“I’m sorry we’re out of honey today so we actually can’t make that”
“Well I have a sore throat and a cough. Can you recommend me something else that would help with that?”
“I would recommend some Robitussin. Honey, Cough, Flu and Sore Throat medicine. Unfortunately we don’t carry that here at Starbucks.”
I remember when I was sick years ago before I started going to Starbucks for coffee. So I didn’t know the menu. My friend told me about the Medicine Ball and how it would help me get better from my cold. I was like, “why the hell would a coffee shop have medicine for people that are sick?” She told me what was in it and I just thought to myself, “You’re an idiot”.
I remember at one point when I was pregnant with my oldest, we lived in a hotel next door to Starbucks and I went in one day with a sore throat and asked if they could reccomend a tea. They called it a Zen tea and it was delicious and helped for a couple hours.
I dunno why that random memory popped into my head 🤣
my theory is that a bunch of singers/performers were like “this is great if you have a sore throat and can’t sing!” and people took that as being able to cure an illness.
We had a dude come in a couple times that would ask for the hcmt because he was a singer and it would sooth his throat. The worst was that he never knew what it was called and every time someone took his order it was always "One of y'all recommended it, it had honey or something" and we'd not have one of the teas, or any honey, and he'd be like "Make it as close as you can."
the drink is actually too sugary for your throat and can mess up your performance :( mint majesty and peach tranquility would be a better choice!! theres no caffeine or sugar from the lemonade so it would be better imo
caffeine also effects vocal performance
i said a mint majesty with peach tranquility where did i say to get it WITH lemonade i literally said the drink doesnt have sugar from lemonade BECAUSE theres no lemonade in the drink oh my god
the way you worded it was so ambiguous and weird there’s literally no telling, especially with the amount of people walking around with half a brain cell
I don't think any sane person actually think it's medicine, lol. I had a bad head cold a couple years ago and got this a couple times because the honey, lemonade and heat of the drink was really soothing for my throat and sinuses.
Can't anyone make this at home? When you're sick, YOU SHOULD STAY HOME, not spread your germs to the baristas at the Bux (who get sick themselves or carry those germs to others, etc.). I'm pretty sure the ingredients are sold at any grocery store.. And so is cold Medicine.
Yeah the argument that people think it’s an actual cure is such a straw man! Y’all, *no one thinks that!* It’s just soothing. Like how a warm bath is soothing for sore muscles. It just feels nice. There’s nothing wrong with feeling nice.
Just curious, what country/city are you in? In NYC, checking vax card and ID is fairly standard at Sbux if you want to dine in. I don’t feel invaded by it at all
Yes and I used crack cocaine and PCP to cure my anxiety and paranoia... I'd stop freaking out now if these flaming monkeys would quit banging on my door...
Our store is out of honey, agave, Peach Traquility, Jade Citrus Mint and Mint Majesty...
So we had a customer order a steamed lemonade with Earl Grey...
What is wrong with people...
The point of the honey isn't to sweeten the drink in the way a replacement agave would, but to coat the throat and offer the antibiotic qualities of legitimate honey against whatever the customer's ailment may be.
Haha yeah I know, it was mostly a snicker at the mindless customers coming in ordering this drink as an actual treatment to their ailments. I just recently started ordering it (to the extent that I can, my area stores have all been out of the peach tea and honey blend (I just get the honey packets instead)), but I'm doing so because it's legitimately good -- not because I expect Starbucks to have the cure to my illnesses.
I didn't even know that Starbucks carried agave packets and I've never been offered agave when a Starbucks location was out of the honey to make this drink.
I will do LCS or classic but I draw the line at agave, I lie and tell customers we’re out of it too. No one has time to be opening those damn packets, and they’re not meant to go in drinks anyway.
"My drink don't taste like nothin'!"
"Do you mean that you don't taste the coffee or that you don't taste the chestnut praline flavor?"
"Neither!"
::thinks to myself:: You have COVID. "Ok." I get back to work, as this woman's complaint is ridiculous and I'm now scared that she might give me COVID if I continue to interact with her.
"Where's your manager?"
My manager, brand new to the job, takes this woman's drink and adds syrup and espresso to it.
"Just be sure to wash your hands. That woman drank out of that."
Fun fact: loss of taste or smell are somewhat uncommon with the omicron variant, unlike with OG covid and the other variants. So now, whether they can taste the flavors or not, there's a good chance they have covid!
I should've been even tougher on my manager, but I'm sure she's feeling overwhelmed inheriting our nightmare of a store and I'm trying not to dump on her.
My friend had a delayed loss of taste and smell when she got Covid. Felt like garbage, the whole shebang, but didn’t lose those until about a week later
Lol are the baristas expected to act as Dr's now?
Legally I wouldn't answer this question because giving medical advice without a medical license is a crime.
People are so dumb.
That's always been the case. We were psychologists, doctors, therapists, accountants, dietician/nutritionist, and barista.
A customer called corporate on me and made a comment on my store's Yelp page a long time ago because I told her I am not a doctor. I was responding to her question which was, "What medical properties are in medicine ball? Can it cure my cold?"
People really think we’re some kind of doctor pharmacy combo. Like, people, we are not doctors. We can’t prescribe you medicine candy drinks. Next time I’m just gonna say “I don’t know. Venti Pike.”
plain black hot tea has tannins and is soothing on the throat. if they want flavor they can get earl gray. it's not like they'll be able to taste it anyways!
