The coffee sizes at Starbucks can be confusing. In smaller coffee shops, a tall, medium, or big-size beverage may be referred to as a small, medium, or large size. However, Starbucks refers to these sizes as tall, grande, and venti or trenta.
In this article, we will cover all of the Starbucks cup sizes, including how big is Starbucks venti, and will answer your questions on the cup sizes at Starbucks.
Starbucks Cup Sizes: How Big Is Starbucks Venti?
- Demi (3 oz.) – Hot drinks
- Short (8 oz.) – Hot drinks
- Tall (12 oz.) – Hot and Cold Beverages
- Grande (16 oz.) – Hot and Cold Beverages
- Venti Hot (20 oz.) – Hot Drinks
- Venti Cold (24 oz.) – Cold Drinks
- Trenta (31 oz.) – Cold Drinks
1. Demi
The smallest 3 oz Starbucks cup is mainly used for espresso shots. Demi is short for demitasse, meaning “half-cup” in French. It’s the perfect size for a small drink such as a macchiato or a double shot of espresso.
2. Short
This eight-ounce cup from the secret menu used to be on the regular menu, but as Starbucks sizes grew, its popularity waned until it was eventually removed from the lineup.
The short is the smallest cup size you can order for a Starbucks drink. At 8 ounces, the short size is only used for hot coffee drinks. Because this size is not shown on the menu, not a lot of people know that this cup size is available. A coffee drink in a short contains one shot of espresso.
3. Tall
A tall at 12 ounces is considered the smallest coffee on the standard menu at Starbucks. Both hot and cold beverages can be ordered in a tall size: anything from a latte to an iced coffee.
Tall espresso beverages such as the latte contain one shot of espresso unless you specify that you’d like more. A tall iced, shaken espresso has two shots of espresso, a tall Americano also has two shots. You can always ask for more espresso shots or alternatives such as decaf from your Starbucks barista.
4. Grande
If you order a grande serving, you will receive 16 fluid ounces of any hot or cold beverage. The grande espresso drinks at Starbucks contain two shots of espresso, which is equivalent to two and a half cups (six ounces) of coffee.
5. Venti Hot
So how big is Starbucks Venti? First of all, Venti means the number 20 in Italian. A Venti cup is Starbucks’ large size. Depending on whether you order a venti hot or a venti cold drink, the venti sizes vary, though. A venti hot drink comes in a 20-ounce cup.
A venti hot contains two shots of espresso, but a Starbucks venti Americano has four shots.
6. Venti Cold
A cold venti drink comes in a 24-ounce cup. A venti cold has three shots of espresso.
7. Trenta
Trenta means 30 in Italian, even though this cup size is 31 ounces. The Starbucks Trenta Drink size is only available for select cold or iced beverages. Trenta is the largest cup size, and you cannot order any hot drinks in this size.
No hot espresso drinks are made in this size.
How Many Shots of Espresso is in Each Starbucks Cup Size?
Image credit: Starbucks
There is no guarantee that a higher cup size will result in additional espresso shots.
These are the minimum standard requirements for a Starbucks cup size. However, you may always request more (or fewer) shots of espresso to be added to your beverage.
There are endless ways for customizing beverages and adding toppings at Starbucks. So it has never been easier to create your favorite drink.
This summary table will help you learn how many shots of espresso are in each cup size:
| Cup Size | Number of Espresso Shots |
| Demi | 1 or 2 |
| Short | 1 |
| Tall | 1 |
| Grande | 2 |
| Venti Hot | 2 |
| Venti Cold | 3 |
| Trenta | None |
Why Are Starbucks Cup Sizes in Italian?
So what’s behind these unusual Starbucks cup sizes and names?
Current Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz took a trip to Italy in 1983, where he was fascinated by the romance of the Italian coffee bar. So much so that he decided to emulate it in the U.S. with his own coffee shop.
According to Schultz: “Everything we’ve done to date sits on the foundation of wonderful experiences that many of us have had in Italy.”
This coffee shop eventually became the Starbucks franchise we know today. But the story doesn’t end there. In the 1990s, the Starbucks menu had only three drink sizes: Short, Tall, and Grande.
Short was essentially small, tall was medium, and large was tall. With the introduction of the Venti size, the Tall size became the new Short size, and the Short size was eliminated entirely. Today, however, you can still order shorts at most Starbucks locations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Biggest Cup Size at Starbucks?
The largest of the Starbucks cups is the 31-ounce Trenta, which is available only for coffee or iced tea drinks. Trenta means 30 in Italian. An interesting fact: one Trenta cold-brew coffee contains 360 milligrams of caffeine. This amount is equivalent to the caffeine in five espresso shots.
What Is The Smallest Starbucks Cup Size?
Short is the smallest cup size at Starbucks, and it holds 8 oz. The Small is not on the official Starbucks menu and it is only used for hot coffee drinks.
Why Does Starbucks Name Their Cup Sizes?
When the company first started, the cup sizes had more familiar names: a small coffee was called a short, a medium was called a tall, and the largest was called a grande.
As customers demanded larger sizes, the short vanished entirely, giving way to the more substantial venti and leaving tall as the smallest option on the menu.
Is the Venti or Grande Bigger?
The size of a Venti hot or a Venti cold beverage is greater than that of a Grande. The volume of fluid that is included in a Grande is 16 ounces, whereas a Venti Hot has 20 ounces and a Venti Cold contains 24 ounces.
Is Grande a Large at Starbucks?
Grande used to be the large size, but when Venti came out, it took Grande’s place as the large size.
Bottom Line
There you have it: All the Starbucks cup sizes explained!
It is possible to feel overwhelmed when placing an order at Starbucks. Especially if you don’t go there very frequently and aren’t aware of the sizes of drinks that Starbucks offers.
Keep in mind that drinks can be customized in a variety of sizes. The barista at your local Starbucks is available to further assist you in selecting the appropriate drink and size.
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Featured Image Credit: Starbucks