Life

How Much Caffeine Is In The New Starbucks Drink?

by Megan Grant

With the new Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew available starting May 31 (today!), coffee lovers have all sorts of questions: How is it made? How much does it cost? How long will it be around? And perhaps most importantly, how much caffeine is in the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew? Could I drink one and then lay down for a nap? Is it the perfect midday caffeine boost? Inquiring minds want to know!

Good news, though: I have information straight from the source. According to a Starbucks spokesperson, a Tall, 12-ounce Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew has 140 milligrams of caffeine, making it comparable to many of their other coffee drinks of the same size. This will be the perfect early afternoon boost when my eyelids start to feel heavy and I'm ready to fall asleep in a puddle of my own drool. Heck, maybe I'll even give that "coffee nap" thing a try.

To answer all of the other questions, Starbucks makes their cold brew by slow-steeping coffee in cool water for 20 hours. (Fun fact: This makes the coffee less acidic, meaning it's a little easier on your belly and has a different taste than hot-brewed coffee.) Depending on where you live, you can purchase a Tall for anywhere between $3.25 and $4.25. And perhaps the most exciting news of all: The Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew is a permanent menu item, meaning we get to enjoy it whenever the heck we want. It's made with just two ingredients (cold brew coffee and vanilla sweet cream), but don't underestimate this tastebud-tingling combination.

This isn't the only new menu item making its debut, either. Starbucks has also released Nitro Cold Brew — a nitro-infused cold coffee drink with a smooth, thick, creamy texture. This drink, like the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, is also a permanent fixture, becoming available in more than 500 Starbucks stores by the end of the summer.

It sounds like we're going to have even more delicious options to keep us cool and caffeinated this summer. These aren't your average iced coffee beverages, so be sure to snag one ASAP.

Images: Starbucks