regular caffé mocha is made with coconut milk instead of regular adds to nutritional value and rebalances it in the direction of helping your body with energy production.

I can personally testify to this as a coconut mocha is my daily morning coffee at home. For what it is worth, coconut oil is great in coffee and works well for energy. Chocolate is good for energy due to the active compounds and nutrients.

The effect that chocolate has helps to ease off any excessive caffeine and aid concentration.

#5 Honey Almond Milk Flat White – 130 mg to 195 mg

A cool and little known fact is Starbucks has little packs of honey at their outlets that the barista, upon request, can be added to your drink.

Honey has a great nutritional profile and is well established for being good for your body and health and overall healthy production of energy. Almond milk is great for energy too. One of my favorite Restaurants in Penang, Malaysia, serves hot almond milk as an energy drink and enhancer.

The ample caffeine content will clear out any fatigue that you have. This is a drink that is on the Starbucks menu, and easily ordered. It’s popular, and you can also order it as a Starbucks iced coffee.

And those “secret” honey packets, keep that in mind when you want a healthier sweetener or add more nutrients to your coffee drinks.

Best Starbucks Drinks To Keep You Awake

Staying awake and energy production are two different things. Staying away is about fighting fatigue, pulling an all-nighter for whatever reason it may be.

Caffeine has a half life of 6 hours and is out of your system within 12 hours, depending on your metabolism.

Like the list above, these drinks are not purely based on their caffeine content, although it is a bigger factor in this list and has more weight, the drinks are for the purpose of giving you much needed stimulation to stay awake, and the energy keep going.

#1 Doubleshot On Ice – 150 mg – 375 mg

This has an excellent and ample amount of caffeine, especially the venti size which is made with 5 shots of espresso.

In my opinion, the venti size is designed to be sipped and enjoyed over a period of time providing an ample flow of caffeine into your body staving off the fatigue.

This can be ordered as a shaken espresso with the milk of your choice added. To keep you going, and what works incredibly well both nutritionally is to request oat milk, honey and a couple of pumps of brown sugar syrup.

Drink it, and you will get that energy jolt, sip it, especially the 600 ml 20 ounce Venti drink size you will get a nice smooth energy boost.

The oat milk is cream, better tasting than using regular steamed milk and nutritionally better. Adding honey is great for both flavor and nutritional profile. It is the famous iced shaken espresso.

#2 Reserve Nitro Cold Brew – 280 mg – 400 mg

One of the great things about cold brew coffee is the fact that you can add regular sweet cream, vanilla sweet cream, cold foam and a sprinkling of cinnamon or cocoa.

To be honest and quite frank, I really don’t advise adding anything to Starbucks nitro cold brew coffee. It’s rich, creamy and tasty enough as it is without adding anything at all. The infusion of nitrogen alters the chemistry of the coffee drink and makes it smoother, richer and sweeter.

If you are trying it for the first time, try it naked, as it is; after that you can think about any fancy additions to suit your own needs. The 280 mg to 400 mg is ample stimulation to stave off any drops in energy.

The addition of oat milk sweet cream or almond milk sweet cream with honey will add the nutritional profile.

#3 Cold Brew Coffee -155 mg to 360 mg

A cold brew coffee is much better for adding sweet cream, vanilla sweet cream or salted caramel sweet cream and cold foam additions than nitro cold brew.

What makes cold brew coffee great for keeping you awake is the caffeine content and the fact that the drinks are low acid, well-balanced and very mellow tasting. They are much easier to drink without upsetting your stomach, which is great for sufferers of GERD.

Nutritionally, all that is needed is some honey. A lot of coffee is used to make this cold brew due to the coffee to water ratio of 1:8 meaning you are getting a high dose of the nutrients found in coffee, which include many of the B group of vitamins.

Read: Which coffee has the most caffeine?

#4 Blonde Roast Brewed Coffee – 180 mg – 475 mg

In terms of caffeine at 475 milligrams, the Venti drink size has more caffeine than any other coffee drink on the Starbucks menu.

Its raw caffeine will keep you awake and keep you going. Easily adjusted to your own coffee taste and preference by adding honey, coconut milk, oat milk or almond milk.

