6 Starbucks Cup Sizes for Coffee and Co. & 5 Tips and Hacks

Diana Barkley (Senior Editor)

Starbucks has been a popular choice for coffee enthusiasts for over half a century. The many drink choices, flavors, and options to modify your drink make it a global favorite. Find here all Starbucks drink and cup sizes and hacks for your drink.

But why are there such strange names for the sizes of Starbucks drinks? And why are there so many options?

We’ll delve into the details in this article, as well as telling you all about the different drinks Starbucks have to offer. And if Starbucks isn’t your favorite after all, we also cover some tasty alternatives.

Starbucks Drink and Cup Sizes Names

Starbucks Drink and Cup Sizes Names

The founder of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, took a trip to Italy a few years before founding the famous coffee chain.

He was inspired by the naming of cup sizes there. In an effort to make his coffee chains more Italian-inspired and original, he decided on the names we still use today.

Interestingly, not all sizes are available for all types of Starbucks drinks. They’ll also contain different amounts of coffee, depending on whether you ordered a hot or cold drink.

For example, a hot venti drink will have 20 fl oz of coffee, while a cold venti will have 24 fl oz. Meanwhile, the huge trenta size is only available for cold drinks.

1. Demi: The word demi actually derives from the French ‘demitasse’ or ‘half-cup.’ It’s the smallest size available at Starbucks and is mainly used for espressos.
2. Short: Short means just what it says on the tin. It’s the smallest cup option available for hot drinks, including Starbucks’ standard brewed coffees.
3. Tall: Tall is a term inspired by Italian coffee houses. Originally, it was offered as a medium size, before the ‘short’ option was removed from the main menu.
4. Grande: Grande means ‘large’ in Italian. Still, at Starbucks this translates to a medium-sized coffee.
5. Venti: Venti means ‘twenty’ in Italian. It’s simply called this for the 20 fl oz size of the drink this cup can hold.
6. Trenta: Trenta means ‘thirty’ in Italian, which refers to the 30fl oz the cup can contain. This is the largest size available at Starbucks just now.

Cold Drinks Sizes at Starbucks

Cold Drinks Sizes at Starbucks

As you can see, Starbucks offer quite a few different size options for their customers. However, how many of these you can actually choose from depends a little on the type of drink you order.

Find here the best sugar-free Starbucks drinks.

Tall

The tall cold drink size at Starbucks allows for 12 fl oz. This roughly translates to about 70-110 mg of caffeine in a frappuccino. It’s the smallest drink size on offer for cold drinks at Starbucks, and a good one to get if you’re on the go.

Grande

Grande

Grande cold drinks at Starbucks contain 16 fl oz of your favorite beverage. Basic coffee frappuccinos contain about 230 calories at this size. Interestingly, despite the name, the grande is no longer a ‘large’ size, but rather a medium.

Venti

Venti

Venti is your largest option for cold Starbucks drinks. If you order a frappuccino, a venti will contain a whopping 24 fl oz. At 310 calories per drink, this is also one of the less diet-friendly drinks available.

Trenta

The largest available size for Starbucks drinks is only available for iced coffees and teas. At 30fl oz, it’s a very big drink.

If you get a regular iced coffee with no added milk and just Starbucks classic syrup, it’ll be around 160 calories. Interestingly, Starbucks do not sell trenta frappuccinos either, given that a 12 fl oz tall frap already contains 280 calories and 39 grams of sugar.

Starbucks Coffee Sizes

Starbucks Coffee Sizes

Regular coffee is available in most of the available sizes at Starbucks. Fun fact: you can’t get a trenta-sized hot drink. Here, we walk you through what this means in terms of amounts and calories.

Demi

A demi coffee, which will usually be an espresso, contains just 3fl oz. Without milk or sugar, it also has only around 9 calories.

Short

Short coffees contain just 8fl oz. If you buy a skinny caffe latte at this size, it’ll have about 63 calories. You can’t order this size in a to-go cup, so you’ll need to sit in if you want to have a short cup of coffee.

Tall

Tall

A regular freshly brewed Starbucks coffee will contain 12 fl oz and just 35 calories. Get a tall caffe latte instead, and it’ll be approximately 150 calories. You can always make this a little more diet friendly by requesting skimmed or soy milk instead of regular dairy milk.

Grande

A grande caffe latte with 16 fl oz of your favorite beverage will contain about 190 calories for a caffe latte. This is Starbucks’ ‘medium’ size, ideal for those who want a lot of coffee, but not too much.

Venti

A venti, or 20 fl oz, coffee will set you back 250 calories for a regular caffe latte. If you substitute the regular milk for soy, it’ll only be 226 calories.

Types of Drinks You Can Get at Starbucks

Types of Drinks You Can Get at Starbucks

Long gone are the days when Starbucks only served coffee. Since their inception in March 1971 at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Starbucks has grown into an internationally known and enjoyed brand.

They offer a huge selection of different coffees from many exciting roasts and coffee bean varieties. They also offer juices, teas, and more. Read on to find out what you might want to try next.

Cold Drinks and Refreshers

Starbucks refreshers are perfect for a hot day, and come in some really exciting varieties. These include their brightly colored frozen mango dragon fruit lemonade Starbucks refreshers beverage, their paradise drink, and their pink drink.

There are frozen drinks and iced refreshers for you to choose from, each more fruity and delicious than the last.

Iced Teas

Iced Teas

If you love iced tea, you might want to consider getting your next one at Starbucks. They make delicious fresh iced teas from most of their selection of regular teas.

