How big is a venti at Starbucks? We all know that Starbucks has its own sizing system for drinks.
From demi/quad through to trenta, there have been six different drink sizes. Grande is the most popular. So, does size really matter?
Topics Explored
- How Big Is A Venti At Starbucks?
- What Do You Get With A Venti?
- Starbucks Venti vs. Other Sizes
- Venti vs. Other Coffee Chains
- FAQs
How Big Is A Venti At Starbucks?
Depending on whether you’re ordering a hot or cold drink, Ventis are sized differently.
A Venti at Starbucks is 20 oz when hot and 24 oz when cold.
Venti is the second-largest drink Starbucks, being smaller than a Trenta but larger than a Grande.
Several years after ‘Il Giornale’ became ‘Starbucks’, the drink sizing system was reworked. The new ‘Grande’ became the ‘Venti’, being the Italian word for 20, in reference to the 20 fluid ounce capacity.
A larger size, the ‘Trenta’, was also introduced, though the 31 fl oz size is not readily available for most drinks. (1)
What Do You Get With A Venti?
You really do get your bang for your buck with a Venti-sized drink.
A cold coffee-based Venti will have 3 to 4 espresso shots while a hot one will have 2 to 3 shots.
For tea drinks, the Venti will have two teabags in it.
Starbucks Venti Vs. Other Sizes
Venti is currently the largest size for hot Starbucks drinks since the Trenta was made exclusive for cold drinks. Let’s compare it to the other sizes.
Short vs. Venti
How It Compares:
A Short Starbucks drink will have a volume of 8 oz, which is quite small and manageable if in a hurry. It’s also the capacity of a child-size drink.
When served hot, a Venti is actually 2.5 times larger than a Short drink, increasing to 3 times larger when cold.
What You’ll Get With A Short:
- Espresso Shots: 1
- Teabag: 1
Tall vs. Venti
How It Compares:
A Tall drink is 12 oz, making it 4 oz more than a Short drink.
In comparison, a hot Tall drink is only 60% volume of a Venti. A Cold Venti is twice as large as a Tall.
The Tall is definitely the healthier size for watching calories.
What You’ll Get With A Short:
- Espresso Shots: 1
- Teabag: 1
Grande vs. Venti
How It Compares:
The Grande is 16 oz, meaning it holds twice the volume of a Short.
When compared with a Grande, a hot Venti is 1.25 times larger and a cold Venti is 1.5 times larger than the cold Grande.
If you’re looking for value, a Grande will contain the same amount of shots or teabags for a fraction of the cost of a Venti.
What You’ll Get With A Short:
- Espresso Shots: 2
- Teabag: 2
Trenta vs. Venti
How It Compares:
Like the Venti, the Trenta follows the Italian translation and means ‘30’, as in how many ounces it weighs.
A cold Trenta is 1.25 times larger than a cold Venti, though not many hot drinks are available in this size.
Only brewed coffee and teas are available in Trenta size.
Starbucks Venti Compared To Other Coffee Chains
Although Starbucks uses quite a unique drink sizing system, it’s still easily comparable to the sizing of other coffee chains.
Let’s explore some of the most popular rivals.
Peet’s Coffee
Although the wording is different, sizes at Peet’s Coffee and sizes at Starbucks are identical. A Peet’s Large is 20 oz, the same as a Starbucks Venti.
This is due to the fact that Peet’s Coffee used to supply Starbucks with their coffee beans.
Dunkin’
Dunkin’ is easily better value when compared to Starbucks, as their drinks are mostly cheaper and the sizing is greater.
For example, the lowest hot coffee sizes are Short (Starbucks) and Small (Dunkin’) which equate to 8 and 10 oz, respectively.
Dutch Bros
A large hot drink at Dutch Bros is 20 oz, which is in line with a Starbucks Venti-sized drink.
Cold drinks are sized up more than hot. A cold medium is the same size as a Venti while a Trenta is the same size as a large.
Caribou Coffee
Caribou large drinks are similar in size to a Starbucks Venti.
A hot large drink at Caribou will weigh 20 oz, while a cold large drink will contain 4 oz more. This increment between hot and cold is the same for all Caribou sizes.
McCafe
The smallest cup size at McDonald’s is 16 ounces, which is the same as a Starbucks Grande.
McDonald’s goes up two more sizes, 21 oz and a large cup 30 oz. The large cup is very nearly the same as a Starbucks Trenta.
Summary
So, just how big is a Venti at Starbucks?
As we’ve discussed, a Venti at Starbucks can be smaller in comparison to the sizes of drinks at certain other coffee chains.
But… What else? Is it really 20 ounces?
FAQs
Yes, a Starbucks Venti will always be at least 20 oz. It will increase to 24 oz if served cold.
To restate, the name ‘Venti’ comes from the Italian word for ‘20’, so this should help you to remember that for future reference.
If counting availability for all drinks across the menu, yes, the Venti is the largest size drink that can be ordered for your average tea or coffee.
However, the Trenta is actually the largest size drink available, though this size is now reserved solely for cold and brewed drinks.
On average a Grande has 60% the volume of a Venti, making it a considerable amount smaller.
A Grande is 1.25 times smaller than a hot Venti while a cold Grande is even smaller than that at 1.5 times less.
Wondering where your info comes from? We totally understand. Hey Joe only obtains our information from reputable sources. Contents from this article are sourced from the following publications:
- Travel and Leisure: https://www.travelandleisure.com/food-drink/starbucks-cup-sizes