#5 Blonde Caffé Americano 85 mg – 340 mg

Just as you’d expect, a blonde roast café Americano has 85 mg to 340 mg depending on the drink size. The high caffeine content will keep you awake all night and stave off fatigue and any tiredness that creeps, especially if you go for the Venti drink size that has 340 mg and 4 full shots of espresso.

Like all drinks, you can customize it to your heart’s content with popular additions being steamed milk.

No matter what milk you add, adding it will actually change this into an Americano misto.

Starbucks Drinks For Work

The best Starbucks drinks for work are the ones that will not only stimulate you and give you a good energy boost but will also be good for focus and concentration.

Only two drinks stand out on the Starbucks menu there are only two drinks that stand out above all others:

• Caffe Mocha.
• Cordusio Mocha.

A regular mocha has a caffeine content from 90 mg to 185 mg while a cordusio mocha has a caffeine range of 155 mg to 320 mg.

While the caffeine will stimulate you, the compounds in the chocolate will help to your focus and energy when combined with the caffeine content.

Enjoying it as it is or customizing the milk to use almond milk or coconut milk and having a little honey added will only aid the nutritional content and your energy production.

Frequently Asked Questions About Best Starbucks Drink For Energy

Does Starbucks Have A Drink That Gives You Energy?

Yes, Starbucks has a few energy drinks, besides their coffee, which gives you energy. Their Doubleshot energy has less caffeine than the majority of the coffee drinks on their menu. For good energy you need good nutrition and not just raw caffeine.

Thus, I consider their cordusio mocha to be a great choice for energy. It has all the stimulation you’d expect from a high caffeine coffee, which has up to 320 mg of caffeine.

The cocoa content is great for energy and the milk and nutrients from it alongside the cocoa and coffee nutritional content make it a great choice, the best on their menu.

What Should I Get At Starbucks if Im Super Tired?

The strongest Starbucks drinks in terms of their caffeine content are their blonde roast coffee and their clover brewed coffee drinks.

If you feel the need for a high caffeine drink, consider ordering a venti mocha with an extra shot which will have 260 mg of caffeine compared to 185 mg without the extra espresso shot.

The cocoa content will help to add a calming effect to the caffeine high, reducing the anxiety effect. It will also help to aid your energy boost due to the nutrients and compounds.

You can try the cordusio mocha, without requesting an extra shot of espresso, as the Venti size has 4 espresso shots and a total of 320 mg of caffeine.

What Starbucks Energy Drink Has The Most Caffeine?

Starbucks triple shot energy drink has 225 milligrams of caffeine for all flavors. It is their most caffeinated energy drink. There are many coffee drinks with a higher caffeine content than their triple shot energy drink.

Which Coffee Wakes You Up?

All coffee drinks can wake you up due to their caffeine content. A good sharp jolt of 150 mg can be obtained by ordering a doppio, a double espresso. If you enjoy milk in your coffee, order a cortado which is made with a double shot of espresso and an equal amount of milk.

If a cortado is not available, order a double cappuccino or a flat white.

What Can I Add To Coffee For Energy?

There are many food items that you can add to your coffee for an energy boost. Here are some ideas:

• Coconut oil.
• Cardamom.
• Cinnamon.
• Cacao.
• Cayenne.
• Organic Grass Fed Butter.

All of these on their own will aid your body’s energy production. When I need an energy boost I add coconut oil and cacao.

What Coffee Is Best For Productivity?

For productivity, you need concentration, focus and energy. Thus, unquestionably, a mocha is the best choice. The caffeine will give you a great boost and the cocoa will aid your concentration and focus. If you feel like it, adding a tablespoon of coconut oil will aid energy production and keep you going for hours.

Final Thoughts – Best Starbucks Drink For Energy?

The best Starbucks drink for energy is unquestionably their Doubleshot espresso canned drinks, not for the caffeine content, but for the holistic way in which you are stimulated and energy is produced. Panax ginseng, guarana, caffeine and vitamin content means it is much better over all than a highly caffeinated coffee drink.

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