They also make a delicious iced pumpkin cream chai tea latte — in case you love all things pumpkin spiced, but aren’t a huge fan of coffee.

Cold Coffees

Cold Coffees

There are a number of excellent cold coffees available at Starbucks. Their cold brews are a great choice for people who love coffee minus the bitter, slightly smoky tastes of some brews.

Cold brews are steeped in cold water, so there aren’t any burnt flavors, and they tend to taste a little sweeter.

Starbucks also make iced coffees, iced shaken espresso, iced flat whites, and a number of other iced coffees you’d normally see on a hot coffee menu, too.

Frappuccinos

Frappuccinos

Starbucks first introduced their signature frappuccinos in 1995. Back then, they were only available in coffee and mocha flavors, and there was no added whipped cream or tasty syrup.

Nowadays there are a huge variety of regular and seasonal coffee frappuccinos and creme cappuccinos. Caramel frappuccinos and strawberry crème frappuccinos are globally popular.

Hot Drinks

Hot Drinks

Starbucks have a great selection of hot drinks that are not coffee. They make excellent hot chocolate and white hot chocolate, heated juice (for those really cold days), and steamers.

Their steamers are made using steamed milk plus flavoring. At time of writing, there’s a regular steamed milk, a vanilla crème steamer, and a pumpkin spice crème steamer.

These are especially perfect for younger Starbucks visitors.

Hot Teas

Hot Teas

Did you know that Starbucks also offer a great variety of different teas? From regular black tea to delicious tea lattes, green teas, herbal teas, and chai.

Their matcha tea latte is particularly good. It offers a bright green color and earthy notes alongside creamy milk foam.

Hot Coffees

Hot Coffees

Starbucks hot coffees start with the basics — brewed coffees made from a variety of their delicious roasts. These include their featured blonde, medium, dark, and decaf roasts.

There’s also their signature Pike Place, and a variety of coffees from different locations around the world.

Oleato

Oleatos are a newer invention by Starbucks, featuring Starbucks blonde espresso which has been infused with extra virgin olive oil, before being mixed and steamed with oat milk. The gold-colored foam is extra creamy and tastes of olive oil and citrus.

Simple Hacks and Tips for Your Starbucks Drink

Simple Hacks and Tips for Your Starbucks Drink

With Starbucks having been along for so long, there are plenty of hacks created by fans all over the world. Below are some of our favorite Starbucks hacks and tips for your drink. Try them all.

Ask for Your Favorite Plant-Based Milk

Starbucks offer a variety of non-dairy milk alternatives: you have a choice of oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, and their own original nut blend.

Best of all, you don’t get charged extra for choosing one of these milks, meaning any size you choose won’t cost more than the regular dairy milk option.

Ask for a Bigger Cup

Ask for a Bigger Cup

This hack is very clever: you can ask for a cup one size larger than the drink you’re ordering.

This way, any extra left in the shaker, which would normally just be poured out by your barista, will actually go into your cup — at no extra cost.

Better yet, bring a reusable cup that’s just slightly larger than the size you’re ordering.

Get a Free Size Upgrade

Some subscription services offer perks, such as free size upgrades. In some countries, you may even get a free size upgrade on your Starbucks when you first join the Starbucks rewards program.

The American Starbucks app also allows you access to Starbucks Rewards, where you can earn stars to then redeem as free drinks, food, and more.

Ask for Extra Everything

Ask for Extra Everything

Starbucks allow a variety of free add-ins that will extend your drink a little. You can ask for a splash of milk, different syrups (provided your drink already has syrup), less ice, and more toppings, whipped cream, milk, or syrup.

You can also add whatever else you need at the Starbucks self-service table after your purchase.

Get Free Starbucks Coffee

This is admittedly a little bit bold, but you can get free coffee all day. All you need to do is buy one beverage — any you choose, and Starbucks will give you free, unlimited brewed coffee or tea for the rest of the day. This includes hot or iced coffee and cold brew, and hot or iced tea minus lemonade.

Best Alternatives to Starbuck Drinks

Best Alternatives to Starbuck Drinks

Sometimes you just want to try something a little different. There are plenty of other coffee chains available in America, though the choice can perhaps be a little overwhelming. We cover some of the best alternatives to Starbucks below.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts

Dunkin’ Donuts come pretty close to Starbucks when you look at their selection of coffees. They even offer pumpkin spice flavor drinks, including a delicious pumpkin spice iced latte with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

They have yummy concoctions such as their frozen Dunkin’ coffee, their cold brew, frappe, shaken iced tea, maple chocolate latte, and more.

Dunkin’ Donuts use 100 percent Arabica coffee beans, which are specifically processed for the brand per its own specifications.

Tim Horton’s

Tim Horton’s

Tim Horton’s is a Canadian coffee brand with over 550 locations in the USA.

Intriguingly they also offer delivery of some of their items, including single serve coffees and Bake Shop items, via Amazon.

They’re famous for their original blend ‘double double’ coffee (with double cream and double sugar), their iced cappuccino, and their delicious French vanilla-flavored drinks.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s

McDonald’s offer a budget-friendly option for coffee lovers. They have a great variety of coffee-based drinks nowadays. This includes a frap-like caramel frappé, an iced mocha, and more.

Their French vanilla hot and cold lattes are also particularly nice. The iced caramel macchiato could also easily rival Starbucks, with its buttery sweet caramel drizzle.

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