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Community Corner

Freebies: Have You Tried Starbucks' Refreshers? Get One for Free Today!

The coffee chain is giving away its new energy drink that looks and tastes nothing like coffee today, Friday, July 13, until 3 p.m.

It's not Red Bull. Not Amp. Not Monster.

But there's a new summer drink from that apparently packs a punch.

Refreshers is a drink that is a "thirst-quenching pick-me-up that packs a boost of natural energy from green coffee extract but looks and tastes nothing like coffee," says Starbucks.

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Today until 3 p.m., you can get a free 12-ounce, handcrafted shaken Refresher, one per customer. It comes in two flavors: Cool Lime, with real lime, and Very Berry Hibiscus, with whole raspberries.

The new drink is combined with real fruit juice, B and C vitamins and ginseng. It's a low-calorie drink, in addition to the handcrafted version, comes canned in three flavors and in the VIA five-pack.

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Freshly harvested green coffee beans are typically heated and roasted to bring out the signature dark colors and bold flavors coffee is famous for, according to a Starbucks press release.

But now, it is using a process to pull the naturally occurring caffeine and other good stuff from 100 percent green Arabica coffee beans before they are roasted.

The result is green coffee extract, which says has all of the natural energy from coffee, but with none of the coffee flavor.

Have you had a "Refresher" yet? Let us know what you think.

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