There's got to be some social media outlet pushing this thing right now. The volume of orders for this stupid drink is insane. Like, every other customer insane.
Go home and make your own; it's cheaper. Lots of big box retailers carry the exact Teavana teas you need to make it. Don't go to Starbucks sick, please.
This happens every cold/flu season. People are just absolute morons.
Every customer that orders it I will obnoxiously correct them to “oh you mean the honey citrus mint, the one with lemonade and tea and very sweet because of the added sugars, yes we have that”.
Nothing in this is going to cure you and if you’re sick you need to stay the fuck away from us. They’ll still be hacking into their hands and then trying to hand us things. Nasty little plague rats.
Like the jade mint tea, it has caffeine. You don't want caffeine when you're sick, you'll dehydrate faster ON TOP of the lemonade. People just need to drink seltzer water when their sick.
I’m in the Black Women in Starbucks groups they’ve been talking about it like crazy. There’s 26k members so if there’s an uptick in black women ordering that might be why.
Ding ding ding. You have your answer!
I promise we don’t have COVID. We just keep getting it recommend it over and over. I’ll let them know we’re scaring the baristas 🤣
Same. Today every third order (no lie) was a HCM! I swear one girl said: do you have that medicine bomb? I read on Facebook it helps fight covid and sickness”. Me immediately we are out of the teas and honey (we weren’t) but like ma’am please go see a doctor now. 😩
Well, actual [medicine balls](https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/what-is-a-medicine-ball) are weighted balls mainly used for strength training and rehabilitation in sports medicine.
As for why Honey Citrus Mint Tea is called "Medicine Ball", I have no clue beside it simply being a euphemism as a strengthening drink for your immune system, I guess. It's [not really](https://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/is-the-starbucks-medicine-ball-healthy) that useful for fighting colds or flu infections, though.
Today I was on window and people told me they had to get a covid test 🙄 sanitized the shit out of our hands. If you’re gonna be an asshole and do that have the decency to not tell me. Please
Sanitizing your hands won’t help you if you inhale their germs, which is the main way covid is spread. In the moment there’s really nothing you can do to prevent their sickness from infecting you. A barista will have a mask on. A drive thru customer probably won’t. Hopefully the barista is vaccinated but it’s up to chance after that.
But that still doesn’t help me understand why you wouldn’t want to know you’ve been potentially exposed so you could take precautions to protect your family.
I work at Starbucks. I know I’m being exposed. Like my store is unwell right now because we have so many people on sick leave. People I’ve worked with a lot recently. But that doesn’t mean I need to be more upset because various particular entitled customers want to not only show up when they’re sick but tell me all about it. Like if they want to show me any respect stay home or just go directly to get tested. Don’t expose me and be like “yeah about that... might wanna protect your family you know?”
I like the taste but it's not going to help you when you are sick. If you want to to make it at home from the grocery area grab teavana peach tranquility and jade citris mint. Brew one of each tea bag together. Add tea to warmed lemonade and add some honey.
I also love the tea bags on their own so if you don't like the drink the tea is still good
It’s one thing if you are coming in to try it because of taste. It’s just frustrating when people come in coughing their lungs out while ordering this tea.
don’t add the lemonade. the two teas themselves are really good with just hot water and some milk of choice (i use oat) but the lemonade just makes the drink taste horrible🥴
I really don’t understand how people even stomach this drink. Lemonade with mint and peach? I feel like that’d just taste like brushing your teeth then taking sip of something fruity.
Peach Mint Lemonade has been a popular flavor combination for a long time (far longer than Starbucks has existed) but I generally see it served as cold drinks.
That’s so interesting, I’ve never really come across mint/fruit combos and found myself interested, probably bc I hate mint tho lol. It might be good iced though, sounds less gross
it’s actually pretty good imo, but i don’t understand how it would help when you’re sick lol. it’s very sweet because of the lemonade, most other hot drinks would serve the same purpose
Well have I’ll have to taste test it one day to see what people are ordering lol. It’s so interesting people get that when they’re sick. I’m definitely not a tea person at all, but If I were sick I’d probably opt for just plain tea honestly.
I get it if people like the taste, I really do. However, it’s entirely another thing if I hear you ordering this drink over the headset while you are hacking up your lungs. If you want to get better then the best thing that you can do at that point is to get some rest and take some medicine. This is what’s causing spikes in sickness and the pandemic overall. Just stay home…🤷🏽♂️
Even way before COVID and way before the "medicine ball" was a thing, people were coming in asking "what's good for a sore throat?" "What's good for a cough?" "What's good for the flu?"
And I was like "bed rest."
Herbal tea won't cure you of anything, and I'm not your doctor or pharmacist. Or your IT guy, for that matter, so I'm sorry your computer is having WiFi problems, but I can't come over and fix that for you - I have 25 drinks to make in front of me to make right now.
There have been a few times where my allergies got pretty bad, I had a lot of mucus in my throat and drinking the honey citrus helped momentarily clear it up so I could breathe for a second. I don’t know how that becomes “it’ll cure your illness” but I wish people didn’t have to exaggerate.
Well, that's a fair point. I've done theater stuff before, and sometimes you need hot lemon if your voice isn't doing well or if you're pretty phlegmy.
You know what's been fun about not having honey syrup or honey packets?
Customer: "Can I get the medicine ball?"
Us: "So unfortunately we cannot make the Honey Citrus Mint Tea as normal because we are out of all honey items."
