Last Updated on August 25, 2024 by brewthatcoffee
Starbucks sizing can be overwhelming for newbies and even frequent visitors. Their sizes go beyond the standard small, medium, and large offered at other establishments and vary depending on drink type.
This guide will help you master Starbucks’s unique drink sizing system once and for all.
What are the sizes of the Starbucks cups?
In order from smallest to largest, the Starbucks cup sizes are:
- Demi (3 fl. oz)
- Short (8 fl. oz)
- Tall (12 fl. oz)
- Grande (16 fl. oz)
- Venti Hot (20 fl. oz)
- Venti Cold (24 fl. oz)
- Trenta Cold (31 fl. oz)
Starbucks Cup Sizes
Demi (3 ounces)
The Starbucks Demi cup, also known as the demitasse, was invented in 1906 at the Milan Fair. It translates from French to English as “half-cup” and can fit the espresso sizes available at Starbucks.
Sample Cups (3-4 ounces)
Starbucks has offered varying sample cup sizes throughout the years, including 3 oz, 3.5 oz, and 4 oz. If you are a die-hard Starbucks fan, you can find large quantities of these cups sold online in varying designs.
Short (8 ounces)
The short cup can only be ordered for hot drinks. You get one shot of espresso or one tea bag.
Quick Tip: If you are trying to cut calories and love hot drinks, order the short and ask for half the regular syrup amount. I personally think it makes the drink taste even better.
Tall (12 ounces)
The Starbucks tall cup is considered to be their small size. You get one shot of espresso or one teabag.
- The tall cup is the smallest size of cold drinks you can order.
- So if maximizing your caffeine consumption and minimizing cost is your priority, you should stick with the short. It’ll also save calories.
Grande (16 ounces)
The Starbucks Grande cup is considered a medium-sized cup. You get two espresso shots or two teabags.
- Can’t get enough nitro brew coffee and have a high caffeine tolerance? This might be your perfect size, then as it’s the largest available size for the nitro cold brew.
Venti Hot (20 ounces)
The Starbucks Venti hot drink cup is the biggest size you can order for a hot coffee. You get two espresso shots or two teabags.
Venti Cold (24 ounces)
The Starbucks Venti cold drink cup has a stronger caffeine kick than its hot counterpart. It comes with three shots of espresso.
- The exception to this would be if you were to order an Americano, shaken espresso, or flat white.
Trenta Cold (31 ounces)
The Starbucks Trenta cup is only available for cold drinks.
Espresso Sizing
Espressos at Starbucks have their own sizing names. However, they will know what you mean if you want to say single, double, triple, or quadruple shots.
| Starbucks Espresso Cup Size | Number of Shots | Fluid Ounces (oz) | Calories | Caffeine (mg) |
| Solo | 1 | .75 | 5 | 75 |
| Doppio | 2 | 1.5 | 10 | 150 |
| Triple | 3 | 2.25 | 15 | 225 |
| Quad | 4 | 3 | 20 | 300 |
If you want to maximize your caffeine intake, check out this list of the strongest Starbucks coffee drinks.
Drinks With Non-Standard Espresso Amounts
| Starbucks Drink | # Shots in Short | # Shots in Tall | # Shots in Grande | # Shots in Venti (Hot) | # Shots in Venti (Cold) |
| Americano | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Flat White | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Iced Shaken Espresso | N/A | 2 | 3 | N/A | 4 |
How Much Syrup in Each Drink Size
| Starbucks Cup Size | # of Syrup Pumps |
| Short | 2 |
| Tall | 3 |
| Grande | 4 |
| Venti (Hot) | 5 |
| Venti (Cold) | 6 |
| Trenta | 7 |
Drinks With Non-Standard Syrup Amounts
| Drink | # Shots in Short | # Shots in Tall | # Shots in Grande | # Shots in Venti (Hot) | # Shots in Venti (Cold) |
| Caramel Macchiato | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Iced Shaken Espressos That Use Brown Sugar Syrup | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
The History of Starbucks Cup Sizes
Not many know that Starbucks didn’t always have the cup sizes we are familiar with today. It wasn’t until the 1980s, long after they opened in Pike Place Market, that the system was implemented.
We can thank Starbucks’ unique drink size system to a New York native called Howard Schultz, who fell in love with Starbucks while visiting Seattle. He joined Starbucks in 1982 and discovered the beauty of Italian coffee culture on a trip to Milan in 1983. When he returned to Seattle, he went to work on changing the way Starbucks does coffee and coffee branding.
The transition wasn’t immediate, as you could only buy three sizes in the beginning. These cup sizes included short, tall, and grande. However, Americans like everything to be big. So then the venti size was born.
While some enjoy this take on Starbucks’ history, some are a bit skeptical. Starbucks has been accused of being pretentious by some, and its complicated sizing system can be seen as intentionally convoluted. Think ‘you can’t sit at our table’ sort of mentality.
Whichever viewpoint you choose to take, it’s all interesting to learn about, regardless.