(jojoling)
Last March, we reported that Starbucks had begun testing the “trenta,” the 31-ounce bladder-buster that makes the tall seem short, the grande seem mini and venti seem bitty by comparison. The tests must have gone well, as Starbucks has announced it will be rolling out the super-sized drink nationwide in the coming months.
Trenta, which is Latin for “one big m&#f&%n’ drank,” is set to drop its sizable galoshes at Starbucks beginning May 3 for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks. MSNBC reports it will cost 50 cents more than the 24-ounce venti, which is currently the largest drink on the menu.
The trenta comes out today in 14 states, including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Texas and Arizona, moves to California Feb. 1 and goes nationwide May 3.
When we originally wrote about the trenta, reader opinion was pretty evenly divided with 40% in favor of a 31-ounce drink, 42% against it and 18% saying they’d at least consider it.
Is there room in your wallet, and bladder, for a 31-ounce Starbucks drink?
Starbucks to roll out biggest drink size yet [MSNBC]
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wallet yes as long as there is a gift card. Bladder, I seriously doubt it
S nw Phl’s jst mvng fw wrds rnd frm n MSNBC rtcl nd slppng hs nm n t.
This happens with every Consumerist writer every single day. They report the news, not create it.
STFU already.
Thank you Loias for saying that. I swore that today I wasn’t going to respond to any of these cranks, but I can at least thank you for doing it.
Seriously. I’ve had about enough of the Phil bashing. Where’d this crap even start?
It still doesn’t compare to a 48 oz Tim Hortons Jumbo Coffee Travel Mug.
The 24 ounce would be large enough for me. I also only get a regular coffee with cream which for some reason makes me feel like I’m pulling one over on them.
D’oh! I almost forgot. I make my own at home.
And I’m like uuuhhhhhhh whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyy?
The only thing that bothers me is that they don’t have this with HOT coffee. I mostly only drink black coffee, so a 31-ounce would be about a pot of coffee. I would be happy with that. However, I don’t have much of a use for an super-expensive iced version.
I can’t imagine drinking that much coffee or tea. Wouldn’t it be cold (or warm, for iced drinks) by the time you hit bottom unless you’re chugging?
Duh, early morning comment. How did I miss the ‘cold drinks only’?
Scientifically speaking, I’d say it depends on your surroundings. As heat is energy that flows from high to low temperature, it is a certainty that your drink’s final temperature will be exactly those of its surroundings. Thus, if you stand outside in a blizzard, it’ll be cold. If you hold it in your hands by a roaring fireplace, it’ll be warm.
From an everyday point of view, no matter what kind of drink you get in a trenta, by the time you reach the bottom (assuming a normal rate of intake), the temperature will most likely just be yuck.
or simply stated… ‘yes, it will eventually hit room temp.’
The Trenta size is only for cold drinks, but if it was for hot drinks I’d just keep drinking it. When the coffee is hot, that’s great but once it cools I have iced coffee. As long as it’s not sitting out for a whole day, I’m pretty safe. It usually takes me two or three hours to drink a big cup of coffee because I’m doing a lot.
starbucks coffee sucks. 31 ounces of it sucks even more.
Their coffee sucks!
Yeah, and the sizes are to small too!
Indeed. They clearly became the world’s largest coffee retailer because of their inferior product. I applaud your rationale.
Would that make some of their more sugary drinks soar into the quadruple digits for calories?
It would…if they were offering it in this cup. RTFA?
I give it about a year before the liquid candy bars come in this size, too. Customers will ask for it: “but you already have that size cup, can’t you just build me a caramel macchiato in it? I mean, I WANT to pay the extra. I WANT the bigger drink.”
You mean, like the frapuccinos?
Why is this news when Dunkin’ Donuts has had a 32 oz. Iced coffee for years?
Guess it’s just because Dunkin’ is smaller, but it’s by no means small.
Starbucks is just playing catch up, lots of places do extra large iced tea and coffee.
As for their iced tea, good luck, Panera does a better job and costs less.
(Now if only my local Panera would just maintain the tea maker better. Bread bakery + warm tea = yeast growing in tea)
What is Italian for “Big Gulp?”
I think this is brilliant! Raise your prices so less people come in, THEN drop the newer, even more expensive drink size onto the market.