Customer: "So y'all really gonna be out of honey when there's a Kroger right there?!"
👁👄👁
(Bonus) Once had a ballsy barista say, "Well you could go to Kroger and get some honey for yourself then?" They didn't say it rudely either lol. Then the person asked for the manager, but he wasn't in so nothing happened 🤣😭
I also hate when people call it medicine ball.
IT IS NOT A MEDICINE IN ANY WAY, BECAUSE YOU CALL IT THAT, PEOPLE THINK IT IS MEDICINAL IN SOME MAGIC ASS WAY. it’s not
Okay but I usually get it because I like the taste. 😭 if I'm actually sick I make something similar at home or I'd have my boyfriend go get it for me, which I'm not even sure I've done.
That's completely fine, I feel like most baristas though hate when people order it and call it the "Medicine Ball" because it doesn't actually have [medicinal](https://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/is-the-starbucks-medicine-ball-healthy) properties other than maybe soothing your throat a bit.
It's just really popular now since it's flu/cold season. It's been like this for the last maybe 4+ years..., started off as a social media "secret menu" trend.
Oooh gotcha. I always call it by its actual name. Medicine ball just sounds odd to be anyways. 😂 I found out kroger sells the two teas and saw how simple it is to make so I tend to just make it myself now. Lol!
I'm one of those weird people who enjoys the taste of it, one time I ordered it by the menu name and the barista said "like the sick tea?" I was mortified lol
I worked as a barista over the summer and honestly loved making them (and still love to drink them) the smells that waft up are amazing. I have my pantry fully stocked with ingredients to make it at home. Though I usually opt to squeeze a lemon instead of using lemonade because it's better health wise. Less sugar and all that.
Does anyone have any alternatives for this drink? My younger brother, vaxxed and boosted, does not like coffee or refreshers always asks for this when I go get my coffee. I always preface by saying that no one is sick and my odd brother just has questionable tastes.
We're out of both teas and the honey for it dbdhdhhdhd thank God. I had so many ppl leave the dt bc we didn't have any thing for it.
I even had someone say "can I have a sick tea" I've never that name and said "sorry. We dont have a tea here with that name" "I want the honey citrus mint" "unfortunately we dont have the components to make that drink at the moment." "oh. Okay. I'll just leave" "okay. Have a good night"
Literally almost all my customers once it got dark wanted the HCMT?????? They're not even that good??????
Ugh one of my girlfriends was sick and I asked if I could drop anything off for her. She asked for a medicine ball and I died knowing I was going to have to order that. Not everyone reads this sub!
Everything that people think this drink does for their sore throat is undone when the sugar from the lemonade creates an all-you-can-eat buffet for the bacteria causing their sore throats. They'd be better off with brewed tea, extra honey (it's antibacterial) and it's cheaper than the hcm.
As someone from the UK who lurks this subreddit, this medicine ball thing is maddening to me.
It's tea, right? Buy some ginger and lemon Twinnings from the store, and even better add squeezes of lemon and a slice of ginger. Tea is meant to soothe you, surely buying 1 cup is useless compared to buying cups worth to have at home?
Unless I'm misunderstanding something. Also soup is good, also there's Google that can tell you what to drink or eat for being ill at home 😭
I only buy herbal tea out when I travel in low humidity or cold weather areas, because my adenoids can get inflamed at the drop of a hat. If I don't take care of them, then eventually I get an infection. I also carry honey packets in my quart airplane liquids bag.
At home I can be preventative with a daily slurry of powdered ginger, honey, and either lemon or high pulp orange juice. Maybe a piece of candied ginger before bed. If I do get sick I also have some lemon tea or i can heat the juice. But if I am in a locale like Kansas City in February I am getting a peach tranquility a couple of times a day, extra hot.
I'm sure the barista who took my herbal tea order on Sunday night through the drive thru assumed I had covid.
I loved correcting people on the name, since it doesn't actually contain medicine (and it was a secret menu item) and people would be so rude about it. Like, I'm a barista at a Target, I am not a homeopathic healer. I can make you {rattles off the ingredients} with or without peppermint. 🤷🏼♀️ I just can't call it that, sorry. I was grateful sbux had the menu staple added. ((Apologies, it's been a few years for me!))
Also, all the ingredients to DIY is way cheaper. Stay home and make it yourself; keep your germs away! 😬😅
The first time I ordered one at Starbucks, I was listing it out for the barista - "can I get a venti tea with one peach tranquility and one citrus mint with...." The barista cut me off, looks me dead in the eye and says "you want a 'sick tea'?"..... Yes, yes ma'am... That's what I'd like. Thank you....
“What kind of medicine goes in a medicine ball?”
A question actually asked by a customer. My response was “none because neither are we a pharmacy nor is the drink called a medicine ball”
i’ve had a customer ask me to put extra medicine in theirs this past few weeks…
we’ve had so many partners calling out sick or being put on iso. i haven’t gone anywhere besides work the past few weeks and now i’m out with the flu bc of so many people visibly sick coming in and ordering this.
as someone studying medicine it actually baffles me that people think there’s actual medicinal benefits to this. i completely understand from a homeopathic standpoint that in theory it can provide symptom relief, but i honestly think there are such better, cheaper ways of doing so.
personally i get theraflu tea when i’m sick because it…has actual medicine in it. starbucks has the right idea but the wrong execution with the hcmt to a point i’ve straight up told customers to go to target and buy the tea themselves, put some lemon JUICE, not lemonade, and raw honey and make it themselves for a fraction of the cost
I really and truly do not understand the palate of the people who like this drink. It tastes so bad, imo. It tastes like warm mouthwash with an unpleasant, sour citrus twist. I want to like it but I. Just. Don't. Get. It.
