Panera Bread Is Coming For Starbucks With These New Summer Drinks

Starbucks has long reigned supreme in the world of Refreshers, but recently we have seen a surge of different companies trying to dethrone Starbucks as the Refresher Supreme. McDonald’s released their Refresher menu earlier this year and they’re testing their new RedBull Energizer menu to come out in the fall. Caffeinated or not, McDonald’s is trying to creep up on Starbucks. And Starbucks hasn’t been sitting idly by as their competitors rise to action. This summer has seen the launch of five new refresher flavors already with the upcoming Blended Refresher menu, the Blue Coconut Refresher, and the Butterfly Refresher. And yet, Panera Bread is still setting out to contest Starbucks sales by throwing their hat into the metaphorical ring too.

Videos by Sporked

The Panera Bread Energy Refreshers are a new addition to their menu, accompanying their summer launch. There are three new flavors available and each offers a caffeinated tropical respite. They’re naturally flavored and provide between 35mg to 72mg of caffeine depending on flavor and size ordered. And, best of all, they look delicious. They don’t look aggressively artificial like the McDonald’s range and they come in comparable flavors to Starbucks but at a better price. In many ways, they seem like a good contender for the most refreshing drinks to be available on the summer market.

The Flavors

There isn’t much to say about how refreshing the flavors of the tropics can be that hasn’t already been said yet. They’re bright, sweet, tangy, and juicy as can be. The Panera Bread Energy Refreshers play off that inherent desirability of tropical flavors in each of the three drinks in the collection.

• Island Mango Energy Refresher ― This drink is made with a blended mango, guava, and pineapple base. It’s infused with pieces of vibrant, pink dragonfruit and available with 48mg to 72mg of caffeine in their 20oz to 30oz sizes, respectively. Of the three new drinks, this is the flavor with the highest caffeine content per size.

• Dragonfruit Sunset Energy Refresher ― The base of this drink is a blend of pineapple and dragonfruit flavor. This drink also has infused dragonfruit pieces, but comes in at a much lower caffeine content. Its 20oz and 30oz sizes provide 28mg to 42mg of caffeine, respectively.
• Passionfruit Paradise Energy Refresher ― The last drink in the set is free from any dragonfruit for any of us averse to the pink seedy pulp. Instead, its base is a blend of pineapple, guava, and orange flavor and it’s infused with fresh pineapple chunks. Its 20oz to 30oz sizes offer 28mg to 44mg of caffeine, respectively.

The drinks available in the new lineup sound fresh, delicious, and perfect for the season ahead. Now, we’ll just have to wait and see what the verdict is on how they’ve actually been executed by the company. But rest assured, dear reader, Sporked will be here to let you know if they’re worth trying.