It’s still going to be probably a 1/3 ice, so really you’re getting what you probably should be getting in the venti sized.
Congrats, you discovered the reason this drink exists and what caused the demand behind it.
SUPERSIZE ME!!!!
I have used a 32oz insulated travel mug for coffee, so 31oz not that bad.
Why would they name a drink size after a dirty city in NJ?
I would like to point out that the trenta size has been available in a majority of the phoenix metro area locations since spring 2010. So this news is pretty old to me.
WHAT! Which ones? I regularly go to the one on camelback and 16th st, thunderbird and 43rd ave and t-bird and 59th ave and they all just got it recently. WTF!
Trenta, a silly psuedo-hip name for Extra Large.
Actually it means 30 in latin. But atleast it’s closer than nothing.
Meh. With an iced drink, you get a giant sized and sip throughout the day – it could last the entire workday. For forward thinking heavy drinkers, this could be a cost saver.
I start out every day with 32 ounces of Diet Pepsi. (I know, bad for me.) I sip it through the day. I can see doing the same with iced tea. I don’t think it’s outrageous at all, anymore than a Big Gulp. If you’re going to nurse it all day, what’s the difference if you get one in the morning, or get a smaller one on the way to work and another smaller one at lunch?
31-ounce would be trentuno (italian). Still, it’s the most accurate Starbucks drink size designation they have.
I’m pretty sure the Venti is 20 oz (at least the hot ones), but I don’t get why they didn’t just make the Trenta an even 30
But 31 is one more…
because the Trenta cup does have 30 ounces of coffee.
(it also has 31 ounces….)
I am one of those wierd women who only ever orders the smallest size and even then doesn’t usually finish the whole thing. 12oz is too much coffee for me, especially the iced sugar concoctions. I am defnitely not the demographic for the trenta. But, I can see how buying one drink that provides caffiene all day could be a good thing to some people. If people want to buy it, *shrug*.
You should do like I do, and order the “Short”. It’s 8oz, and I can actually finish it! And it’s cheaper, too.
I don’t drink coffee or tea or I’m not sure why it would be different, but I begin my day with one 24 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper, then when that’s gone, usually within an hour, I have my second 24 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper. I would think that if I drank coffee or tea that I’d still want the volume of beverage; whether I’d pay the price or not, I’m not sure; probably only if I were desparate. Nice things about sodas, it’s easy to find and buy them by the mult-pack, cheaply, and then refrigerate them. I seldom buy singles.
I don’t understand why someone would be “against” this. I don’t drink coffee at all, but I’m not “against” any type of coffee being served. I’m simply not interested, and would pass.
Or is this just poor wording in the current article?
Sometimes people just want to be annoyed and angry at everything other people like. Some people are just like that – they’re negative about everything, and have to find fault with what other people prefer.
Great! Now they have something to paste in all the blank spots on their drive-thru menus opened up by not advertising the ‘tall’ size…
http://consumerist.com/2010/09/why-does-my-starbucks-no-longer-advertise-tall-drinks.html
Yay!! My entire caloric intake for one day in a handle single cup!!
I had to do the math and see the carnage. Hold onto your pancreas…
FYI, From Starbucks.com, the most sugary iced coffee drink currently is the:
Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha = 400 calories and 72 grams of sugar….at 16 oz.
Calculated to 31 oz (72 * 1.9375) = 775 calories and 139.5 grams of sugar.
Your point is moot anyways, because the Trenta is only available for iced tea, iced coffee, and iced tea lemonade. Iced coffee is just regular iced coffee, not lattes or frappachinos. The most caloric intake you get from the sweetened version of any of those is in the 200s.
I do like the white chocolate peppermint mocha. I think that this would constitute a near miss for diabetes.
You seem to be assuming that they fill it all the way to the top, and not add any ice to it, right?
I assumed same proportion of ice and all else to a 31oz as to a 16oz. It is a 16oz, just bigger.
I was not sure if “iced coffee” disambiguated to:
1) JUST straight up coffee with ice or
2) any drink made with coffee (including espresso)
If 1, then you get the same zero calories because, hey, it’s coffee.
if 2, then sugary nightmares will keep your pancreas worrying every time you enter a SBUX.