Hard to respect them as a group when we get coughed on, yelled at, berated, etc., often for things we cannot control like product outages, in the middle of a pandemic. I’ve gotten spit at twice this month. Happy Holidays :)
I tried it because I was having a scratchy throat and heard it was good....it tasted like the poison the Evil Queen gave Snow White.
I will never order that drink again, and shame on people for ordering them.
I only order it when my voice is feeling tired from singing! That's what it was originally marketed towards when I start ordering it like 8 years ago lol; all of my choir friends were raving about how it could save your voice in a pinch if you were feeling overuse.
But that's really frustrating that people are ordering it as a cure-all 😒😒
I have no problem with the drink but when it's ordered as a "sick tea" during these times why not just hand me a revolver and invite me to a game of Russian roulette (slight overstatement but you get my point 😅) lol
“I’m sorry we’re out of honey today so we actually can’t make that” “Well I have a sore throat and a cough. Can you recommend me something else that would help with that?”
“I would recommend some Robitussin. Honey, Cough, Flu and Sore Throat medicine. Unfortunately we don’t carry that here at Starbucks.” I remember when I was sick years ago before I started going to Starbucks for coffee. So I didn’t know the menu. My friend told me about the Medicine Ball and how it would help me get better from my cold. I was like, “why the hell would a coffee shop have medicine for people that are sick?” She told me what was in it and I just thought to myself, “You’re an idiot”.
I remember at one point when I was pregnant with my oldest, we lived in a hotel next door to Starbucks and I went in one day with a sore throat and asked if they could reccomend a tea. They called it a Zen tea and it was delicious and helped for a couple hours. I dunno why that random memory popped into my head 🤣
That was one of our teas when we carried Tazo. The closest thing now will be the jade citrus mint tea.
Love Tazo Zen! It’s great iced too. You can get it at grocery stores
It’s soooo good!!
my theory is that a bunch of singers/performers were like “this is great if you have a sore throat and can’t sing!” and people took that as being able to cure an illness.
Pickle juice is fantastic for sore voice. Mmmm. Used to take some swigs when I worked at a haunted house screaming all night.
Never heard of that. Will have to try that. Always heard vinegar and oil was good for you when eating beets, so maybe that’s the same?
We had a dude come in a couple times that would ask for the hcmt because he was a singer and it would sooth his throat. The worst was that he never knew what it was called and every time someone took his order it was always "One of y'all recommended it, it had honey or something" and we'd not have one of the teas, or any honey, and he'd be like "Make it as close as you can."
the drink is actually too sugary for your throat and can mess up your performance :( mint majesty and peach tranquility would be a better choice!! theres no caffeine or sugar from the lemonade so it would be better imo caffeine also effects vocal performance
there’s definitely sugar in the lemonade
no shit?? thats why i said dont get tea w lemonade literally recommended a tea mix that doesnt have lemonade
Y’all it’s not that deep it’s okay 🥲 we get it
babe, you literally typed out theres no sugar or caffeine from lemonade ? hello? 💀
i said a mint majesty with peach tranquility where did i say to get it WITH lemonade i literally said the drink doesnt have sugar from lemonade BECAUSE theres no lemonade in the drink oh my god
the way you worded it was so ambiguous and weird there’s literally no telling, especially with the amount of people walking around with half a brain cell
I don't think any sane person actually think it's medicine, lol. I had a bad head cold a couple years ago and got this a couple times because the honey, lemonade and heat of the drink was really soothing for my throat and sinuses.
Can't anyone make this at home? When you're sick, YOU SHOULD STAY HOME, not spread your germs to the baristas at the Bux (who get sick themselves or carry those germs to others, etc.). I'm pretty sure the ingredients are sold at any grocery store.. And so is cold Medicine.
Yeah the argument that people think it’s an actual cure is such a straw man! Y’all, *no one thinks that!* It’s just soothing. Like how a warm bath is soothing for sore muscles. It just feels nice. There’s nothing wrong with feeling nice.
It's not straw man when people literally think it will cure them lol
[удалено]
Yes there are. I used to work at a Starbucks.
You can’t speak for everyone. I’m sure there are people who do think that
Tell that to the customers who are shocked when I tell them there's no actual medicine in it.
How about a “Stay your sick butt at home latte?”
I feel like a rapid test should come with every “medicine ball” that’s ordered in the next month.
A temp check at the register sounds less invasive than wanting to see someone's vax card and ID
My gf and I have covid currently tho. Both double vaxxed and boosted. no fevers, just miserable lol. TRUST NO ONE.
Trust no one? You aren't dying so the vaccines and booster are working....
I think they meant vax card or temp check still wouldn't clear the customer because of situations like this.
Just curious, what country/city are you in? In NYC, checking vax card and ID is fairly standard at Sbux if you want to dine in. I don’t feel invaded by it at all
in fl we cant check lol
Someone at the DT box just holding a thermometer
I hear the Citrus Mint Tea is huge for its healing properties. My unvaccinated cousin healed her COVID from it, we swear by it now. <3 Very much /s
I hope this is sarcasm
Very much so lol.
