Why Tall is Small for Starbucks?

Starbucks is a bliss to millions of caffeine addicts across the world who can’t start their day without having a cup of coffee, including myself. No doubt Starbucks is the leader of the gourmet coffee revolution and it has become an important part of our life. From offering its world-class Espresso, Cappuccino and Latte with a blend of seasonal flavors, it has always delighted us.

When I was in India, I used to order Short Cappuccino that was sufficient for me. But after coming to the US, when I went to Starbucks for the first time and ordered Short Cappuccino, the girl who was taking my order corrected me and asked to take Tall Cappuccino pointing at the reference cup sizes shown below. I got totally confused as of why she was referring the smallest cup size as Tall? 

cup sizes

 

I did my research and got to know very interesting facts about it. Originally, Starbucks offered only two sizes: Short (8 ounces) and Tall (12 ounces).  When they added Grande and then Venti, they kept the old nomenclature for the original drinks. At some point, they started de-emphasizing the Short option (though you can still order it), so it started to appear that Tall was the label for their smallest size.

 

Here are the updated cup sizes and their meaning:

Short – 8 oz.

This is the least size that Starbucks offers and only available for hot drinks. This size is referred to as kids size, mostly not commonly ordered in the coffee shop.

Tall – 12 oz.

Tall is regarded as a ‘small’ size drink.

Grande – 16 oz.

Grande is read as ‘GRAWN-day.’ It is an Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and French word for large. The Starbucks Grande is 16 oz. in the U.S.

Venti – 20 oz.

Venti is pronounced as ‘VENN-tee.’  Starbucks Cup Sizes meaning is really unique with Venti which comes at 24 oz. when cold. Venti means twenty in Italian.

Trenta – 31 oz.

Trenta means thirty in Italian. The Trenta size is kept for serving iced drinks including iced coffee, iced tea, lemonade and other drinks served over ice. It is the newest addition and the largest in capacity among all coffee sizes.

It could be Starbucks marketing strategy to keep the cup sizes bit confusing but the company’s knows how to meet its customer expectations and enhancing their experiences. Through customizing coffee drinks and one-of-a-kind strategies the largest coffeehouse company has proven that it deserves the title it holds. And that is the reason why we love Starbucks…? 

Image Courtesy: Giphy.com
Image Courtesy: Giphy.com

Do let me know your favorite Starbucks cup size in the comments below?

Love
Ana

Related Posts

39 Comments

    1. anxiousgeek

      November 6, 2015

      I’ve never been to a Starbucks that did a Trenta but then it’s been years since I went to one. We only just got one in the town near where I live so maybe I can get a trenta chocolate cream thing one day.

      View Comment
      Reply

    1. Charlotte

      November 6, 2015

      Interesting–I didn’t know this. Though I myself am a Dunkin Donuts girl, I do enjoy the occasional Starbucks creation BUT feel as though the tall is too much beverage for me. I’ll try for the short next time 🙂 Have a great weekend!

      View Comment
      Reply

    1. GlamKaren

      November 6, 2015

      I always forget which size is which… but I have been recently getting the trenta iced coffee! Insane.
      xx, Karen
      GlamKaren.com

      View Comment
      Reply

    1. Sheryl

      November 6, 2015

      It certainly depends upon the day but typically I order a grande. If it’s one of THOSE days, I’ve been known to get a Venti.

      View Comment
      Reply

Leave a Reply