Oops, the worst offender will be (assuming this is offered; depends upon their definition of iced coffee drink):
Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino® Blended Beverage – 500 calories 98 grams of sugar, @16oz
*1.9375 = 969 calories and 190 grams of sugar @31oz
Oops, the worst offender will be (assuming this is offered; depends upon their definition of iced coffee drink):
Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino® Blended Beverage – 500 calories 98 grams of sugar, @16oz
*1.9375 = 969 calories and 190 grams of sugar @31oz
Did you know that error messages result in a submission?
They submit even if they don’t state it as such and if that message appears abnormally fast.
ADMIN: PLEASE DELETE THIS REPEAT.
I like to order the large but I’d buy more than I want and pony up the fifty cents just to not have to say “venti.” I just don’t like saying that word, it’s too awkward for my Milwaukee mouth.
Once again, Starbucks show they know nothing of the languages. Wonder if you’ll be refused service for asking for a Trentuno or a 31 oz or an extra large, for that matter.
They’re like Chad Johnson. They don’t quite get it.
Screw my wallet, there isn’t room in my stomach for a 31 oz drink. I get more than a 12oz maybe once a quarter, and more than 16oz maybe once a year.
Wow. I never leave starbucks with anything smaller than a venti. At caribou, I have ordered two larges at once to fill my coffee craving, so I actually see a larger starbucks size as an opportunity for me to save some money.
The important question is if Dunkin will match the size.
Dunkin’s large Iced Coffee is already 32oz and has been forever.
Shouldn’t this be a trenta et una or something?
Great. Just what America needs…another super sized calorie-laden drink. In my opinion, we should be SHRINKING the drink sizes, not making them larger. Irresponsible companies like this need to consider their impact on American people instead of just their bottom line.
I hate this argument. If people need to eat less and exercise more why is it the responsibility of the companies? Everyone should take responsibility for themselves and stop thinking that companies need to do it for them or save them from themselves. Starbucks’ “impact” on the American people is that people need to quit blaming companies for their own bad food choices. No one is making anyone get a 31-ounce drink.
And how about my iced trenta 10 splenda non-fat coffee shaken?
That has 110 calories and no fat.
Where’s the “fat-laden” part again?
This is just such a non story. Its not any bigger than a Big Gulp. Several other coffee outlets have a 32 oz drink. Why all the hand-wringing. I’m an iced-tea drinker…31 ozs of Iced tea, not abnormal and not going to make me fat (I drink it unsweetened). They are not using it for frappuchinos, just for iced coffee and iced tea. Everyone step back from the internet and take a deep breath.
Indeed. Only a few of us will be ordering 31oz of just cream with extra sugar.
That’s a lot of burnt flavor.
So how long before they’re shoveling thousand calorie coffee milkshakes in these things? They say it’s just for unblended beverages right now but you know that can’t last.
Yet another “socially conscious” “forward thinking” “progressive” (or whatever other euphemism they use for pretending to be nice guys) corporation showing that they really don’t care about “the issues” when it comes time to make cash.
Portion control is a huge social issue in this country. There will be more calories in a trenta than most people should be eating in a meal.
Trenta means 30 in Spanish, not 31, they really suck at languages- “Tall” means small? “Grande” means large but is actually Medium (even more so now with an even bigger size)
I like iced tea in the summer (zero calories!) with double ice so this is a win for me.
Oh geez, the noxious dairy farts after one of these babies will probably cause the Moon to be cast out into deep space. Oh Starbucks, THE HUMANITY!!
The new Trenta Double Mocha Latte, only 24.99!
The funny thing about the large volume is that, while it will be mostly ice anyway, it’s apparently no problem to consume drinks that large: Austrians and Germans have been doing that since at least 1811, when the Mass (Maß) was standardized as a measure for beer at 1.069 liters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C3%9F
I saw this last summer, and was also similarly grossed out. However you can only get it (for now at least) in iced tea and iced coffee. And it was so ridiculously hot that day that I drank all 31 oz of iced tea and pretty much sweated it all out.
Why do people care that I get an iced coffee/tea in 31 oz? I don’t see any outrage for companies who have “big gulps” and other similarly sized drinks that are FAR worse for you than coffee or tea. What gives?