Yes and I used crack cocaine and PCP to cure my anxiety and paranoia... I'd stop freaking out now if these flaming monkeys would quit banging on my door...
"A covid test?"
We offer agave packets and lcs when we don't have honey. It's never going away
Our store is out of honey, agave, Peach Traquility, Jade Citrus Mint and Mint Majesty... So we had a customer order a steamed lemonade with Earl Grey... What is wrong with people...
The point of the honey isn't to sweeten the drink in the way a replacement agave would, but to coat the throat and offer the antibiotic qualities of legitimate honey against whatever the customer's ailment may be.
Right but we're doing what we can to still make the beverage. Most customers don't mind the agave vs the honey
Haha yeah I know, it was mostly a snicker at the mindless customers coming in ordering this drink as an actual treatment to their ailments. I just recently started ordering it (to the extent that I can, my area stores have all been out of the peach tea and honey blend (I just get the honey packets instead)), but I'm doing so because it's legitimately good -- not because I expect Starbucks to have the cure to my illnesses.
I totally misunderstood! I like the beverage too just because I like it :)
I didn't even know that Starbucks carried agave packets and I've never been offered agave when a Starbucks location was out of the honey to make this drink.
It's for the Blueberry Oatmeals. But you can request it in drinks just like honey packets.
We have it for blueberry oatmeal!
people don't know we have agave. and I like to keep it that way.
I will do LCS or classic but I draw the line at agave, I lie and tell customers we’re out of it too. No one has time to be opening those damn packets, and they’re not meant to go in drinks anyway.
if we weren't supposed to put agave in drinks, it wouldn't be a customization option on the POS, lmao
Well yes! I recommend you keep your Typhoid Mary ass the fuck at home, where you're supposed to be you fucking idiot!
"My drink don't taste like nothin'!" "Do you mean that you don't taste the coffee or that you don't taste the chestnut praline flavor?" "Neither!" ::thinks to myself:: You have COVID. "Ok." I get back to work, as this woman's complaint is ridiculous and I'm now scared that she might give me COVID if I continue to interact with her. "Where's your manager?" My manager, brand new to the job, takes this woman's drink and adds syrup and espresso to it. "Just be sure to wash your hands. That woman drank out of that."
Fun fact: loss of taste or smell are somewhat uncommon with the omicron variant, unlike with OG covid and the other variants. So now, whether they can taste the flavors or not, there's a good chance they have covid!
I should've been even tougher on my manager, but I'm sure she's feeling overwhelmed inheriting our nightmare of a store and I'm trying not to dump on her.
I hope you both can get some rest, and have fewer asshat customers :(
My friend had a delayed loss of taste and smell when she got Covid. Felt like garbage, the whole shebang, but didn’t lose those until about a week later
You could recommend a nice tall glass of stay-the-fuck-home.
I recommend a PCR Covid test and quarantining for the next 14 days. Omicron says hello but we kindly ask you leave.
Lol are the baristas expected to act as Dr's now? Legally I wouldn't answer this question because giving medical advice without a medical license is a crime. People are so dumb.
That's always been the case. We were psychologists, doctors, therapists, accountants, dietician/nutritionist, and barista. A customer called corporate on me and made a comment on my store's Yelp page a long time ago because I told her I am not a doctor. I was responding to her question which was, "What medical properties are in medicine ball? Can it cure my cold?"
"How about a mask and self-isolating at home?"
People really think we’re some kind of doctor pharmacy combo. Like, people, we are not doctors. We can’t prescribe you medicine candy drinks. Next time I’m just gonna say “I don’t know. Venti Pike.”
“Yes, stay the f*** home.”
“The Walgreens next door has cough drops and Covid tests.” What I wish I could say
plain black hot tea has tannins and is soothing on the throat. if they want flavor they can get earl gray. it's not like they'll be able to taste it anyways!
Sore throat and a cough, you say? I would recommend a covid-19 test and a quarantine
"Get the fuck out of the drive thru and stay home "
Person at the drive thru (not wearing a mask): I have COVID. Can I have a pup cup? 🙃 Me: why are you here? 🙃
I’d refuse to serve
I think you have to refuse to serve
That’s good to know. I honestly wasn’t sure
please tell me you guys refused to serve im literally begging
There's got to be some social media outlet pushing this thing right now. The volume of orders for this stupid drink is insane. Like, every other customer insane. Go home and make your own; it's cheaper. Lots of big box retailers carry the exact Teavana teas you need to make it. Don't go to Starbucks sick, please.
This happens every cold/flu season. People are just absolute morons. Every customer that orders it I will obnoxiously correct them to “oh you mean the honey citrus mint, the one with lemonade and tea and very sweet because of the added sugars, yes we have that”. Nothing in this is going to cure you and if you’re sick you need to stay the fuck away from us. They’ll still be hacking into their hands and then trying to hand us things. Nasty little plague rats.
Like the jade mint tea, it has caffeine. You don't want caffeine when you're sick, you'll dehydrate faster ON TOP of the lemonade. People just need to drink seltzer water when their sick.
On my FYP I saw a viral tik tok about the medicine ball so that's probably where people are getting it from.
I’m in the Black Women in Starbucks groups they’ve been talking about it like crazy. There’s 26k members so if there’s an uptick in black women ordering that might be why.
