What are the coffee sizes at Starbucks? Tall, Grande, Venti & more explained

You may have been drinking Starbucks for a long time, but do you have any idea how much each of the coffee sizes contains?

Have you ever wondered why Starbucks coffee deviates from the standard small, medium, and large sizes most chains utilize? Instead, they’re made up of names that are taken from other languages. 

This all began in 1971, when Howard Schultz, chairman, and chief executive of Starbucks, traveled to Italy and came to admire the language used by the baristas there. This is how macchiato, latte, and grande came to be. 

But how much coffee do each of the sizes contain, and are they used for different beverages? We’ve got the lowdown right here.

What are the Starbucks sizes?

Demi

If you’ve ever ordered an espresso shot from the chain, this is the cup it would have been served in. It holds up to 3 oz and carries either a single or a double espresso. It comes from the French word ‘demitasse,’ which actually translates to half cup. 

Short 

Many think that the ‘Tall’ cup is actually the smallest size at Starbucks, but this isn’t the case, as you can actually order a short. This cup is used primarily for hot drinks and can carry up to 8 oz of coffee. If you were to order a short drink at Starbucks, only one shot of espresso would be added. 

Tall

Weighing in at 12 oz, many of us are familiar with the ‘Tall’ size at Starbucks, which is a popular option when you’re just looking for a quick fix. This one can carry both hot and cold drinks and can contain up to two shots of espresso, if you choose to order an Americano or a shaken espresso. 

Grande

Grande translated from the Italian equates to ‘large,’ and can contain up to 16 oz of coffee. Despite this, many consider the Grande to be the go-to medium size offered by the chain. This one contains two shots of espresso, but when ordering Americano or shaken espresso, it will have one extra shot, giving you a total of three.

Venti 

Venti, which means ‘20’ in Italian, can hold 20 oz of hot drinks and 24 oz of cold drinks. In terms of standard sizing, this one would be considered large. Hot drinks served in this cup will contain the same as a grande – two shots. However, if you order a cold drink, it would have a total of three shots

The idea is to leave some extra room, so that customers can customize their order with items such as syrups.

Trenta

Finally, we have the Trenta, which is by far the biggest size that you can order at Starbucks. This cup can carry a whopping 31 oz of coffee and is exclusively for cold beverages.

This one is only available in US Starbucks stores and isn’t sold in many countries.