Do the Starbucks Energy Refreshers Taste Different Than Before?

One of Starbucks' most famous beverage lines got an overhaul earlier this month, and not everybody is happy about it.

Starbucks introduced energy refreshers on April 7. These come in the same flavors that customers have been ordering for years, such as the Mango Dragonfruit and Strawberry Acai refreshers. The tweak to the menu was the ability to purchase the drinks as "energy" drinks with added caffeine and B vitamins.

While those two classic flavors weren't meant to taste any different than they did before, some longtime fans of the drinks are complaining online that the refreshers taste different.

One thread on Reddit did a deep dive on the way the drinks taste, despite what Starbucks may claim about them being exactly the same as before.

"Barista here, am I the only one that thinks the new refreshers taste rancid? It doesn't matter which version I have tried, they're all bad. I literally would only get the Strawberry Acai Refresher with peach juice and now it tastes like chemicals when caffeinated. It tastes really off non caffeinated too and it just makes me depressed to even go to work now. That was the one bit of joy I had and this is about to send me over the edge."

Someone responded in agreement below the original poster by saying that "I think the acai tastes the same, the dragonfruit is more chemically, but they both have this dry taste like I get cotton mouth after having a drink?"

Even more posters agreed that the drinks have a distinct aftertaste that wasn't there before the change on April 7.

"I've already made several posts about it. I've been drinking Strawberry Acai nearly every day for almost 10 years. The new stuff has a very unpleasant aftertaste. I'm very tried the original, energy, mango variations… all have the same aftertaste… I am so frustrated."

For the time being, there isn't anything fans can do to go back to the old version of the drinks. Some people suggest online that you can ask for extra pumps of classic syrup to make the drink sweeter and compensate for the bitter aftertaste. Getting it with coconut milk is also an option.

Starbucks is known for listening to its customers when they aren't happy, so maybe if enough people complain or their sales go down, the company will look into returning the old refreshers to the menu.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Food section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 9:19 PM.