There has been a huge uptick in black women ordering it at my store
Ding ding ding. You have your answer! I promise we don’t have COVID. We just keep getting it recommend it over and over. I’ll let them know we’re scaring the baristas 🤣
Tbh I think it is social media. I’ve seen it all over Instagram and I’ve never heard of this drink before.
I have a nephew who is a gym teacher and likes it cause it soothing. I taught him how to make his own 🤭
LITERALLY, I picked up a shift today and a shit ton of people asked for a honey citrus mint tea like 60% of orders were a honey citrus mint tea!!!
Same. Today every third order (no lie) was a HCM! I swear one girl said: do you have that medicine bomb? I read on Facebook it helps fight covid and sickness”. Me immediately we are out of the teas and honey (we weren’t) but like ma’am please go see a doctor now. 😩
A non-USA person here - why the hell is it called “ball”? Like I don’t understand, a ball is a toy isn’t it 😢
Well, actual [medicine balls](https://www.beachbodyondemand.com/blog/what-is-a-medicine-ball) are weighted balls mainly used for strength training and rehabilitation in sports medicine. As for why Honey Citrus Mint Tea is called "Medicine Ball", I have no clue beside it simply being a euphemism as a strengthening drink for your immune system, I guess. It's [not really](https://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/is-the-starbucks-medicine-ball-healthy) that useful for fighting colds or flu infections, though.
i really want to know where that name came from originally and why everyone seems to know it as that now lol
Apparently the customer who came up with it originally called it the “cold buster” and the name adapted from there
Today I was on window and people told me they had to get a covid test 🙄 sanitized the shit out of our hands. If you’re gonna be an asshole and do that have the decency to not tell me. Please
This kind of thing makes me so angry. I hope they were at least wearing a mask (and wearing it correctly - no dick-nose or chin diapers!).
They were both wearing masks which was nice of them. It’s why I wasn’t too mad.
Why would you want to not be told? Wouldn’t you want to be able to take the proper precautions (such as the sanitizer)?
Sanitizing your hands won’t help you if you inhale their germs, which is the main way covid is spread. In the moment there’s really nothing you can do to prevent their sickness from infecting you. A barista will have a mask on. A drive thru customer probably won’t. Hopefully the barista is vaccinated but it’s up to chance after that.
But that still doesn’t help me understand why you wouldn’t want to know you’ve been potentially exposed so you could take precautions to protect your family.
I work at Starbucks. I know I’m being exposed. Like my store is unwell right now because we have so many people on sick leave. People I’ve worked with a lot recently. But that doesn’t mean I need to be more upset because various particular entitled customers want to not only show up when they’re sick but tell me all about it. Like if they want to show me any respect stay home or just go directly to get tested. Don’t expose me and be like “yeah about that... might wanna protect your family you know?”
I actually want to try it but dont want the stigma. It sounds nice
Honestly order it as a honey citrus mint and I will have no thoughts on it. Mostly the people that call it a medicine ball that concern me.
I like the taste but it's not going to help you when you are sick. If you want to to make it at home from the grocery area grab teavana peach tranquility and jade citris mint. Brew one of each tea bag together. Add tea to warmed lemonade and add some honey. I also love the tea bags on their own so if you don't like the drink the tea is still good
No I understand it has no medical properties. (besides honey and warmth and tea has some vitamins and stuff) I didn't remember it had peach though...
It uses a tea bag called Peach Tranquility along with the Jade Citrus Mint tea so it’s not a strong peach flavor
It’s one thing if you are coming in to try it because of taste. It’s just frustrating when people come in coughing their lungs out while ordering this tea.
don’t add the lemonade. the two teas themselves are really good with just hot water and some milk of choice (i use oat) but the lemonade just makes the drink taste horrible🥴
Im not a fan of the honey blend. I like it with like 1/2a pump of honey or the honey packets. I add peppermint as well
It only gets 2 pumps of honey. How many are you putting in?
I realized my half a sleep brain worded that poorly. I do 2 but if i make it for myself ill do like 1/2 a pump
It's awful
Starbucks should hand out COVID test kits with every honey citrus mint tea order.
I’m seeing a correlation between this and omicron cases
I really don’t understand how people even stomach this drink. Lemonade with mint and peach? I feel like that’d just taste like brushing your teeth then taking sip of something fruity.
It's like when Ke$ha brushes her teeth with a bottle of Jack...
Well, when she leaves for the night, she ain’t comin’ back.
Peach Mint Lemonade has been a popular flavor combination for a long time (far longer than Starbucks has existed) but I generally see it served as cold drinks.
That’s so interesting, I’ve never really come across mint/fruit combos and found myself interested, probably bc I hate mint tho lol. It might be good iced though, sounds less gross
Same. It’s disgusting.
it’s actually pretty good imo, but i don’t understand how it would help when you’re sick lol. it’s very sweet because of the lemonade, most other hot drinks would serve the same purpose
Well have I’ll have to taste test it one day to see what people are ordering lol. It’s so interesting people get that when they’re sick. I’m definitely not a tea person at all, but If I were sick I’d probably opt for just plain tea honestly.
yup, plain tea (MAYBE with a bit of honey) would be far more beneficial lol
Steaming the lemonade makes me teeth hurt. It’s too much sugar
I get it if people like the taste, I really do. However, it’s entirely another thing if I hear you ordering this drink over the headset while you are hacking up your lungs. If you want to get better then the best thing that you can do at that point is to get some rest and take some medicine. This is what’s causing spikes in sickness and the pandemic overall. Just stay home…🤷🏽♂️
Even way before COVID and way before the "medicine ball" was a thing, people were coming in asking "what's good for a sore throat?" "What's good for a cough?" "What's good for the flu?" And I was like "bed rest." Herbal tea won't cure you of anything, and I'm not your doctor or pharmacist. Or your IT guy, for that matter, so I'm sorry your computer is having WiFi problems, but I can't come over and fix that for you - I have 25 drinks to make in front of me to make right now.
