The Starbucks Cup Sizes That Aren't On The Menu
If you've ever accidentally asked for a tall, grande, or venti drink at a coffee shop that wasn't Starbucks, you're not alone. The size names have become so culturally ingrained that it can be jarring to hear someone ask for a "medium" coffee. But what you might not know is that there are two more Starbucks drink sizes you can order, too.
While the "short" and "trenta" sizes aren't as popular as the standard tall, grande, and venti drink options, they still serve a purpose for coffee-loving customers. (At one point, Starbucks also offered a "demi" hot cup size for three-ounce espresso shots, according to Taste of Home. Now, though, espresso shots are listed on the Starbucks menu as "solo," "doppio," "triple," and "quad.")
Whether you're looking for a larger-than-life iced coffee drink or you just want to order a very small amount of hot coffee, Starbucks has you covered.
Starbucks' 'short' drink size is a quick hit of caffeine
The first Starbucks cup size that isn't on the menu is short, which is only 8 ounces. This tiny size was one of the original offerings when Starbucks opened in Seattle in 1971, along with the tall size, per Business Insider.
When a larger Starbucks cup size, venti, was introduced to meet public demand, short was taken off the menu to avoid crowding it. But you can still order a short drink for the child in your life or a very quick pick-me-up if you're ever running late. Taste of Home notes that the short cup size is only available for hot drinks — you'll have to stick with tall for iced coffee.
Starbucks' short espresso drinks contain just a single shot of espresso, per Taste of Home, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a quick caffeine fix.
The secrets of Starbucks' largest sizes
The next drink size that's not on the in-store Starbucks menus is the 31-ounce trenta, which was introduced in 2011, per Business Insider. If you already knew that "venti" means 20 in Italian, it should come as no surprise that "trenta" is Italian for 30 (per Dictionary.com).
This massive cup will set you back fifty cents more than a venti iced drink, according to Eater. Unfortunately for hot coffee enthusiasts, you can only get iced drinks in this size, but that makes it ideal for cooling off during the warmer weather. Just be careful about the caffeine levels: A trenta cold brew contains a whopping 360 milligrams of caffeine, according to Caffeine Informer. That's almost your entire daily allowance, according to the FDA.
One last Starbucks size menu secret you might not be privy to: Not all ventis are created equal. If you order a venti coffee, you'll get a 20-ounce drink. But if you order a venti iced coffee, you'll get 24 ounces instead. There's an extra secret when it comes to venti cold espresso drinks, too: They include an extra shot of espresso. According to Taste of Home, a venti hot espresso drink contains the same number of shots as a grande — two — whereas a venti cold espresso drink contains three shots.