Suit Claims Starbucks’ Tea Has Ephedrine

Starbucks Corp.’s Tazo Chai tea might contain a bigger jolt than customers expect, according to a lawsuit filed by a consumer-interest group.

The Council for Education and Research on Toxics sued the largest specialty-coffee retailer in the U.S., claiming its Tazo Chai tea contains the stimulant ephedrine.

Starbucks said “there is no basis for the claims” and ephedrine has never been an ingredient in any company product.

The herbal compound often is used by dieters to enhance metabolism. Ephedrine has caused heart attacks, strokes and heart irregularities in some people, and last year it was linked to 134 deaths or serious health problems nationwide, according to the lawsuit. The Los Angeles Times has reported that at least three football players died this year after ingesting products containing ephedrine.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Starbucks violated California’s unfair business practices law by failing to disclose that the tea contained ephedrine. It seeks a court order barring the use of the ingredient in the tea and requiring Starbucks to give up profit from its sale.