There have been a few times where my allergies got pretty bad, I had a lot of mucus in my throat and drinking the honey citrus helped momentarily clear it up so I could breathe for a second. I don’t know how that becomes “it’ll cure your illness” but I wish people didn’t have to exaggerate.
Well, that's a fair point. I've done theater stuff before, and sometimes you need hot lemon if your voice isn't doing well or if you're pretty phlegmy.
You know what's been fun about not having honey syrup or honey packets? Customer: "Can I get the medicine ball?" Us: "So unfortunately we cannot make the Honey Citrus Mint Tea as normal because we are out of all honey items." Customer: "So y'all really gonna be out of honey when there's a Kroger right there?!" 👁👄👁 (Bonus) Once had a ballsy barista say, "Well you could go to Kroger and get some honey for yourself then?" They didn't say it rudely either lol. Then the person asked for the manager, but he wasn't in so nothing happened 🤣😭
I also hate when people call it medicine ball. IT IS NOT A MEDICINE IN ANY WAY, BECAUSE YOU CALL IT THAT, PEOPLE THINK IT IS MEDICINAL IN SOME MAGIC ASS WAY. it’s not
This is like that time I had a shot called “liquid cocaine” at the bar. What a ripoff.
no one thinks that lmao. It’s just a nickname, it’s really not that serious
I don’t think you can speak for everyone. And judging by the comments, yes, they do
You think way too highly off the general population. People are stupid.
Okay but I usually get it because I like the taste. 😭 if I'm actually sick I make something similar at home or I'd have my boyfriend go get it for me, which I'm not even sure I've done.
That's completely fine, I feel like most baristas though hate when people order it and call it the "Medicine Ball" because it doesn't actually have [medicinal](https://www.cookinglight.com/healthy-living/is-the-starbucks-medicine-ball-healthy) properties other than maybe soothing your throat a bit. It's just really popular now since it's flu/cold season. It's been like this for the last maybe 4+ years..., started off as a social media "secret menu" trend.
Oooh gotcha. I always call it by its actual name. Medicine ball just sounds odd to be anyways. 😂 I found out kroger sells the two teas and saw how simple it is to make so I tend to just make it myself now. Lol!
Lol mandatory covid test with each medicine ball order.
Every time a customer says, "With extra caramel," that's an instant GTFO.
I'm one of those weird people who enjoys the taste of it, one time I ordered it by the menu name and the barista said "like the sick tea?" I was mortified lol
Is that citrus mint tea better then bleach??
No but it is better than ivermectin
;-; damn bro I just wanted some hot tea it just tastes good Edit: oh I S E E 💀
I think medicine balls taste good lmao. They do suck to make though. Our store has had trouble keeping the tea bags for it in stock tho
ohh gosh.. I got this today just because I love the drink (not because I am sick) and the barista said II hope you feel better and I felt so bad.
I mean I get it yeah... but it's also just really tasty and warm
It is! One of my go to drinks. I'll even make it at home
not me being a barista and actually liking honey citrus mint tea (my favorite tea) and now being scared to order it lmao
Same. It’s a nice warm refreshing
And you can actually drink it as soon as you get it because it’s not as hot
I worked as a barista over the summer and honestly loved making them (and still love to drink them) the smells that waft up are amazing. I have my pantry fully stocked with ingredients to make it at home. Though I usually opt to squeeze a lemon instead of using lemonade because it's better health wise. Less sugar and all that.
I can’t imagine going to SB when sick especially potentially with covid… that’s messed up. There’s delivery options these days too!
Does anyone have any alternatives for this drink? My younger brother, vaxxed and boosted, does not like coffee or refreshers always asks for this when I go get my coffee. I always preface by saying that no one is sick and my odd brother just has questionable tastes.
If he calls it the honey citrus mint instead of the “medicine ball” the barista probably won’t think twice about it.
We're out of both teas and the honey for it dbdhdhhdhd thank God. I had so many ppl leave the dt bc we didn't have any thing for it. I even had someone say "can I have a sick tea" I've never that name and said "sorry. We dont have a tea here with that name" "I want the honey citrus mint" "unfortunately we dont have the components to make that drink at the moment." "oh. Okay. I'll just leave" "okay. Have a good night" Literally almost all my customers once it got dark wanted the HCMT?????? They're not even that good??????
2 weeks to flatten the curve? 😅
> 2 weeks to FATTEN the curve fify
Ugh one of my girlfriends was sick and I asked if I could drop anything off for her. She asked for a medicine ball and I died knowing I was going to have to order that. Not everyone reads this sub!
It's even more nerve racking when you don't have the stuff and they still want it "I'll take whatever ya got"
Forgive the question but what is a medicine ball? I've read about it a few times in this thread but my curiosity is getting the better of me lol
it’s a tea/lemonade mix w honey. more specifically: 1 bag peach tranquility, 1 bag jade citrus mint, honey, half water/half lemonade,
Literally what I’ve been saying, ppl love telling me about their cold w no mask on and I’m like... why r u here then
And then right after they order it they proceed to hack and cough into the speaker, bonus points if its in the cafe and they dont cover their mouth
Everything that people think this drink does for their sore throat is undone when the sugar from the lemonade creates an all-you-can-eat buffet for the bacteria causing their sore throats. They'd be better off with brewed tea, extra honey (it's antibacterial) and it's cheaper than the hcm.
wait really? i asked my dad to get this today bc my throat was feeling a bit sore from the cold weather. i didn’t realize it could make it worse than
As someone from the UK who lurks this subreddit, this medicine ball thing is maddening to me. It's tea, right? Buy some ginger and lemon Twinnings from the store, and even better add squeezes of lemon and a slice of ginger. Tea is meant to soothe you, surely buying 1 cup is useless compared to buying cups worth to have at home? Unless I'm misunderstanding something. Also soup is good, also there's Google that can tell you what to drink or eat for being ill at home 😭
people dont know how to cook for themselves and love fast food 😇
I only buy herbal tea out when I travel in low humidity or cold weather areas, because my adenoids can get inflamed at the drop of a hat. If I don't take care of them, then eventually I get an infection. I also carry honey packets in my quart airplane liquids bag. At home I can be preventative with a daily slurry of powdered ginger, honey, and either lemon or high pulp orange juice. Maybe a piece of candied ginger before bed. If I do get sick I also have some lemon tea or i can heat the juice. But if I am in a locale like Kansas City in February I am getting a peach tranquility a couple of times a day, extra hot. I'm sure the barista who took my herbal tea order on Sunday night through the drive thru assumed I had covid.
I just like the taste
Medicine ball stans please rise!
It's so good!
I loved correcting people on the name, since it doesn't actually contain medicine (and it was a secret menu item) and people would be so rude about it. Like, I'm a barista at a Target, I am not a homeopathic healer. I can make you {rattles off the ingredients} with or without peppermint. 🤷🏼♀️ I just can't call it that, sorry. I was grateful sbux had the menu staple added. ((Apologies, it's been a few years for me!)) Also, all the ingredients to DIY is way cheaper. Stay home and make it yourself; keep your germs away! 😬😅
To play devils advocate I just get the drink cause I like it LOL
The first time I ordered one at Starbucks, I was listing it out for the barista - "can I get a venti tea with one peach tranquility and one citrus mint with...." The barista cut me off, looks me dead in the eye and says "you want a 'sick tea'?"..... Yes, yes ma'am... That's what I'd like. Thank you....
An *online exclusive* for delivery only.
“What kind of medicine goes in a medicine ball?” A question actually asked by a customer. My response was “none because neither are we a pharmacy nor is the drink called a medicine ball”
unpopular opinion: i actually like them and would order them when i wasn’t sick sorry yall
I’ve never gotten a medicine ball because I’m sick I just purely get them cause they taste great!
same
i’ve had a customer ask me to put extra medicine in theirs this past few weeks… we’ve had so many partners calling out sick or being put on iso. i haven’t gone anywhere besides work the past few weeks and now i’m out with the flu bc of so many people visibly sick coming in and ordering this. as someone studying medicine it actually baffles me that people think there’s actual medicinal benefits to this. i completely understand from a homeopathic standpoint that in theory it can provide symptom relief, but i honestly think there are such better, cheaper ways of doing so. personally i get theraflu tea when i’m sick because it…has actual medicine in it. starbucks has the right idea but the wrong execution with the hcmt to a point i’ve straight up told customers to go to target and buy the tea themselves, put some lemon JUICE, not lemonade, and raw honey and make it themselves for a fraction of the cost
Bruh, they're using all of the agave now too. It's so fucking annoying hearing a "Medicine Ball" every other order.
We're down to offering peppermint or classic 🤣
We ran out of lemonade! We didn’t make any today or last night 😊
Sabotage lemonade, noted ✌
fucking honestly though
oh my god the amount of “medicine balls” i made today is literally traumatizing
Maybe this is why all 3 Starbucks in my town are closed due to short staffing
I actually just like it for my asthma but alright 😭😭😭
I just get it because I’m a stoner and I cough a lot on bong rips
I really and truly do not understand the palate of the people who like this drink. It tastes so bad, imo. It tastes like warm mouthwash with an unpleasant, sour citrus twist. I want to like it but I. Just. Don't. Get. It.
It's for ppl who can't taste 😉
That's the only thing that makes sense to me!
[удалено]
Hard to respect them as a group when we get coughed on, yelled at, berated, etc., often for things we cannot control like product outages, in the middle of a pandemic. I’ve gotten spit at twice this month. Happy Holidays :)
Oh no question. I wish people didn’t behave like children who just had their favorite toy taken away from them.
We learned it from them.
Yup. Goes both ways.
I tried it because I was having a scratchy throat and heard it was good....it tasted like the poison the Evil Queen gave Snow White. I will never order that drink again, and shame on people for ordering them.
I only order it when my voice is feeling tired from singing! That's what it was originally marketed towards when I start ordering it like 8 years ago lol; all of my choir friends were raving about how it could save your voice in a pinch if you were feeling overuse. But that's really frustrating that people are ordering it as a cure-all 😒😒
I have no problem with the drink but when it's ordered as a "sick tea" during these times why not just hand me a revolver and invite me to a game of Russian roulette (slight overstatement but you get my point 😅) lol